Business Models for Open Source Hardware Repositories
Free and open source hardware repositories provide massive public good, but funding their operation has proven tenuous with conventional business models. This study evaluates business models to foster that public good. Business models for online design repositories are reviewed and a new model is conceptualized to fund repository operations. The greatest added value an open hardware repository brings to the user-developer community is validation and vetting of the designs. A business model was proposed that uses revenue from the vetting process to fund validation studies and sustainable operations of the open hardware repository itself. As the return on investment of laterally-scaled open hardware that can leverage distributed manufacturing has the potential for creating enormous value, maintaining repositories for this hardware enables vast wealth generation for everyone. This is the first study specifically focused on ways to ensure economic sustainability of open hardware repositories.
Exisiting 3D Printing Repositories
[edit | edit source]| Website | Status/Number of Files | Upload | Download | Available Licensing |
Website Source Code |
Notes | Reviews & Discussion |
Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 123D Gallery | Dead | No longer a 3D parts gallery. | 1 | Autodesk | ||||
| 3DPrintg | Live | Register | Mix | CC and GNU +more | 3D Models Online: Download Free and Premium 3D Files" | |||
| 3DAGOGO | Dead | Redirects to AstroPrint.com, a 3D printer management service. | ||||||
| 3dburrito | Dead | 1 | ||||||
| 3D Part Source | Dead | Site is no longer registered. | 1 | |||||
| 3D Printed Instruments | Live | Aggregator of musical instrument designs | ||||||
| The 3D Studio | Dead | Checked September 2023 | ||||||
| Bld3r | Dead | Register | Free | CC +more | Open, AGPL | Bld3r also aggregates objects and tutorials from other sites. Can be slow at times. | Independent | |
| British Geological Survey | Beta | N/A | ? | fossils | ||||
| CG Trader | Live | 1 | ||||||
| CNC King | Archived | Down | Owner took down the files and archived the site, stating "I don't want to be tech support for the world full of people with CNC machines that don't know what they're doing." | 1 | ||||
| CreateThis | Work in progress. | Mix | Mix | See github.com/CreateThis instead. Creator has moved onto free tools such as Mesh Maker VR. | 1 | |||
| Cubehero | Live | Register | Free | Public Domain and Creative Commons | Some | version control, OpenSCAD and STL previews, group discussions | 1 | |
| Cubify | Down | Discontinued as of 2019. Redirects to 3D Systems. | 1 | 3D Systems | ||||
| Cuboyo | Down | Checked September 2023. | 1 | |||||
| Embodi3D | Live | Register | Free | Creative Commons | Anatomical, Biological, and Fossil Models, Forums, Blogs, Biomedical maker community | |||
| Fabster | Dead | |||||||
| Github | Live | 1 | Github | |||||
| Githubiverse | Live | |||||||
| SketchUp 3D Warehouse | Live | No longer owned by google. See 3dwarehouse .sketchup .com/ | Trimble Navigation | |||||
| Grab Cad | Live | Register | Yes | No longer a place for downloading 3D models. Now software about managing 3D printing services. | 1 | |||
| i.materialize | Discontinued | As of 2023 this site is a printing service. | 1 | |||||
| Instructables | Live | search for "3D printing" | 1 | |||||
| Libre3D | Moved | Register | Free | Public Domain and Creative Commons | Redirects to Prusa Printables since 2023. Adrian Bowyer (Inventor of RepRap) is/was(?) a board member. 3D Models (STL and SCAD) are downloadable and attributed. | Independent | ||
| MakerLove | Live | NSFW, adult themed | ||||||
| MakerShop | Live | 1 | ||||||
| Mixee Labs | Down | Down as of Sept. 2023. | 1 | |||||
| MyMiniFactory | Live | 1 | iMakr | |||||
| NASA 3D Models | Live | N/A | Free | spacecraft models, 'Made In Space wrench' | ||||
| NIH 3D Print Exchange | Live | N/A | Free | anatomical and biological models, labware, molecules | U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | |||
| OpenBuilds | Live | Register | Free | Instructions and build files for 3D Printers, CNC Routers, Laser Cutters/Engravers, and more | ||||
| Parametric Parts | Down/Malfunctioning | Register | Mix | CC & commercial | Some | Down as of Sept. 2023. Parametric scripted models through CadQuery, based on FreeCAD | ||
| Pinshape | Live | Mix | Mix | CC, Personal, Secure Streaming | Focused solely on files for 3D printing | |||
| Pirate Bay Physibles | Live | Free | Free | NSFW, Downloads via BitTorrent. May be down in your jurisdiction at times - you'll have to search for a proxy if you really want to use it. | 1 | |||
| Printables | Live | Register | Free | CC, GNU, BSD, more | Libre3D redirects to here now. Printables is a platform where creators can publish models. You can also find official branded models, for spare parts, toy props, tool storage, and more. | Prusa | ||
| RAScomRAS | Live | Spanish Language | ||||||
| Repables | Live | Register | Free | CC and GNU +more | 1 | |||
| RepRap Wiki | Live | Register | Free | |||||
| Rhombik | pre-alpha | Register | Free | Alpha link is broken. Rhombik.com is now a Lemmy instance. | ||||
| rinkak | Down | Discontinued as of 2020. Japanese Language. | 1 | |||||
| ShapeDo | Live | Register | Free | CC License | See the "Community Edition" link at the top of the page | |||
| Sketchfab | Live | Register | Mix | primary emphasis on embedded 3D viewing | 1 | |||
| Smithsonian X 3D | Beta | N/A | Register | fossils and artifacts | Smithsonian Institution | |||
| SproutForm | Dead | Down as of Sept. 2023 | ||||||
| Stanford 3D Scanning Repository | Live | N/A | Free | Full attribution requested. Website states: "not to be used for commercial purposes ... without our permission." | Home of the 'Stanford bunny' and other iconic 3D models. Files in PLY format. | Stanford | ||
| STLhive | Dead | Register | Mixed | STLhive owns all intellectual rights on their designs, but encourage users to modify them at which point the user owns the design. | Down since 2020. STLhive designs all of the content offered. STLhive has many models designed to be finished by makers. For Students, Hobbyists and Inventors. Free Models | Independent | ||
| Sybazaar | Dead | Register | Mixed | Creative Commons (or other upon request) | Down since 2014. Sybazaar offered hybrid listings; downloadable designs, physical goods/components, or both. All listing types could either be free, paid, or auctioned. Storefront feature were also available. | Independent | ||
| Thing Tracker Network | Dead | N/A | N/A | Parked domain as of Sept. 2023. | 1 | |||
| Thingiverse | Live | Register | Free | CC and GNU +more | Some | Weapons and sexually explicit things are forbidden by the Community Guidelines | 1, 2 | Makerbot/Stratasys |
| Threeding | Live | Mix | Mix | |||||
| Treatstock | Live | Register | N/A | 3D models cannot be downloaded. When you find a design you like, select materials & colors and order it 3D printed with a manufacturer near you. | Independent | |||
| Turbosquid | Live | Register | Mix | Licensing terms and conditions are often unclear. | A commercial site with much free content. | 1 | ||
| Yeggi | Live | N/A | Mix | 3D model aggregator/search engine. Users can submit sites to add to the engine. API available. | 1 | Not stated | ||
| Yobi3D | Dead | N/A | N/A | Parked domain as of 2013. 3D model search engine. Provide a built-in viewer to see models in 3D. | 1 | |||
| YouMagine | Live | Register | Free | BSD License, Creative Commons, GPLv3, and GNU-LGPL | They state that "everything you upload will remain your intellectual property which we encourage you to share" | Ultimaker |
Original from https://reprap.org/wiki/Printable_part_sources
Feature Columns
[edit | edit source]Status/Number of Files
[edit | edit source]Current state of the website is listed as: Early Dev, Early Live, Live, Dead, or Down. If they are live please put the number of files in the repository. Do they allow stats? If you can find it put a hyperlink to the details in square brackets, otherwise just a number. If they are Dead/Down simply delete the row.
Upload
[edit | edit source]What are the requirements to upload a file? Options are Register, Pay, Mix (in case it depends), or Free. Free is only for no-strings-attached unlimited registration-free uploading.
Download
[edit | edit source]On the list here you will find a mixture of websites that provide printable part files completely free, for a monetary charge, or a mixture of the two. Other options include "Register". Free is only for no-strings-attached unlimited registration-free downloading.
Available Licensing
[edit | edit source]When uploading or downloading files from part repositories be aware of the licensing that has been selected for the model. Some websites allow users to pick from multiple licenses with others specifically forcing one license. Be aware that some licenses do not allow use by commercial entities.
For more information on licensing check out: Creative Commons and GNU.org. If the repository/marketplace you are using does not allow or use CC or GNU licensing be sure to read through their FAQ or Terms of Service.
Website Source Code
[edit | edit source]Does the website make available the source code that runs it?
Notes
[edit | edit source]Any extra notes about the repository/marketplace that doesn't fit in the other current feature categories. For example, some of the repos let you put a license on it - and that license is valid for anyone else but not the repo who takes all of your IP. Use this column to explain the licensing rules for the site.
Reviews & Discussion
[edit | edit source]Links to reviews and discussion about the website.
Affiliation
[edit | edit source]Is the website affiliated with or owned by another company?
See also
[edit | edit source]- Emerging Business Models for Open Source Hardware
- Overcoming Limitations of Proprietary Scientific Hardware Funding
- Sponsored Libre Research Agreements to Create Free and Open Source Software and Hardware
- Making the Tools to Do-It-Together: Open-source Compression Screw Manufacturing Case Study
- Life-cycle economic analysis of distributed manufacturing with open-source 3-D printers
- Quantifying the Value of Open Source Hardware Development
- Open-source, self-replicating 3-D printer factory for small-business manufacturing
- Distributed manufacturing with 3-D printing: a case study of recreational vehicle solar photovoltaic mounting systems
- Global value chains from a 3D printing perspective
- Emergence of Home Manufacturing in the Developed World: Return on Investment for Open-Source 3-D Printers
- Towards national policy for open source hardware research: The case of Finland
- Economic Savings for Scientific Free and Open Source Technology: A Review
- Strategic Investment in Open Hardware for National Security
- Economic Impact of DIY Home Manufacturing of Consumer Products with Low-cost 3D Printing from Free and Open Source Designs
- Professors Want to Share: Preliminary Survey Results on Establishing Open Source Endowed Professorships
- Canadian professors’ views on establishing open source endowed professorships
- Open source decarbonization for a sustainable world
- Equitable Research Capacity Towards the Sustainable Development Goals: The Case for Open Science Hardware
- Leveraging Open Source Development Value to Increase Freedom of Movement of Highly Qualified Personnel
- First Step to Scaling Innovation at the National Level in the U.S.: Economic Costs and Savings for Free First Year of National University Education
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| License | CC-BY-SA-4.0 |
| Organizations | Free Appropriate Sustainable Technology, Western |
| Cite as | J.M.Pearce (2023–2026). "Business Models for Open Source Hardware Repositories". Appropedia. Retrieved June 4, 2026. |