Dr. Adrian Bowyer has been working on creating an open source 3D printer called the
RepRap project. This self-replicating machine is designed to be capable of printing out nearly all of its own parts and what it can't print are common inexpensive objects like screws and cheap motors that can be found at affordable prices around the world. The 3D printer has been hailed as "the invention that will bring down global capitalism, start a second industrial revolution, and save the environment." Only time will tell if this technology can live up to such high expectations, but it's definitely not very difficult to see seemingly limitless potential 3D printing holds.
