'Replicator' 3-D printer uses light to create structures in one piece A team of researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have unveiled a 3-D printer that uses light to create an entire object at once. It's called the Replicator, named after the machines in the Star Trek universe that can synthesize various objects. Don't get too excited, the researchers didn't quite create an exact replica of that fictional machine, but it offers a promising 3-D printing technique. (Engadget)