To boldly go where no 3D printer has gone before. Yes, that's the pun that came to mind when we decided to make a 3D print of the U.S.S. Enterprise in honor of the release of Star Trek: Into Darkness. Much like with John Harrison, the villain in the movie, we weren't sure what we were getting ourselves into.

But first, a primer. The idea behind 3D printing is relatively simple. You take material (in this case, plastic or metal), and lay it down in layers to form a three-dimensional object. The object is printed from a digital design file with three-dimensional datait could be a CAD design or an object scanned in 3D and saved as a digital file. The concept of 3D printers has been around for a few years, but few ever saw it developing past, say, the vertical market of tools and small parts, or for serious hobbyists. But manufacturers such as 3D Systems, Solidoodle, and PP3DP are intent on getting these devices into your home. For more on the basics of 3D printers, check out our primer.

We here at PC Labs recently reviewed the Cube 3D Printer($1,299.00 at Dynamism) by 3D Systems. The Cube is surprisingly small (measuring about 13.25 by 9.5 by 9.75 inches) and is available in 16 different colors (our review model is silver). The Cube comes with one PLA cartridge for printing objects. Setup wasn't exactly "plug and play," despite what the company claimed, but it was still relatively simple. Once the cartridge was installed, and digital file loaded, then the magic began.

Printing out the U.S.S. Enterprise proved to be an interesting challenge. Because the surface upon which objects are printed on the Cube is relatively small, we had to print out the ship in pieces that would have to be glued together at the end, rather than a single piece. And it was a little difficult to glue pieces together with the super-glue that we had bought. But in the end, we managed to make it happen.

But, really, you have to see it to believe it. Check out our time-lapse photography video of the Cube as it prints the U.S.S. Enterprise. And have a gander at our other time-lapse video where we print out a Weighted Companion Cube from Portal.

Also check out Meme Me Up, Scotty: The Best Star Trek Memes.

Further Reading

Printer Reviews