I ran into 3d printing about 10 years ago while doing some web and marketing work for an HVAC parts manufacturer but it was called stereolithography then. I was definitely impressed but it was wicked pricey back then, it's come a long way.
There's plans out there for making your own if you're adventurous (Scooottt) or
http://www.makerbot.com/ for the slightly less adventurous.
My favorite application so far
http://defensedistributed.com/
I think in 5 years the tech will be consumer level affordable if we still have a decent economy