3D printing cars

Japan-based car maker Honda has made it easy for customers to print models of their cars, using plans on Honda-3D.com. You can find the plans for the last five concept cars from Honda, download them and even modify them.

For now, it's just for fun. But it raises the question of whether the car maker - or any of its competitors, such as Ford - will release CAD (computer aided design) data and information on materials, so that customers can print their own parts for repairs.

3D printing technology is advancing at a tremendous rate. Printers are improving and getting cheaper too. But printing metals and composite materials has been a challenge for manufacturers and hardcore DIYers. But that's about to change.

A 3D printer that allows users to print composite materials, created by Boston-based startup Mark One, could revolutionize what users are able to print.

It wants to make it possible for users to print complex materials - made of various substances. Despite launching at a cost of $5,000, the price tag isn't astronomical.

Still, there's a good chance that car producers will be reluctant to put their CAD plans for their vehicles online. Ford Motors, for instance, says it has no such plans. However, in the future, select plans could be released to mechanics, who would then be allowed to print parts, says Sandro Piroddi of Ford Europe.

But we're still only talking parts - and not an entire car. Car makers have yet to print an entire - roadworthy - car themselves. So it's a little early to expect. But it will happen, sooner rather than later.