The "great unwashed" is now aware of 3D printing -- they've read about it in the papers; on blogs, or seen it on TV. They think that it's as simple as downloading products or making them themselves, using CAD programs, apps and 3D scanners; printing them out at home or in localised print shops. But like the cupcake or goji berries, 3D printing is severely overhyped -- I should know, it's what I do for a living. Read More >>

While some experts claim the plastic "gun" is about as effective a weapon as holding a bullet in your hand with a pair of pliers and hitting it with a pin, it hasn't stopped some from panicking about the possible mass proliferation of plastic weaponry. Read More >>

Last summer guests at Disney's Hollywood Studios had the opportunity to get a miniature version of themselves frozen in carbonite thanks to the magic of 3D printing. And this year that one-of-a-kind souvenir will be available again, with the addition of a Stormtrooper option if you like what the Empire has been doing in that galaxy far, far away. Read More >>

In just two days, blueprints for the world's first (almost) entirely 3D printed gun have made their way onto the hard drives of over 100,000 potential quick-draws around the world. And the idea of this many people gaining non-regulated access to lethal weapons this quickly should be sending us into a mass, hysterical moral panic, right? Slow down there, cowboy. Read More >>

Just days after revealing that he was working on a 100-per-cent 3D-printed weapon, Defence Distributed boss and scary sunglasses-wearer Cody Wilson appears to have successfully test-fired the 'Liberator' pistol, a gun made entirely out of plastic. Spiffing. Read More >>

Weapons. Toys. Entire skulls. There’s no limit to the objects we can 3D print these days, but the materials themselves haven’t evolved as quickly—we’re still stuck in a world of plastic, steel, and ceramic. That’s all about to change, thanks to the work of a small Oakland fabrication studio called Emerging Objects. Read More >>

If you think that piece of plastic above is just a toy, you'd be wrong. It's an actual gun. That fires standard handgun bullets. That's 3D printed. Yes, printed. It's the first entirely 3D printed gun, previous 3D printed weapons have just been specific parts. Welcome to the future. Read More >>

While still not entirely commonplace, 3D-printed body parts made of actual, living tissue have started popping up at a wonderfully alarming rate. The most recent iteration, though, takes the concept one whole cyborg-tinged step further. Researchers at Princeton successfully created a prototype, artificial ear that rolls 3D-printed cells in with an antenna for one terrifyingly awesome hearing aid. Read More >>

You can 3D print just about anything, from dresses to snowboards to a human face. A big part of the reason 3D printing is closing in on the mainstream is thanks to MakerBot, which is equipping anyone with an imagination—and $2,200 for a MakerBot Replicator—to print the physical manifestations of their dreams. Read More >>

3D printers have promised to revolutionise manufacturing as we know it, but are we really going to spend the future with such a limited colour palette for our 3D creations? Not if botObjects' new full color ProDesk3D printer delivers on its lofty promises. Read More >>

If you've got a 3D printer and a little bit of imagination, you can make pretty much anything. While these machines are still too expensive to be completely ubiquitous, early adopters are making some really amazing things. We got a look at a few of these objects at the 3D Printing Expo in New York this week. Here are the most unbelievable things we saw. Read More >>

What does art look like in the age of "hacked matter," when anyone can print anything on-demand? That's the question Shane Hope, a California-based visual artist, is trying to answer. In "Nano-Nonobjective-Oriented Ontographs and Qubit-Built Quilts," his new show at Chelsea's Winkleman Gallery, Hope is showing a collection of amazingly intricate paintings, each containing thousands of individual 3D-printed models. Read More >>

The dream of one day completely doing away with frustratingly long transplant lists in favour of made to order, 3D-printed organs is closer to becoming a reality. Scientists at Organovo in San Diego have, for the very first time, been able to 3D print tiny replicas of human livers. Read More >>

Dezeen, one of our favourite go-to design and architecture sites, has created the first print-on-demand magazine, in conjunction with Blurb, all about 3D printing. It's advert-free too, which makes a nice change, so if you're at all interested in 3D printing and design, it might be worth a gander. [Dezeen's Print Shift] Read More >>

It may not be as easy as print, plug, and play, but designer J.C. Karich is proving that you can make a pair of working headphones with nothing but raw materials, a 3D printer, open source designs, and a little gumption. Read More >>