3d printing doesn't suck so bad anymore

[wazzou]

That's what resin casting is for.

[James Costello]

That's what resin casting is for.

Absolutely.

[PiperguyUMD]

Absolutely.

How much does resin casting cost by the time you build a master and your molds?

[wazzou]

How much does resin casting cost by the time you build a master and your molds?

One hell of a lot less per copy once you amortize the cost of the original and your molds.

[Missaberoad]

Especially if your master is a shapeways print...

[ryan_wilkerson]

So who are the talented casters who are willing and able to crank out high quality stuff from a Shapeways' print?

[Smike]

So who are the talented casters who are willing and able to crank out high quality stuff from a Shapeways' print?

+10000 for this. I'm in for 20 or more at a reasonable cost/level of detail.

[peteski]

Sure are. While not Shapeways, but many (or all) of the recent models from Showcase Miniatures are made from a 3D printout.  If you examine them very carefully, you will see the some faint telltale striations in the items.  THey are also cast from metal, but they could as easily be resin - the process is similar. 

[ryan_wilkerson]

Just want to add that I'm not recommending people buy a print and make duplicates to sell.

My initial thought was for the designer to work with a caster to be able to offer volume sales. Maybe we could test this out with a bulk buy to make it cost effective for the designer and caster.