Thingiverse is kind of like a digital portal for users to share their curated 3D blueprints of various models. Here, you are going to get a digital design for just about everything. The designs are all organized by categories and this makes it further easy for you to be able to search various by their category.
Keep reading till the end of the article to find out more about it!
About 3D Printing
3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing is the construction of the three-dimensional object from a CAD (Computer Aided Design) or a 3D Digital model. This can also be done in a whole lot of different processes where the materials get solidified, joined, and deposited under computer control. This is also where the materials get added together layer after layer (in the form of plastics, liquids, and powder grains) as well.
Towards the late 1900s, there were a lot of 3D printing techniques that were considered to be suitable for the production of functional or aesthetic prototypes. A more fitting term for this process during that time was “Rapid Prototyping”.
The key advantage of 3D printing is the ability to be able to produce complex shapes and geometries that would otherwise not be possible by hand. Creating models in this way reduces the overall weight and also creates less material waste.
Introduction To Thingiverse
Thingiverse is an open-source platform that enables contributors to select a particular form of license type for the designs that they share. There are a whole lot of technologies like milling machines, laser cutters, and 3D printers that can be used for physically creating files that get shared by the users of Thingiverse.
Moreover, there’s a Thingiverse app that the users can make use of for 3D printing of different models.
Keep reading just a bit more to find out information about various Thingiverse alternative!
Origin Of Their Platform
The platform of Thingiverse got started in the month of November of 2008, by a man named Zach Smith who was originally a companion of the MakerBot Industries. The MakerBot Industries is a DIY 3D printer kit industry. In the year 2013, both MakerBot and Thingiverse were acquired by Stratasys.
The value creation is sort of open-source Thingiverse was accomplished as the primary components in the value of MakerBot.
The Thingiverse model also had gotten an honorable mention at the ARS Electronica 2010’s category of Digital Communities. It was an internationally held competition for the genre of Cyber Arts.
Tip: There are a lot of sites like Thingiverse that can aid you in doing the same 3D printing that you do with this site. A few instances of such sites are – Tinkercad, Fabster, and Sproutform.
Do I Need An Account For Using Thingiverse?
If you are only looking to download the files then you do not need to create an account on their platform. But if you want to participate in the social aspect of their platform (like groups and comments) then you are going to have to create an account. There are no associated costs to creating an account at theirs and it is a free process.
More Common Queries
What happened to Thingiverse now that it is doing so poorly? Well, the platform got a bit worse after Stratasys acquired it from MakerBot.
Now that we are done covering most of the basics of Thingiverse, it is time that we move on to discussing other aspects of the topic. Here is a list of some of the more frequently asked questions related to the topic of Thingiverse and 3D Printing:
Q. Is It Considered Illegal To Sell 3D Prints From Thingiverse?
A: Most of the designers on the platform of Thingiverse have opted to restrict the use of their own curated designs for commercial uses. This indicates that you are not allowed to make use of other creator’s designs to make money.
They can still be downloaded for your personal non-commercial use though. It also does not matter whether you purchased the design from the original creator, you still aren’t allowed to make money for yourself by selling it.
Q. Who Originally Invented 3D Printing?
A: The original inventor of 3D printing was Charles Hull, who was the creator of the first commercial rapid prototyping technology that commonly these days gets called 3D printing. The earliest such 3D printing applications used to be in research labs and tool rooms but today there are endless applications of such tech available out there.
Q. Do 3D Printers Smell?
A: As these kinds of printers tend to heat the filaments inside to their melting point, the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and all of the other particles tend to get released into the air and lead to a foul smell. The intensity of the smell depends upon the melting temperature and that’s what generally produces even more strong odors.
Q. What File Type Do I Need To Download For Sending Item To The Three Printer?
A: To be able to print your file in most of the 3D printers, you are going to have to download the file in the form of a “.stl” file. Then finally to print, navigate over to the “Design” menu where you can get the option of “Download for 3D Printing”. Then choose the “.stl” button for downloading the file. You can save the downloaded file to your flash drive, documents folder, or even desktop.
To Wrap It Up!
If you are actively on the lookout for a free online platform where you can get blueprints of 3D print models then Thingiverse is the ideal choice for you. Just that you need to keep in mind the fact that the designs are to be used for personal uses only as commercial use of such designs is strictly prohibited.
Thank you for reading this particular article up till here. I hope you found the information regarding the Thingiverse platform to be useful.
Read More:
About Author
