Bambu Lab introduces MakerWorld crowdfunding platform for 3D printing projects

Bambu Lab, known for its popular and relatively easy-to-use 3D printers (like the A1 mini, and the A1 combo with AMS multi-colour printing and full auto calibration), has also been working on growing the 3D printing community through its MakerWorld platform, where creators can share their 3D models, participate in contests and more. Now, the company has unveiled a crowdfunding section on MakerWorld that's aimed squarely and solely at 3D printing enthusiasts.

As it states on its blog, "We've seen so many incredible ideas that never get built because they're too big, too complex, or require resources that individual creators just don't have. The crowdfunding feature is our answer to that problem...what if the community could directly support these projects?".

The platform is essentially like a Kickstarter for the 3D printing community. Creators can submit a detailed proposal describing their idea and visualising it through renders, defining targets and a timeline of 30, 45 or 60 days, as well as tiered rewards such as exclusive STL files, tutorials, DIY kits and custom 3D prints. Once a campaign goes live, they can also share updates and respond to comments from interested users.

Through the program, Bambu Lab hopes to encourage designers to create innovative but challenging designs that require not just more resources but also more time and effort to engineer. There's also an aspect of discovering what kind of projects the community is interested in and therefore backs. 

As of now, creators can participate in the program on an invitation-only basis, that is, one can email a description of the initial idea along with renderings and other images (see the blog post for more details). The platform will review submissions before approving and launching them on the MakerWorld Crowdfunding page for potential backers to explore.