I got a 3D printer on Friday. It's one of those R30K filament types. Damn, damn damn....what a stunning piece of equipment. The quality is good and I've already printed a variety of parts in various materials. ABS works extremely well. There are hundreds of files available for free on the internet. It is truly amazing to see the wide variety of stuff that is available. The thing that I love about it is that one can solve real-world problems quickly and easy right on the desktop. I designed and made snap fit belt splice for my broken T2.5 timing belt on the one laser. The machine really enables you to turn a dream into reality at the touch of a button. I think that the technology is absolutely brilliant and it is revolutionising manufacturing. The little guy can now design, prototype, evolve and perfect a product at a very low cost. Many products can then be cast in resin which means that the need for injection moulding and the expensive tooling that goes with it. Injection moulding is great for doing 10,000 copies of the same product but inappropriate for small scale manufacturing.

I vote this machine as THE coolest piece of equipment that I have ever laid my hands on.