3D Printing Service

This link caused me to shiver. Those of you who have been reading meggiecat know that I have an intense curiosity about personal and custom manufacturing. Very high end technology is becoming available to the average consumer either by owning your own equipment or by sending your art to production services like Spoonflower, Ponoko and now Shapeways who offer 3D printing of objects.

"At Shapeways we have two ways for you to turn a design into reality. If you are a 3D designer or modeler you can upload your designs to Shapeways. If you do not have any 3D design experience you can use the Shapeways Creator to shape and add text to an existing design. "

Now, I'm not saying that I have any great skills in 3D modeling but I do have a little experience with AutoCad and the free, wonderful program, Google SketchUp. What is exciting is that somebody is offering the opportunity!

There is a great deal of interest in 3D printing including building your own fabrication printer. Take a look at the fabathome.org page for the most comprehensive information on this topic.

I found out about Shapeways in a trend briefing newsletter offered by trendwatching.com. Also read their page 8 important consumer trends for 2008 .