There are several companies that will "print" models for you from your design. Some model railroaders are already doing this. A member of the Nn3 Group on Yahoo has had some Nn3 gondolas made by Shapeways http://www.shapeways.com/
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
We have one of these gizmos at work. They're kind of clever -- they produce a resin model. It's not for the model railroader.
Printer costs upwards of $25K (maybe cheaper options), resin costs about $1500 per refill, and they don't last long.
Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford
This is a subject that has come up before:
3D Printer for MRR
Low Cost 3D Printer
3D Printer. (much cheaper than the others)
3D Scanners
Dan
Given that one of their "real world" applications is architectural prototyping...well I think you know where I'm going with this.
Hmmmm..... first attempt at a Star Trek replicator?
The Dixie D Short Line "Lux Lucet In Tenebris Nihil Igitur Mors Est Ad Nos 2001"
The "copier" (as some engineers call them), which one of our high schools has in it's engineering magnet program, cost about $ 24,000.00 at the time of purchase. They use a (phenolic?) dry powder or pellet plastic material and are usually integrated with a CAD-CAM system. I have often thought of drawing some building components at full-sized HO scale and then seeing if I can get them made to order, so to speak. But don't think you are going to scan a brass locomotive and get an operable one right out of the oven, so to speak.... but the thought is enticing, isn't it????
Cedarwoodron
The technique does have applications for modeling non-functioning items, though, such as vehicles, figures, and locomotive details. The technique (called "rapid prototyping" or RP) allows one-piece modeling of parts that previously could be molded only separately, such as a tank truck with a stand-off end ladder. There was an article about modeling with RP in the November 2007 issue of Fine Scale Modeler, and we're looking at a similar article for an upcoming issue of Model Railroader.
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
First, price the `printer.'
Second, note that the working crescent wrench has all parts made of the same material.
Third, this Las Vegas resident will wager $$$$ that the `printed' wrench is nowhere near as strong as a real, drop-forged, hardened steel Crescent adjustable wrench.
There's a lot more to function than simple form.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Today a friend of mine sent me an article about three-dimensional object making using a printer...
It was pretty interesting; in the article, they "produced" an adjustable (crescent) wrench-in a printer!!This puppy had all the moving parts, etc-bottom line: It was functional and useable-and an exact replication!!! HOT DOG!!!
Now, lessee............Take an O-scale brass Pacific, set it to down-scale to N, pop it in the ol' printer, press a few buttons, and.....