"I slaved over the replicator for hours."
~ Hologram Chakotay, Star Trek: Voyager
What if you could design an object on your computer, hit print and watch it come into being before your eyes?
Manufacturing industries have been using 3D printers for years to produce exact models, delicate parts and other odds and ends that start life on a computer and end up being something you can hold. These machines use very thin layers of material printed one over the other to gradually build up an object based on a computer model.
MakerBot Industries has now introduced a smaller version of these industrial bohemoths called the Thing-O-Matic. It connects to your computer via USB and according to the company is very low-fuss - simply plug in and hit print!
For only $1,225, you could be well on your way to your own army of personalized action figures or a chess set to end all chess sets. If you're a bit shy about making your own designs, http://www.thingiverse.com/ is full of free downloadable objects for your printing enjoyment.
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