Shapeways - 3D printing for the Masses

I have been keeping an eye on the 3D printing world over the last few years.  Things have been changing so fast.  Print quality is looking better, prices are dropping and now anyone that can design in 3D has the opportunity to have their own designs printed and delivered right to their door.

Shapeways was one of the first companies to offer this service, and then go one better.  They have built a community around their 3D printing business and give its users a way to set up a shop to sell their 3D printed objects. 

You can have your models printed in a pile of different materials ranging from glass, sandstone, plastic and STAINLESS STEEL. The last material was the one I was most interested in... so I created a model and sent it off to be printed. 

I am happy to say that my order of 4 small parts arrived... even after one was delayed by the ash cloud (it made it even more exciting).

I ordered the model in 3 different materials - Black Strong & flexible, Black detailed and Stainless Steel. I was most interested in the Stainless Steel version.

The Black Detailed and Stainless Steel prints look great while the other, well, lets just say this was a test.

Not only was I interested in the print quality, detail and finish I also wanted to test to see if I could make a moving part in one print. The two round ends are connected wit a single oval jump ring.

Using the tolerance mentioned in the material specs I was so happy to see that it works!

I can't wait to design my next part and have it printed!