I received an invitation to Shapeways, a 3D printing service. How it works is easy: you upload a 3D model (X3D, COLLADA or STL) and they use a fancy 3D printer to produce a stereolithography in the material you choose (there are 4 options as of now), which is sent to you in 10 working days.
Obvious uses of this service: produce the coolest and greatest anime or RPG miniatures
Not-so-obvious uses of this service: build impossible to find pieces for home appliances, vintage computers or anything else you can think of.