3D PRINTERS GET FASTER, CHEAPER, SMARTER, CAN NOW 'PRINT' FOOD, BONES, EVEN FUNERAL URNS.

Every year at CES, 3D printers get faster, cheaper, and more ambitious. And every year, the technology inches a bit closer to our dreams of the Star Trek replicator.

The first machines able to print food (chocolate or candy) debuted at CES last year. This year we saw machines that can print everything from toys and clothing to body parts like synthetic knee joints and even customized cremation urns. (Yes, really.)

Of course, you can also print miniature replicas of yourself. Artec’s Shapify booth featured a rotating carousel that performed a 12-second full-body scan, which you can later turn into color figurines ranging from 4.3 inches ($69) to 9 inches ($149).

 

We also met with 3D Systems, which invented the first 3D printer some 30 years ago for the automotive industry. Their big news: They’ve come up with the first machine that can print using metal materials. Though it can produce something as small and useful as a titanium bottle opener, this bank-vault-sized device is strictly for heavy-duty commercial use.

Related: More coverage of CES 2016.

The company also showed off a prototype robotic arm that can extrude complex objects in a fraction of the time of an off-the-shelf machine. The prototype can produce a small plastic figurine in about 15 minutes, says Cathy Lewis, chief marketing officer for the company. Producing the same object using a consumer-grade machine would require roughly 10 hours, she adds.

At the low end, prices continue to drop: At this year’s show, XYZ Printing introduced a $269 mini version of its da Vinci machine, while Monoprice served up a $200 model.

At the low end, prices continue to drop: At this year’s show, XYZ Printing introduced a $269 mini version of its da Vinci machine, while Monoprice served up a $200 model.

As this year’s show demonstrates, 3D printers are rapidly overcoming limitations in price, speed, and materials. In a few years, the question we may be asking is, not what can you print with a 3D machine, but is there anything you can’t?