Stereo Lithography , 3-D printing, has been around since at least 1993. In design school I did a project where they took one of my 3-d designs and created the actual object in resin off a "3-D printer". General Motors has been using this technology for over 10 years to test engine parts. The only difference now is that we are actually really close to have this as a household item. Epson has been working on a below $1000 one that should hit the market in the next 18 months.
Here is one of the commercial leaders in the industry
http://www.dimensionprinting.com/