There’s a new 3D model repository: MarineLab3D.
There are plenty of 3D model repositories online these days, ranging from the original Thingiverse, to Printables to MakerWorld and many more. These sites provide literally millions of designs to the public, and are often directly hooked up to 3D printers for easy printing.
But sometimes you need specific parts for which you cannot find the right design. That’s the niche that is being explored by MarineLab3D: it’s a repository for marine parts.
While most sites provide static STL/3MF files, there’s a difference with MarineLab3D.
MarineLab3D Founder Gian Luca Pistoni told us:
“MarineLab3D is a marketplace of 3D-printable marine parts where the products are not static STL files but parametric designs. The customer sets diameter, thread size, length – even the name to be embossed – in the browser, and the STL is generated on demand from a JSCAD model, watertight-checked before download.”
So while MarineLab3D might not have as many parts online as other sites, the fact that they are all customizable means they effectively have many more “parts” available through the service. For example, a part design might be able to be configured to work on many different boats, not just one.
Note that the parts in MarineLab3D are not intended for industrial use; in fact, the site is designed from the start to address the needs of boating consumers. If someone owns a boat and needs a part, they can get the design from MarineLab3D.
However, marine parts are a bit different from typical consumer 3D printed items: they don’t just sit on a shelf. They are exposed to water, sun, salt, mechanical abuse and more. They should be printed in the appropriate material with print parameters to provide sufficient strength.
Note that MarineLab3D does provide “explicit limits” on the intended use of each design. This is so that you know which parts are not suitable for “structural or safety-critical applications”.
MarineLab3D is actually a marketplace, serving two types of customers: part buyers and part designers. Designers are able to connect with the site and upload their designs for display on MarineLab3D.
A question I had was about the parametric nature of parts: what happens if a designer’s model is not parametric? Can it appear on MarineLab3D? It turns out the answer is yes: “fixed models can be converted into parametric ones”.
This looks like a very interesting service: it is tightly focused on a specific niche, consumer marine applications, so it isn’t for everyone.
But if you are a boat owner, this might be the place to obtain parts.
Via MarineLab3D
