AFFOrDABLE Printing By owen collIns IntroductIon When I was a kid I dreamed of having a replicator like the one on Star Trek. The idea of having something on hand that could just create what you wanted, right in front of you, was such appealing science fiction. This was especially true once I began studying design. I have always loved the process of creating the design: sharpening my pencil, squaring and taping down the vellum, cutting Bristol board model pieces, stretching the watercolor paper. This nostalgia for analog techniques is balanced with an appreciation for how technology can express ideas more efficiently. As we all have found, there is never enough time, and any tools you can use to speed up your work are welcome. CAD is a great addition to a designer's tools. Gone is the time of drawing out plates and crumpling up the paper as the design changed. Sending out a new plate is now as simple as hitting print. As I started to do more three dimensional modeling on the computer, I found myself wishing for a 3D equivalent for my handy inkjet printer. There is an equivalent. It involves an additive manufacturing technology called rapid prototyping machines or 3D printing. These "printing" machines have been around since the early 1990s, and they employ a variety of processes to make actual physical objects. My first experience with 10 theatre design & technology winter 2012