Shapeways - low cost 3D printing site

[macfrank]

I've been a member of Shapeways - they're a worldwide 3D printing community and they have access to a wide variety of 3D printers. They'll print your .stl files and ship worldwide.

Pros:
Wide range of printers/materials (including strong and flexible plastics that are easy to cast)
Relatively low cost (or at least competitive)
Larger sized objects can be printed

Cons:
Limited resolution - the best they can do is 0.5mm; for instance, my 1/700 and 1/1000 scale figures could not be printed by them. For best results, the minimum detail should be around 0.7 - 1mm.

Shipment times - can be 7 to 10 days.

one cool thing is that you can make a design printable by others (although you don't get a cut of the profits).

I have a few invites (don't know how many) so email me if you want to join up.

Frank