Wow. It had to happen, of course. Shapeways have developed 3D printing in a material other than resin or polymer, the traditional materials for rapid prototyping physical objects. They can do it in stainless steel! The magic isn’t toooo surprising though, as they use the same techniques. Stainless steel dust is fused into a solid form layer by layer. The finished model is then bronze filled and baked. The piece comes out with a matte finish but can then be tumbled for a polished finish. They appear to be targeting the maker/craft community and I can think of a lot of fiddly parts that I’d need to make. But it’s still not as good as the 3D printer that the clever guys at EvilMadScientist Labs (rock on, guys!!) homebrewed, which makes 3D models in cane sugar!

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