Last September, we covered a free, public repository for 3D printables called Repables. At the time, the site was in something like a Beta-testing state, with only a handful of 3D models available for downloading. Gerrit Coetzee, the site’s founder, has let me know that Repables is officially going public at the Midwest RepRap Festival 2014.
After MakerBot made changes in the Thingiverse Terms of Service, causing fear in some users that the company would own their designs, alternatives made themselves known. Repables presented itself originally, almost, as an alternative to Thingiverse, in terms of licensing. Coetzee explained in a previous Midwest RepRap Festival that he wanted to “have a non-profit foundation that manages a website and a database pretty much for sharing files that’s manufacturer independent, license independent, that’s just for the community and people all over the world to exchange information and exchange data in a friendly manner.”
Since the founding of Repables, the site remains free of corporate control. The press release for the official launch of the site explains:
Repables is a truly fantastic, feature rich, and usable site we’re very very proud of. Born in the open source community; Repables is made by people who love rapid manufacturing for people who love rapid manufacturing. Heck, once we’re happy with the polish, we’ll even release the source to our site so you can launch your own Repables (or help us make Repables even better!).
On top of all that: Unlike many sites which are owned directly by companies that manufacture 3d printers. Repables.com is sponsored by manufacturers, but is its own Non-Profit LLC. This means that your files won’t be partially owned by someone who might have ulterior motives about that great new extruder upgrade you came up with. Your files are your files, it might as well be our manifesto.
The site will officially launch on March 16, but you can begin using it now, free from worries that your content will be “partially owned by someone who might have ulterior motives about that great new extruder upgrade you came up with.”
Source: Repables
