Thingiverse: older models and getting them printed to order

What Thingiverse is

The database was created in 2008 and is now run by UltiMaker. Details of its history are on Wikipedia. Many models are old and not all are well tested. Most often you will find an STL, sometimes a source file for editing as well.

Licences

The author sets the licence for each model. Often they are Creative Commons licences, and you will find an overview on the project page. A model with a BY-NC licence must not be used commercially. Some models have no licence set at all. In that case it is safer to ask the author. We do not examine licences, the responsibility lies with the customer.

Check the model before ordering

Older models more often contain mesh errors, overlapping bodies or wrong dimensions. Look at the comments and at photos of prints by other people, especially for parts with precise tolerances. We repair small holes in the mesh automatically, and for bigger errors we will write to you.

Watch the units too: a model may come out huge or tiny. In the calculator you fix it with the scale.

Thingiverse and your order

With older models it is worth finding out whether a newer version or a remix exists. Often someone has improved it: strengthened thin spots, fixed the dimensions or added a 3MF. Remixes have their own licence, which must not be looser than the original.

Upload the downloaded files to the calculator, choose PLA or PETG, the strength and the quantity. The model is genuinely prepared for printing with us, so the price per piece and the lead time are based on real grams and time. If the files come from an assembly of several parts, upload each one separately.