Shapeways - Cost Effective 3D Printing

3Dwalkthroughs.com has posted about 3D printing in the past but a company called Shapeways is ready to take it to the masses.

For the first time budding artists, architects, product designers and dabbling consumers alike can easily order their 3D designs as physical objects in an inspiring and affordable way. Whether it's creating a new utensil, the ultimate toy or a wacky piece of art, with Shapeways users can Do-It-Yourself (DIY) online. Using 3D printing (Rapid Manufacturing), Shapeways can produce almost any design users choose to upload.

Source: MarketWatch.com

Shapeways allows users to upload and modify designs. The system will even check if the design is capable of printing. Turnaround time for a printed object is about 10 days at an average price of between $50-$150. Another interesting component of Shapeways is that they are not just offering a cool service, they are building a community for 3D artists and developers to share ideas and design concepts.

Here is a link to the beta sign up of Shapeways.

Here is a link to the YouTube Video which demonstrates the whole process