MyMiniFactory Acquires Thingiverse to Save 3D Printing from AI-Generated Content

MyMiniFactory has announced the surprise acquisition of the world's oldest and largest 3D printing file-sharing site, Thingiverse. Originally launched in 2008 by MakerBot, Thingiverse boasts over 8 million users and a repository of well over 2.5 million "things." The acquisition marks a significant shift in the 3D printing ecosystem, as MyMiniFactory takes over operations from UltiMaker with plans to restore the platform's former glory while protecting human creators from the growing threat of AI-generated content.

(Image credit: MyMiniFactory)

Thingiverse has weathered more than its fair share of storms over the years. Launched by MakerBot as an open source community project, it started as a place where makers could store and share digital designs regardless of what 3D printer they owned. Stratasys acquired it in 2013 through the purchase of MakerBot, and in 2022, ownership transitioned to Ultimaker following the merger of Ultimaker and MakerBot.

Under UltiMaker's ownership, many users felt the platform began to stagnate. Search functionality failed, thumbnails vanished, and the customizer tool produced increasingly buggy results. In 2021, a data breach was the final straw for many users, who terminated their accounts and sought more secure alternatives for downloading files.

MyMiniFactory has now acquired 100% of Thingiverse from UltiMaker and will take over both the operations and the necessary cleanup of the digital site. The London-based company, founded in 2012, focuses on curation and guaranteed printability, with every file vetted by humans before going live.

"This is about what kind of internet and future we want," said Romain Kidd, new CEO of Thingiverse. "AI-generated content is everywhere now and is a threat to the livelihoods of real creators everywhere. We know from launching SoulCrafted that there's real demand for spaces where human work is valued and protected. Thingiverse will be one of those spaces."

MyMiniFactory is proud to protect creator-first economics in the world of 3D printing, having distributed over $100 million directly to its community by facilitating the sale of 3D models. Thousands of independent creators run small businesses on MMF, supported by nearly a million paying customers.

The acquisition comes at a critical time for the 3D printing community. While popular file sharing sites like Thingiverse, Printables, and MakerWorld have been operated by 3D printer manufacturers as a bonus perk for their customers, MyMiniFactory stands apart with its focus on human curation and creator compensation.

Rees Calder, the newly appointed Chief Marketing Officer of Thingiverse, emphasized that Thingiverse will join MMF as a "SoulCrafted" company while remaining a standalone platform. SoulCrafted is an MMF initiative introduced in 2025, championing the importance of human-made designs, curation, and a sustainable economic model for human digital artists.

Calder noted that while advertising will likely remain on the platform, they plan to seek out relevant sponsors rather than depending on random ads from Google. Once the infrastructure is stabilized, they will introduce a business model allowing creators to monetize their human-created designs directly on Thingiverse. Currently, many designers use the site simply as a promotional tool to attract customers to paid platforms elsewhere.

"Thingiverse belongs to the people who use it," said Kidd. "We want them involved in what happens next."

The combined MyMiniFactory and Thingiverse team will host a live Q&A on February 17th at 5pm UTC to share their vision and hear from the community. MyMiniFactory wants to reiterate that this is a combined effort, and the future of Thingiverse will be built with the community in order to bring them the platform they deserve.

In addition to the Q&A, people are encouraged to have their say directly on Thingiverse via the official Thingiverse group, which can be found here. All feedback and ideas will be considered as the roadmap is developed and the future of the platform is realized.

Calder emphasized the desire to restore Thingiverse to its former glory but admitted to having a relatively small team, so it may take some time to clean up all the old, unusable files from abandoned accounts. The acquisition represents a significant investment in the future of human creativity in the 3D printing space, with MyMiniFactory betting that users will value and support platforms that prioritize human-made content over AI-generated alternatives.

The acquisition also raises questions about the future of 3D printing file sharing. With MyMiniFactory's proven track record of supporting creators financially and its commitment to human curation, Thingiverse may once again become the go-to platform for quality, printable designs. The challenge will be balancing the platform's historical role as a free resource with the need to create sustainable revenue streams for creators in an increasingly AI-dominated digital landscape.

As the 3D printing community watches closely, the success of this acquisition could set a precedent for how creative platforms navigate the challenges of AI-generated content while maintaining their commitment to human creators. The live Q&A on February 17th will likely provide more details about the specific changes users can expect and how the new ownership plans to address the platform's long-standing issues while charting a course for its future.