Printing 3-D objects at home !

People here are "making" their own toys and household items without stepping into a shop. All they need to do is to click on a digital design they desire, from websites dedicated to the sharing of such files, print it on their 3-D home printer and - presto - the digital design will be physically transformed into a solid object made of sturdy plastic. 

Developed in the 1980s, 3-D printers build tangible objects from computer design by repeatedly depositing thin layers of material one over the other, layer by layer, to form a three-dimensional object. 

3-D home printers use plastic materials such as ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) and biodegradable bioplastic called PLA (polylactic acid), which gives the product a glossier finish. They usually cannot print products longer, taller or wider than 20cm. Depending on the density of an object and the details needed, printing can take between one and six hours or more.

Now3-D home printer  can cost more than US$2,000 (S$2,499). But if that’s too X, you could just pass a 3-D file of your design to companies which offer 3-D printing services and get your prototype within a couple of hours or days, depending on how big the item is. 

Unlike home models, professional 3-D printers cost between $90,000 and $1.5 million. Highly precise, they can capture details such as the dimply texture of orange skin or the finer texture of hair. 

Printing industry insiders estimate that about 40 home printers are being sold here every month, up from about 20 in 2011. It is believed that home printers first arrived in Singapore around 2008, through orders placed on online stores, mostly American ones. 

At least two companies here started selling home printers recently. SG Tooling at Fook Hai Building in South Bridge Road started with DIY 3-D home printer kits from local company OrangeKnob LLP last year. It has since switched to, and now sells only, American brand MakerBot, the market leader in ready-made home printers. It is its main distributor here. The MakerBot Replicator 3-D home printer costs between US$2,199 and US$2,799.  

DIY 3-D home printers such as Panther 3-D printer can be bought from OrangeKnob LLP, believed to be the only local maker of 3-D home printers here. Its home printers are said to cost between US$480 and US$960.

Another local firm Pirate3D, which has an office in Mountbatten Road, is developing what it hopes will be the world's most affordable 3-D printer, the Buccaneer. It is estimated to cost about US$347. 

The 3-D printer-making company made its debut recently on online crowd funding site Kickstarter.