ShapeWays as a supplement to your 3D Printer?

I personally have never used Shapeways, but I've been thinking about it more and more. With the printers that I have at my disposal at home in and in my friends homes, I am very limited. I only have access to fdm printers which can only print in a handful of basic materials. However Shapeways allows us to have access to printers that would cost you over $500,000 to own. Does anyone here own a 3D printer but still uses Shapeways to make a lot of their designs?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8equ02z-s8U

I just think Shapeways charges way too much. I love their products but it gets to be way too expensive for people that just want to print their designs.

It's very useful for those who want high quality and access to materials you normally would not have access to without forking over $$$.

As a note, some designers will put their old designs up for download on Shapeways for a bit before taking them down. A good way to get designs that you wouldn't be likely to see on Thingiverse or elsewhere.

Also: There's practically no alternative when you want something printed in metal. Sometimes you just NEED that model to be made of steel.

FDM machines just don't pass muster for the types of models I usually want to create. I want a finish that's close to the injected-molded styrene models that I'm used to building. I designed the HO scale truck trailer below and had it printed at Shapeways. I doubt you could do that with an FDM machine.

http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7c400f46.png

I might also try i.materialise. I've heard they allow you to specify the orientation of the model, which can help to smooth out flat, horizontal surfaces. Shapeways doesn't allow you to specify this. They orient the models to make the most efficient use of the volume.

Steve S