Have some great design ideas for a product? Or need a replacement part for that antiquated clock, which is not readily available? Lets bring to your attention the world of 3D printing. 3D printing you ask? Isn't that frighteningly expensive stuff?

Let us introduce to you Shapeways , a place where you can create a 3D representation of the object that you want to create. And Shapeways will 3D print it for you and the best part is that they have managed to work with other organizations to bring down the cost of this technology, with the lure of higher volumes.

Shapeways is actually more than just a source for getting your 3D models printed. Creative 3D designers can upload their models and can sell their wares at shops that they can create on Shapeways. The designers can then decide the markup that they wish to add to the cost of printing the model, as determined by Shapeways, based on the intricacy of the model.