I've heard some exhibitors are using 3-D printing to create inexpensive product models for display in their exhibits. What, exactly, is 3-D printing?

When Chuck Hull, co-founder of 3D Systems Inc., was issued the first 3-D-printing patent in 1986, the 3-D printing process was mostly limited to creating one-off prototypes whose mass manufacture was handled by traditional production facilities. And while today's 3-D printers can vary almost as much as the objects they produce, the procedure they use to form raw materials into finished projects is roughly the same.

Using computer-aided design software, the user creates a 3-D model that is then converted to a special file format. Once the instructions and design are set, the machine uses a material (such as thermoplastics or photopolymers) to form the object by layering the raw material in successive sheets, often about 0.1 millimeters thick, hundreds or even thousands of times. The layers of material then dry to form a solid object.

Some exhibitors are turning to 3-D printing to create product models, which are often lighter weight, less fragile, and less prone to theft than their real counterparts. But watch for new advancements, as some printers may soon be able to print food, medicine, and even tissues and organs.