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Even most of MODERN OEM replacement parts (for WHATEVER application stringtrimmers, motorcycles, houshold appliances etc etc) are made in China or India or "some third world" country.

No doubt, most any replacement "botique" type parts are made theree and then supplied by US vendors as replacement parts.

I am more inclined to lean toward LEARNING WHO or what companies in China and India would be apt to producing a small run of parts or used for special machining and fabrication purpose. That mite b cheaper and easier in the long run as opposed to buying any "3d printers" for home shop use.

I noticed about 6 months ago an eBay seller that was advertising for engine machine shop work. Even cylinder boring. The prices were alot cheaper than anything local here. Even with the shipping cost still alot cheaper.

Bottom line:
What we need to know is what the various specialty vendors know in terms of any kind of "mail order" custom fabrication of parts.

There is more to this. For now, i'm leaving out some details and personal experiences over the last 4 or 5 years with various other things i've had to repair or rebuild.

Folks,
Take it from an old machinist/millwright.......make everything you can yourself.
I have a small shop in my garage with most of the tools I need to make many parts I have done this for years because of my profession and now I am able to continue it with pleasure in rebuilding my Grandson and my Packard.
I hope to teach him a few things in the shop also.

WOW,
http://www.wsj.com/video/3-d-printed-cars-the-future-of-automobiles/5531E5EF-39EB-41D3-996E-60B4473CC189.html?mod=wsj_video_email

Have any of the California folks seen it up close?

Need Packard parts programmers!

That one does look good.

There was an episode on the Rev'n channel a few months ago where someone was touring the SEMA show and had a demo of the body making process. That one looked crude in comparison but was done in a hurry. IIRC, he said the first body took several days to make and now it was down to less than a day. So far only bodies for his process. I wonder if the material has evolved to the point it can be sanded and finished just like fiberglass or the modern molded thermoplastics. The company doing the demo said they were working with perfecting many different materials for the process including some metals.

I made the statement a few years ago that the days of 3D printing of parts is fast approaching. Many didn't believe it but I still say the day is coming where a vendor can scan a part using a laser scanner and use that input and maybe a little fine tuning on the computer to fire up a CNC or 3D printer and repro many of the NLA parts. Maybe a need for some slight finish machining and then out the door.

ShapeWays.com offers metal 3D printing and it's the same process as described in the video.

So really you can draw up a part in free software like SketchUp and then upload it to ShapeWays and have them print a single part.

It's relatively inexpensive for 1 or short run of parts because there is no tooling or casting involved.

BTW, the process for doing "metal 3D printing" is not the same as the "consumer" PLA or ABS plastic 3D printing. These industrial 3D printers cost $$$$, and work using lasers to melt powdered material together on supporting substrate.

Consumer 3D "plastic" printers work like an inkjet printer depositing melted plastic one later at a time from above.

not sure where previous post went, but:

3D printing is over 20 yrs old, but describes at least four types of things these days.

1) The cheapest is the type that melts a reel of thermoplastic (looks like lawn trimmer cord). Very limited choice of materials, strength of part not equal to molded, thermoformed, extruded. Quite affordable hobbyist machines from several sources. ABS has some use, I really don't see much use for PLA. Akin to a very well controlled glue gun.

2) Sintered plastic powder, moving bed. The original concept. Builds a part from small cross sections. Limited plastic types, and as said , not so cheap. Good for making cores for lost wax.

3) Liquid plastic. Able to make transparent/clear parts. Probably capable of an adequate tail light lens, but competes with cast PMMA or PU

4) Sintered metal. there is a hobby type in prototype, patents ran out 2016. Strength not the same as traditional metal working.

It's evolving rapidly, but it bears in mind to think of material and part properties, not just geometry match

You know this technology is getting serious when hobby outfit Micro-Mark is selling 3D printers. Price points start around $320 for an assemble it yourself kit and up to $5K. Even Dremel has got into the game with an offering. No metal work at this price but if your Packard needs a small plastic part the time is close.

Micro-Mark also has 3D scanners listed at around $1-2K.

What is even more surprising is they are not all Windows machines anymore. Some of them even have software for Macs.

https://www.micromark.com/micromake-Shop/3d-printing