The 3D Printer Experience will open in Chicago soon, which will be a combination store, demo floor, and teaching space. Here’s a piece recently run on the Chicago 32 Fox News about the space:

Just press “print” and out pops, whatever you want, really: an iPhone case made from powdered nylon, a unique designer lamp, an 18 karat gold ring–even a replica of a multi-million dollar Stradivarius violin! You can also design your own jewelry on a computer program–like a pendant—then, print that and wear it!

“This is going to change the way we make almost anything,” says co-founder Julie Friedman Steele. “This completely disrupts the manufacturing supply chain.”

That technology can be seen in Chicago at “The 3D Printer Experience,” the only retail and interactive store of its kind in the Midwest.

To show us how it works, co-founder Mike Mocheri first scanned an image of FOX 32 reporter Amara Walker from every angle. That image was sent to the makerbot printer and instead of using ink, it dispensed a silver spool of plastic filament.

“So this works by having a filament that comes through nozzle like a hot glue gun,” Mocheri explains. “So just when you pull the trigger, it squirts, squeezes out of nozzle onto a platform up and up and up.” …

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