The Ultimate Geek Tool

...is getting surprisingly cheap.

I am referring to a 3D Printer; perfect for trying out ideas, making small parts, etc.

A company is now offering a desktop size 3D printer for under $5,000.

http://www.desktopfactory.com/our_product/

In addition one group is working on an open-source project to produce a 3D printer capable of self-replication. Another is working on an open-source project for a syringe based system that would do some of the things a true 3D printer can do. As a bonus, the later is food safe.

The appeal of making things is one of the major reasons I became an engineer. Shaping raw material is something I greatly enjoy, be it with a five-axis CNC milling machine or a hand die. A fine-resolution 3D printer that can print multiple materials into durable parts is more or less the Holy Grail. Such things do exist, but the price tag puts them out of reasonable household use.

But... $5,000 is getting there.

Don't like the poses of the model soldiers available, or perhaps the quantities in a box aren't quite what you need for your army? Make your own reinforcements.

Need your own specialty clip? Draw it up in CAD and print it out.

Arrowheads, ink stamps, drawing templates, gaming miniatures...