Prototyping costs have dropped with the advent of 3-D printers and incubators that provide machining tools.

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Stratasys (SSYS) is another maker of 3-D printers and its revenue was up 28% in the fourth quarter.

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Part-time inventors experimenting on cheap 3-D printers might be the next wave of people seeking out his help.

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Charles Schumer is one of several politicians pushing for stricter legislation that would ban firearms created with 3-D printers.

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Existing 3-D printers, also called rapid prototyping machines, build structures layer by layer.

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Somebody in the audience asked Pettis if 3-D printers will someday be able to print any object you could possibly need.

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Printing out artificial body parts is likely many years away, but advanced 3-D printers are starting to make their mark at hospitals.

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In his remarks, Pettis said he has been excited to see the many ways people have used 3-D printers to enhance their lives.

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It's also MakerBot that's been at the forefront of of the move to put 3-D printers in the hands of the general public.

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That could change, though, as dirt-cheap 3-D printers like the Printrbot or new MakiBox simplify the technology and put it in more people's hands and home offices.

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Stratasys (SSYS) was the weakest of the 3-D printers.

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MakerBot, the most prominent maker of 3-D printers that the public can buy, has cracked down on printed guns by enforcing terms on its website that prevent users from sharing blueprints for firearms.

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Gaskins points out that as 3-D printers drop in price, more customers are able to purchase these machines and can make 3-D prototypes themselves, rather than sending the drawings to Proto Labs and wait for the results.

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But while the glued paper is said to have a wood-like hardness, the arrangement of the layered paper grain will require special consideration for certain design layouts (this can affect other types of 3-D printers as well).

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As most doctors don't know how to use those printers, hospitals need engineers to operate the printers and help convert images from computed tomography and other medical equipment to 3-D data that can be printed out.

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