14 DAY TRIAL // 3D printing, especially at the hobbyist level, is evolving fast, and new models come out all the time. Old printers are becoming obsolete fast. Sure, most choose to upgrade their models, changing various components, but it does get to the point where you have to trade up.
Now, a company named J Tech Photonics Lab has an idea that could turn your old printer into something quite interesting, a laser cutter/engraver, as 3Ders.org noticed.
The upgrade isn't that complicated or that expensive, it amounts to mounting a laser in place of the extruder. It takes some work and some adjustments, but once you're done, you've got a very interesting machine in your hands.
With a decently powerful laser, you can cut all sorts of materials, plastic, vinyl, balsa wood and so on. You can also engrave several more types of material.
The team at J Tech Photonics worked with a MakerBot Thing-O-Matic, but the idea should work with any RepRap machine with some adjustments.