via Don Solo's flickr
Left to right (or back to front, however you prefer):
• official LEGO brick: injection molded ABS.
• "Transparent Detail": Objet printed Acrylic-based photopolymer - see the process here.
• "White Strong & Flexible": Selective-Laser-Sintered Nylon 11 - see the process here.
• "Alumide" (same as WSF but with aluminum powder mixed in to the powder).These were printed via Shapeways from a 3D model I drew in Solidworks. I have a few ideas I might draw up and order prototypes for and I wanted to sample some materials, and what better physical test than a standard Lego brick?
Aw, man--this is so COOL. http://Shapeways.com can 3D print any digital 3D model you give them as long as the finished object is under 19x15x7inches (depending on the material you choose). The coolest thing about this service is that you can even get a model done in *stainless steel*. Of course, the draw back to all of this is that it's not cheap--but considering how easy it is to do, it's got to be the cheapest way to go for prototyping individual models.
In case you're curious, Flickr-user Don Solo says the cheapest one to produce in the pic above was the white one which priced in at $5.22. Yeah, he's not going to be building too many models with his own Lego pieces any time soon.
Still, if you look at Shapeways.com, you can see the immense potential. You can even set up a shop, like at Cafepress. This might be a great way for custom toy artists to get some attention if they're just starting out or even build up a small audience to prove there's a market for a toy design.
I really want to try them out--I just need to learn how to do 3D modeling now!
Damn... something else to add to the task list already as long as my arm!!
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