tocomment, there are a few different technologies that are grouped under the "3D Printing" banner: "Selective Laser Sintering" is the technology used in the "A

tocomment, there are a few different technologies that are grouped under the "3D Printing" banner: "Selective Laser Sintering" is the technology used in the "Art" example. With this a process a thin layer of powdered plastic, metal, or cermaic is laid out on a platform, then a laser then hardens a portion of it. another layer is spread out and the process is repeated thousands of times. In the end you shake of the extra dust and your part emerges. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_laser_sintering http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_laser_sintering "Stereo Lithography" is another process, from Wikipedia: Stereolithography is an additive fabrication process utilizing a vat of liquid UV-curable photopolymer "resin" and a UV laser to build parts a layer at a time. On each layer, the laser beam traces a part cross-section pattern on the surface of the liquid resin. Exposure to the UV laser light cures, or, solidifies the pattern traced on the resin and adheres it to the layer below. After a pattern has been traced, the SLA's elevator platform descends by a single layer thickness, typically 0.05 mm to 0.15 mm (0.002" to 0.006"). Then, a resin-filled blade sweeps across the part cross section, re-coating it with fresh material. On this new liquid surface the subsequent layer pattern is traced, adhering to the previous layer. A complete 3-D part is formed by this process. After building, parts are cleaned of excess resin by immersion in a chemical bath and then cured in a UV oven. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereolithography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereolithography "Fused Deposition Modeling" is a third technology that works like a very fine grain softserve ice cream machine. a print head goes over a surface laying down a thin, ribbon like string of materials eventually building up enough layers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fused_deposition_modeling http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fused_deposition_modeling "3D Printing" is more like desktop printing in that you have a substrate and "pixel" of materials are deposited until your design emerges as a finished product. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing Hope this helps.