3D Printing Goes to the Home Market

By Robert Sanborn

At CES last year, one of the coolest things was the 3D Printer or "Replicator" as some of us like to call them.  I saw one company passing out tiny key chain sized trinkets as samples but you should take a look at the following YouTube video to put it all in perspective: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ-aWFYT_SU  

Granted, this video is not for the home user, the wrench they produce consumes about $250 in material, but the technology is starting to make it to the home hobbyist in the form of kits that sell for less than $1500. 

I remember my geeky friends paying far more than that in the late 70s for a computer home kit.  Tech Republic has put together a pretty cool review of these home 3D printers at their site: 3D printers: 10 machines for home manufacturing