Shapeways

3d printing is an additive manufacturing process. Michelangelo once claimed that the statue was already complete inside the block of marble. He only needed to remove everything that’s not the statue. Well, 3d printing doesn’t work like that. You build your creations one layer at a time, stacking them up to create the full three dimensional shape. Either by laying down new material (like resin or melted plastic) or by fusing together a loose powder that’s already been laid down, adding another layer on top, and then fusing it to the layer below (like laser sintered nylon powder). This allows for a minimum of wasted material used to build your creations. Unfortunately, the technology is still relatively new (definitely if you compare it to chiseling things from marble) and can be a bit . . . temperamental. Some objects aren’t always feasible with certain techniques or may work on one attempt but not the next. Still, when it does work it’s often the only way to make a computer generated model without having to set up an entire manufacturing process tuned specifically for it.

Shapeways.com is a website that allows users to take 3d models they’ve created, upload them to the site, and either purchase them or make them available for other users to purchase. These models are printed as ordered and there is no stock sitting around waiting. This means it can take some time to get from purchasing to shipping and the items are much more expensive than if you’d built an entire factory dedicated to churning out millions of the things. But, hey, where else are you going to get the creations found only on this website?

My store on Shapeways a wide range of items because, well, I’ve got a wide range of interests and I’ll make darn near whatever grabs hold of me at the moment. I’ve got jewelry, dice, sculptures, pieces for model train sets, and all kinds of knickknacks. If you’re feeling curious, check out my store and see if anything catches your fancy.

https://www.shapeways.com/shops/reapermedia