Neat indeed!
You can of course, get started in you own small way in 3D printing, with a
Reprap
This is an explanation of how it works.
[media]
]View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUB1WgiAFHg[/media]
Not quite as sophisticated, but with the right software, anyone can have one - and build most of the bits for another one! You can design your own things, or download from a library.
I especially love the potential for recycling milk bottles he mentions - shredding the plastic to make the filament. Then the child's sandal you can recycle, add some more plastic and make the next size up. Brilliant.