Alex, many thanks for the highly informative reply! Much appreciated, good food for thought. I have a fairly solid background in wood- and metalworking, but this is a whole new ball game. Would love to give it a try one day.

One more question, though - how does a 3D-printed product made of ABS or high-strength thermoplastics compare to an object of identical shape and material manufactured by more conventional technology like injection molding? I'd assume the latter is superior (vastly?) to 3D printing as far as structural strength of the end product?