3d Print Model Scraper

What does this actor do?

The 3D Print Model Scraper is an Apify actor that extracts 3D printing models and designs from Thingiverse, one of the largest repositories of user-created 3D printable files. It searches for models matching your query and returns detailed information including the model name, creator, download and like counts, category, file formats available, estimated print time, and direct URLs. The actor supports both the Thingiverse API (with an optional token) and web scraping as a fallback method.

Why use this actor?

Thingiverse hosts millions of 3D printable designs ranging from functional tools to artistic creations. Whether you are a 3D printing enthusiast looking for popular models, a business researching trending designs, a maker seeking project inspiration, or a researcher analyzing the 3D printing community, this actor provides structured data that would be tedious to collect manually. The download and like counts help you identify the most popular and well-received designs in any category.

How does it work?

The actor first attempts to use the Thingiverse API if you provide an optional API token. If the API is unavailable or no token is provided, it falls back to using CheerioCrawler to scrape the Thingiverse website directly. In web scraping mode, it navigates the search results page, collects links to individual model pages, and extracts detailed information from each one. All results are structured and pushed to the Apify dataset for easy export and integration.

Input parameters

• searchQuery (string): Search term for finding 3D models. Default: "phone stand".
• apiToken (string, optional): Thingiverse API token for authenticated API access. If not provided, the actor uses web scraping.
• maxResults (integer): Maximum number of models to return. Default: 30.

Output fields

Field	Description
modelName	Name of the 3D model
creator	Username of the model creator
downloads	Number of times the model has been downloaded
likes	Number of likes the model has received
category	Model category or primary tag
fileFormats	Available file formats (e.g., STL, OBJ)
printTime	Estimated print time (if available)
url	Direct link to the model page on Thingiverse

Cost and performance

This actor uses a default memory allocation of 512 MB. When using the API approach with a token, runs complete very quickly, typically under 30 seconds. The web scraping fallback takes 1-3 minutes depending on the number of results. At the Mid PPE tier, each result costs approximately $0.00075. The API approach is faster and more reliable but requires a Thingiverse application token.

Tips and best practices

• For best results, obtain a free Thingiverse API token by registering an application at thingiverse.com/developers.
• Use specific search queries like "raspberry pi case" or "desk organizer" for more targeted results.
• Sort results by downloads to find the most popular and battle-tested designs.
• Check out the DIY Project Scraper for complementary maker project data from Instructables.
• The Maker Space Finder can help you locate nearby makerspaces with 3D printers to bring your models to life.
• Schedule regular runs with trending search terms to discover new popular designs and track download trends over time.