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On this planet of 3D printing, having an excellent design is barely half the battle. Getting it seen (and paid for) is the actual problem. This week, 3D printer producer Elegoo is attempting one thing new to alter that. The Chinese language firm has pledged $1 million to reward individuals who create and share authentic 3D fashions.
This system is known as the Nexprint Million-Greenback Creator Fund, and it’s tied to Elegoo’s new on-line platform, Nexprint. The thought is that creators add authentic designs and receives a commission. Standout designs receives a commission just a little extra, and those that herald different designers can earn bonuses.
It’s a easy pitch, however it raises a giant query for the 3D printing world: how can the business be sure that the folks creating the fashions are those who actually profit from their work?
The Platform Behind the Fund
Nexprint is model new; it launched just some days in the past, on August 4, 2025. It’s an open-source group the place customers can add, share, and obtain 3D fashions. Not like industrial marketplaces that take a reduce of each sale, Nexprint focuses on free sharing, however with Elegoo now including a monetary incentive.
The platform is open to anybody, not simply Elegoo clients. That’s essential as a result of it means designers working with any 3D printer can nonetheless submit fashions, construct an viewers, and earn cash.
Elegoo’s CEO, Chris Hong, says the purpose is to make Nexprint a hub for creativity: “We drastically worth originality on this business. Nexprint will probably be an ideal platform to showcase creators’ authentic concepts. We imagine each design will repay.”
The $1 million will probably be unfold out over one 12 months. Every month, Elegoo will put cash right into a “reward pool” and begin paying creators as quickly as their designs are accredited.
The cost construction is as follows: creators obtain $5 for every accredited authentic design uploaded to Nexprint, with an extra $5 for “distinctive” designs that “stand out and earn featured placement on the positioning.” There’s no restrict to the variety of submissions a creator could make. On high of that, there’s the “alliance reward” system, which presents as much as $100 a month in bonuses for inviting different creators who go on to add their fashions.
In accordance with Elegoo’s guidelines, the preliminary reward section runs from August 9 to August 31. Then, beginning in September, the reward pool resets on the primary day of every month, and customers can see what number of funds stay in actual time on Nexprint.com.
Why This Issues for Designers
In lots of artistic industries, from pictures to music, there’s an ongoing debate about how a lot worth creators get in comparison with the platforms that host their work. 3D printing isn’t any totally different.
In lots of artistic industries, from pictures to music, there’s an ongoing debate about how a lot worth creators get in comparison with the platforms that host their work. The difficulty has been within the highlight not too long ago in different fields, too. Writers in Hollywood went on strike in 2023 to demand higher pay and protections from streaming companies. On YouTube, some creators have raised questions on whether or not their movies are getting used to coach AI methods with out clear consent or cost. And on the optimistic facet, platforms like Patreon have proven that direct payouts can work, and it has paid out greater than $10 billion to creators since 2013.
3D printing faces the identical drawback, as mannequin designers make the content material, however typically see little direct profit. Mannequin websites are filled with free designs, however creators often don’t earn cash except they promote their information. Even then, there’s a whole lot of competitors, and costs keep low.
By providing assured payouts, even small ones, Elegoo is betting that extra designers will probably be motivated to add their work. The hope is that the additional visibility and recognition will hold them coming again.
For a hobbyist, $5 per design might pay for a spool of filament after a number of uploads. For somebody who designs loads, it might change into a gradual additional revenue. For Elegoo, it might construct a big library of printable fashions that retains folks coming again.
The Larger Image for Elegoo
Elegoo isn’t new to large strikes. Based in 2015 in Shenzhen, the corporate has grown right into a main title in client 3D printing, promoting hundreds of thousands of its merchandise, together with machines, in over 100 international locations. Its lineup contains fashionable resin and FDM printers, laser engravers, and STEM kits. In 2024, the corporate’s gross sales topped $220 million.
However the {hardware} market is aggressive, and standing out is hard. By constructing a platform like Nexprint, Elegoo isn’t simply promoting machines, but in addition creating an area the place customers hold coming again, even after they aren’t shopping for a brand new printer. The extra folks use Nexprint, the extra probably they’re to be loyal to the Elegoo model.
Elegoo Jupiter printer. Picture courtesy of Elegoo.
Launching a fund this massive is formidable, however it might additionally include some challenges. For instance, some important issues to contemplate embrace whether or not $5 per design will probably be sufficient to draw high-quality submissions, how Nexprint will affirm that designs are actually authentic, and what occurs if the month-to-month fund runs out earlier than the tip of the month.
Nexprint can be coming into a aggressive house with established platforms like Thingiverse, Printables, and Cults3D, which have already got loyal person bases. To face out, Elegoo might want to supply one thing distinctive — and possibly the million-dollar fund will probably be that benefit. It’s undoubtedly a promoting level, particularly if there aren’t any exclusivity necessities. That in all probability makes it safer for designers to share their work with out placing the whole lot on one web site.
The primary few months will probably be tremendous essential, as a result of if the fund brings in loads of proficient creators, Nexprint might shortly change into a go-to web site for contemporary, high-quality fashions. As an alternative, if participation is gradual, Elegoo might have to alter the incentives or make investments extra in selling the platform. Nonetheless, it’s not day by day an organization places one of these funding into paying the individuals who design the issues we print. This transfer undoubtedly sends the message that originality is effective.
Even when you’re simply beginning out, or when you’re an skilled 3D artist, the Nexprint Million-Greenback Creator Fund is an effective cause to start out creating. To hitch, customers can join a free account at nexprint.com, add their authentic 3D mannequin designs, and begin incomes from every accredited submission.
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