Home computer printers gave people the ability to produce bank statements, concert tickets, holiday cards and party invitations at the touch of a button.

But what if you wanted to “print out” a dinner plate, the leg [...]]]> Plastic extrusion machines that can make 3-D objects will be commonplace in homes one day, people in the field believe.

Home computer printers gave people the ability to produce bank statements, concert tickets, holiday cards and party invitations at the touch of a button.

But what if you wanted to “print out” a dinner plate, the leg of an armchair or an eyeglass frame? It may sound far-fetched and futuristic, but plastic extrusion machines that can do this — popularly known as 3-D printers — are poised to enter the home electronics market.

“Tonight Show” host Jay Leno has an industrial version in the warehouse-sized Burbank garage that houses his collection of more than 200 cars and motorcycles. His mechanics design hard-to-find parts on a laptop computer and then use the machine to make them real.

Via: latimes.com