▁planned ▁on ▁astero ids ▁or ▁plan ets ▁will ▁be ▁boot stra pped ▁somehow ▁using ▁the ▁materials ▁available ▁on ▁those ▁objects . ▁ 3 D ▁printing ▁is ▁often ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁steps ▁in ▁this ▁boot stra pping . ▁The ▁S inter hab ▁project ▁is ▁research ing ▁a ▁lun ar ▁base ▁constructed ▁by ▁ 3 D ▁printing ▁using ▁lun ar ▁reg ol ith ▁as ▁a ▁base ▁material . ▁Instead ▁of ▁adding ▁a ▁binding ▁agent ▁to ▁the ▁reg ol ith , ▁research ers ▁are ▁experiment ing ▁with ▁mic row ave ▁s inter ing ▁to ▁create ▁solid ▁blocks ▁from ▁the ▁raw ▁material . ▁ ▁Project s ▁like ▁these ▁have ▁been ▁investig ated ▁for ▁construction ▁of ▁off - E arth ▁habit ats . ▁ ▁Soci oc ult ural ▁applications ▁▁ ▁In ▁ 2 0 0 5 , ▁a ▁rapidly ▁expand ing ▁h ob by ist ▁and ▁home - use ▁market ▁was ▁established ▁with ▁the ▁inaug uration ▁of ▁the ▁open - source ▁Rep R ap ▁and ▁Fab @ Home ▁projects . ▁V irt ually ▁all ▁home - use ▁ 3 D ▁printer s ▁released ▁to - date ▁have ▁their ▁technical ▁roots ▁in ▁the ▁on going ▁Rep R ap ▁Project ▁and ▁associated ▁open - source ▁software ▁initi atives . ▁In ▁distributed ▁manufact uring , ▁one ▁study ▁has ▁found ▁that ▁ 3 D ▁printing ▁could ▁become ▁a ▁mass ▁market ▁product ▁en abling ▁consum ers ▁to ▁save ▁money ▁associated ▁with ▁purch asing ▁common ▁household ▁objects . ▁For ▁example , ▁instead ▁of ▁going ▁to ▁a ▁store ▁to ▁buy ▁an ▁object ▁made ▁in ▁a