As the additive manufacturing (AM) industry continues to expand, more and more 3D designs are making their way on to the Internet. Sites like Thingiverse and Shapeways offer thousands of 3D model designs, and similar sites are popping up all the time. That doesn’t even take into account the private model libraries stored in the computer banks of manufacturers and service bureaus. Taken as a whole, we are awash in 3D models.

While having all that variety and potential floating around out there isn’t a bad thing, it can make finding a supplier that happens to have (and can produce) the same kind of model as the one you need something of a challenge. Naming is part of the problem. What I call a square, you might call a block. If I try Googling service bureaus that can print squares, I’m not as likely to find exactly what I need. 3D Industries (3DI) intends to solve this issue with its new part search service. Continue reading →