3D designers who publish models on Printables, Thingiverse, MakerWorld or Cults regularly find their designs re-uploaded or sold by others. Arguing about who was first is hard, because the most common 3D printing format stores almost nothing about time. Here is what STL and 3MF files record, what the CAD and slicer files add, and what to freeze before you publish.
Short answer: STL files store almost no date information, and 3MF dates come from your own software. To show a 3D model existed before someone else posted it, timestamp the exact STL, 3MF and source CAD files with TimeBinder before you upload them anywhere. A TimeBind shows that the exact file existed no later than the recorded time and still matches its fingerprint. It doesn’t show who made it or what a court will make of it.
Disclosure: I’m Inna Hall, co-founder of TimeBinder, the file timestamping tool this guide uses. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Table of Contents
What STL and 3MF files record
- STL: a mesh of triangles. Binary STL starts with an 80-byte free-text header and a triangle count; ASCII STL starts with a solid name. There are no standard fields for dates, units, colour or author.
- 3MF: a zip package of XML parts. The core specification lists metadata names such as Title, Designer, Copyright, CreationDate, ModificationDate and Application, and slicers add their own settings, plate layouts and thumbnails.
- CAD source files (for example Fusion, SolidWorks, FreeCAD or Blender) store the feature history or modelling steps, and cloud CAD keeps version history in the account.
- Slicer projects and G-code often record the slicer version and print settings, and sometimes a generation time from your computer.
Why that is easy to challenge
An STL is the same few bytes no matter when it was made, apart from file system dates that change whenever it is copied or downloaded. 3MF metadata is filled in by your software and can be edited by anyone with a text editor. Cloud CAD history belongs to the account and plan. Public upload dates help, but someone who copies your model from a private share or a Discord post can upload it before you do.
What to freeze
- The CAD source at key stages: first working model, the version you test print, the release.
- The exact STL or 3MF files you publish or sell. These are what a copy will be compared with, ideally byte for byte.
- Test print photos straight from your phone or camera, and any sketches or measurements.
- The slicer project if your print profile is part of what makes the design work.
A simple routine
- Before you share a model with anyone (testers, a Discord, a client), export the files you will share and stop editing them.
- Zip the release folder once if it has many parts.
- TimeBind the CAD source and the release files together in TimeBinder.
- Publish the same files you TimeBound, and keep the certificate with your source files.
Which plan fits
The free plan gives you 1 Token a month, which is one Pooled TimeBind of up to 10 files. No credit card is required for the free plan. A Pooled TimeBind is usually recorded within 24 to 48 hours, and often sooner, depending on Bitcoin network activity; an ASAP TimeBind costs 3 Tokens and gets its own Bitcoin transaction straight away.
For more milestones, Essential is US$20 a month for 5 Tokens (5 Pooled, or 1 ASAP plus 2 Pooled). Expert is US$50 a month for 15 Tokens (15 Pooled or 5 ASAP), and unused Tokens roll over. Verification is free. See pricing.
What a timestamp does and doesn’t do
TimeBinder anchors each file’s SHA-256 fingerprint to Bitcoin and gives you a Proof of Time Certificate. That is verifiable evidence of when a file existed: it shows the file existed no later than the anchor date, and any later change to the file is detectable. An ASAP TimeBind can be checked directly on the Bitcoin blockchain without relying on TimeBinder; a Pooled TimeBind is verified through TimeBinder. Your file is hashed in your browser and never uploaded.
It doesn’t show who made the work or who owns it, it doesn’t stop copying, and it doesn’t cover a version you didn’t timestamp. Whether a re-upload infringes, and what a site will do about it, depends on the platform’s rules and the licence you chose. See how to prove a CAD, BIM or Figma file existed and how to prove you invented something first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does an STL file contain a creation date?
No. A binary STL has an 80-byte header that tools may fill with text, followed by a list of triangles. There is no standard field for dates, authors or units. Only file system dates, which change on copying, are attached.
Is 3MF better than STL for showing when a model was made?
3MF can carry metadata such as a designer name, a creation date and a modification date, and slicers store print settings in the package. Those values are written by your software and can be edited, so 3MF gives you better context but not an independent date.
Should I timestamp the CAD source or the STL?
Both. The CAD source (Fusion, SolidWorks, Onshape export, Blender file) shows design intent and parameters; the STL or 3MF is what you upload or sell and what a copy will be compared with.
Does Printables or Thingiverse upload history prove I was first?
An upload date on a public site is a useful third-party record. It only covers what you uploaded, the site controls it, and a copier may upload elsewhere first. A timestamp made before upload covers your files on your terms.
Plan details were checked against timebinder.io/pricing on 29 October 2026.
