3D Cutter Works Like A 3D Printer, Only In Reverse

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Are you a builder, know a builder or want to be one? Making things instead of buying them is a throwback people are latching onto.

As tech advances and machines become faster, smaller and cheaper, people are able to build things that they once couldn't.

Take the 3D cutter -- it's like a 3D printer, only in reverse. The local community group Twin Cities Maker was just granted one of the machines.

"The idea of these machines really isn't anything new. They've been around for a few decades. But they were big machines -- they were in industry and manufacturing -- and expensive," said Scott Hill, vice president of Twin Cities Maker. "Now you can put one of these in your garage."

Hill said the machine is a hobbyist machine that's good for engraving and making shapes. In fact, it uses computer software to map out whatever you're carving.

The machine retails for $650, which includes the tools you need to put it together.