Introducing the 3-D Printer

Ever had a really cool idea for something you wanted to build, but you had no way to actually build it? Ever designed a toy or a piece of art that you thought would be a neat thing to have, but your skills at molding plastic or at sculpture just weren't up to the task? With 3-D printers entering the consumer markets within the next few years, you won’t have these problems anymore. Whether it be the battery cover of your cellphone that you have lost or the golden princess doll your daughter saw on the television that she really wanted, you will be able to make them by just downloading the 3-D plans off the internet and pushing print and just a few hours later, your “print” will be ready.

3-D printers create their three-dimensional objects by layering and connecting successive cross sections of very thin layers of liquid or powdered plastic, corn starch or resin just as traditional ink-jet printers do out of dots of ink.

Three-dimensional printers have been in certain industries for about a decade. Their uses include the designing and testing of cars and planes and other products. Once well over $100,000 each, 3-D printers can now be bought for anything between $15,000 and $60,000. One company aiming to be the first to offer smaller printers for home and small business use is Desktop Factory and the company will start selling their first consumer 3-D printer this year for about $5,000 with experts predicting prices to fall up to $1,000 within the next four years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/07/technology/07copy.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&ref=technologyhttp://www.desktopfactory.com/