If you’ve ever wished you could buy your very own Star Trek-type replicator, you’re finally in luck. While not quite so instantaneous or hands-off, it is now actually possible to create a vase or spatula right on your desktop. And “3D printing,” as it is known, is a technology with incredible disruptive potential.\

While the potential for this technology outside the rapid prototyping market is vast, the eventual markets for 3D printing are not exactly known.