The 3D printing technologies will soon bring a lot of awesomeness for designers looking to create their own products. It is already affordable if you are serious about prototyping your ideas, but the rise of this new technology will also bring its share of intellectual property issues.
If you are interested by 3D printing, I suggest that you download and read Michael Weinberg”s white book about the subject. You will learn more about the technology itself, its future uses and the copyright problems that will come with it.