@rkadian
It's all about costs. While 3D printing technology offers amazing possibilities, there are practicalities governing its adoption in the real world. It offers ways to make objects previously thought impossible, or barely imaginable. The freedom to design onscreen in 3D software and then produce objects without an intermediate stage can be mind-blowing.
3D printing is widely used at present and is particularly strong in limited production scenarios. The smaller the number of complex objects required, the greater is its value. Experimentation in product development and prototyping are big. Other areas: dentistry, one-off jewelry, big art, small houses - many things no-one's even thought of yet.
As the number of objects required increases, cost competition from traditional processes enters the picture.
One big limitation is that current 3D printing is a slow process and if it's being done on a high-value machine then that time feeds directly into costs. At this time high-value machines are needed to achieve high-grade results.
There's a variety of 3D printers in many materials available right now and access to high-end results is available to anyone through world-wide service bureaus. You don't need to buy an expensive machine to get fine results, but don't expect the best results to come cheaply.
A3D Price at posting:
$1.28 Sentiment: None Disclosure: Not Held
