3D printers, laser cutters, milling machines and many other technologies can be used to physically create the files shared by the users on Thingiverse.

[1] Thingiverse houses more than a million open source hardware designs, that allow prosumers to save money by manufacturing their own products rather than purchase them commercially.

[2] Thingiverse was started in November 2008[3] by Zach Smith as a companion site to MakerBot Industries, a DIY 3D printer kit making company.

[11] In its terms of use, Thingiverse stipulates that users must not include content that "contributes to the creation of weapons, illegal materials, or is otherwise objectionable."

[12] Whereas many open-source hardware projects focus on project-specific materials, Thingiverse provides a common ground from which derivatives[13] and mashups[14] can form.