Shapeways Creates Steel Fabrication Printing

Shapeways recently unveiled a new fabrication service that allows 3D models to be printed using stainless steel, marking an incredible advancement in prototype and object creation.  The above images are of a möbius strip seen in the CAD design program and the finished product offered by Shapeways.  3D modelers can make their designs come to life in a process that was previously limited to resin or plastic models.

The technique takes tiny deposits of stainless steel powder and fuses it with a binding material.  The objects are slowly pieced together and take the full form of the model designed in the computer program.  Shapeways then cures the objects in an oven and infuses them with bronze or tumbles them for a polished finish.  The technology is still for small models but eventually we could see fabrication of advanced metal objects with designs downloaded online.

[via CrunchGear]