On Friday, 3D printing startup Makerbot demonstrated a new scanner that allows users to scan and then 3D print the objects. The Digitizer Desktop 3D Scanner is a prototype, but Makerbot says it plans to make the device available to consumers before the holiday season of 2013. The scanner can process objects between two and eight square inches in less than three minutes. The target device is placed on a rotor, and lasers scan the device from every angle.
