10 Amazing 3-D Printer Creations From CES 2014

Battle Of The 3-D Printers

In just a few short years, the 3-D printing market has exploded with new systems and solutions, from industrial printers the size of automobiles to 3-D scanning technology that can literally replicate entire buildings. And with that explosion have come some wild 3-D printing creations. Here are 10 amazing creations from Stratasys (and its subsidiary Makerbot), 3D Systems and DWS Labs.

Mouse Covers And Skateboards

Need a new cover for an aging but otherwise perfectly functional computer mouse? Stratasys has it covered. The 3-D printing company teamed up with peripheral maker Logitech to generate replacement mouse covers. In addition, Stratasys showed off a fully functional skateboard made almost entirely from 3-D printed plastic, among other items.

Sculptures And Vases

No, this isn't a museum. This is the view of 3D Systems' booth at the Las Vegas Convention Center. And these aren't priceless sculptures, vases and works of art from bygone eras. They're plastic items that were spun in from some of 3D Systems' printers.

I. Am. Iron Man!

3-D printing company DWS Labs used its XFab high-end 3-D printer to make a plastic replication of Marvel's iconic superhero Iron Man. Sadly, DWS Labs only printed Iron Man's bust and not the full suit -- but there's always next year.

Convention Gnomes

MakerBot not only manufactures 3-D printers but also makes a desktop 3-D scanner called the MakerBot Digitizer. So users can take a plastic gnome, place it on the Digitizer, and then send the image to the 3-D printer to make a copy. In addition, users can tweak the scanner design of whatever item they want to print (for example, adding a top hat to the gnome instead of a pointed cap).

Put On The Brakes!

Look, it's just a prototype, and we're not sure we'd want to drive around in a car that had any part created by a 3-D printer -- especially the brakes. But the brake caliper prototype from Stratasys is still pretty cool because it shows the possibilities of industrial 3-D printing systems.

Dark Helmet

No, it's not a "Star Wars" costume (or even a "Spaceballs" prop for that matter). It's an original design of a space helmet constructed by MakerBot's Replicator Z18. The Z18, which will launch this spring for $6,499, has a glass chamber with extra room and stability for creating larger objects.

Action Heroes

3D Systems' booth at CES looked like a toy store with its impressive case of comic book, movie, and television action figures, including Captain America and Black Widow from "The Avengers" (left) and Daryl and Michonne from "The Walking Dead." While these items were models and not true bendable action figures, they're still pretty awesome.

Click Your Heels

They're not the ruby slippers from "The Wizard of Oz," and we can't say how comfortable -- or uncomfortable -- these shoes would be to wear. But these high heel models, generated by MakerBot's Replicator, certainly look nice.

Face Transplant, Anyone?

Today's 3-D printing technology is so advanced it can even reproduce a person's face. Take, for example, some of Stratasys' enterprise 3-D printers, which can spin up almost lifelike re-creations of a face.

The Beat Goes On

3D Systems had arguably the most impressive set of creations with a four-piece band playing 3-D-printed instruments. For example, the shells of this drum set were made from 3-D printed plastic, as was the the case of the keyboard (metal cymbals and strings, of course, were not).