Originally Posted by
michaelsuder
I would think this is a no-brainer with the advent of 3-D printing and modeling software that is out there. Sounds like a business opportunity to me since mass production is no longer needed to produce something like this at a profit.
Well, get in there and make you fortune.
As a cautionary note, I have spoken to a guy who developed a 3D printed jet drive for a lifeboat kit. Several months of effort to get it right, working properly and able to be serviced. He needed good engineering to have it work properly - a smaller version would need much tighter tolerances. For anything like this, 3D printing is great for producing a rough prototype that can be cleaned up for making a moulding master. Decorative parts scale easily within limits defined by the resolution capability of the printer.. Working stressed parts less so.