In a tiny room in the Research School of Physics and Engineering at the Australian National University there sits an enormous printer.

At the press of a button it begins its familiar whirr as ink jets race back and forth across a white surface.

But then the science fiction starts.

Instead of printing a single image on to a piece of paper, this $50,000 piece of equipment prints a three-dimensional image which will emerge – five hours later – in the form of a perfect replica of a mediaeval child's skull, the original of which resides in the British Museum.

The ink is squirted on to a fine layer of gypsum, or chalk, instead of paper. A roller brushes another fine layer of chalk over the image before more ink is layed down. The ink binds the chalk together in a precise replica of whatever it is that has been scanned. And in full colour.

When it is completed, a resin spray makes the chalk hard and waterproof.

For Professor Tim Senden, who, as head of applied mathematics gets priority use of the machine, it's hands down the best fun he has ever had at work.

More importantly, Professor Senden and his colleagues are at the forefront of 3D scanning technology and invested in this printing technology, which is "revolutionising manufacturing around the world".

There are a handful of 3D printers already in use in Canberra – at the ANU, University of Canberra and Australian Defence Force Academy.

The CSIRO is investing heavily in the technology, leading a multi-million-dollar consortium to run the Victorian Direct Manufacturing Centre which allows companies to "manufacture directly from powder, ribbon or wire in a layered manner, by-passing conventional processes as casting, forging, rolling, cutting, machining, welding, or drilling."

Such quick, cheap and environmentally sound manufacturing is a "quantum leap" from existing processes and could allow Australia to compete with countries where labour costs are low.

While CSIRO and Professor Senden are using printers at the high end of the scale, the UC is making the technology easily accessible for curious students and staff.

Just three weeks ago, the UC's senior lecturer in learning environment, Danny Munnerley, took possession of a flat-packed do-it-yourself 3D printer. At a cost of just $1800, the printer is an open source project and it actually builds itself, producing some of its own parts – as well as any spare parts which might be required further down the track.

The UC printer uses cornstarch, which is then pushed through a hot nozzle and melted. Microscopic dots of the cornstarch are precisely sprayed on to each other with each swipe of the printer cartridge as the floor of the printer drops away, millimetre by millimetre.

Mr Munnerley said it took about half an hour to print a small item, such as a tripod for an iPhone.

"It is absolutely wild," he said.

Made out of plywood, the UC printer will be located in the soon-to-be-opened Inspire Centre – a place designed to encourage creative thinking.