Everything you need to know about 3-D printing

Three-dimensional printers make manufacturing possible at home. Could they spell the end of mass production?

A 3D printer in action.
(Image credit: Veronika Lukasova/ZUMA Press/Corbis)

What is 3-D printing?

It's a revolutionary manufacturing process in which the design for physical objects, from toys to jewelry to machine parts, can be digitally transmitted to a device that makes them out of plastic, metal, or ceramic materials. Once the stuff of science fiction, 3-D printers have rapidly evolved in recent years, becoming smaller, faster, and cheaper. A basic, microwave-size 3-D printer costs less than $1,000, making almost anyone a potential manufacturer. Tonight Show host Jay Leno uses a $30,000 device to print hard-to-find parts for his collection of classic cars. "It's a bit like when I was a kid and I watched The Jetsons and they'd walk up to a machine and press a button and get a steak dinner," Leno said. "But instead of a steak dinner, you're getting an old car part."

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