3D printers are today’s newest technological marvel. Imagine printing any product you would want in the comfort of your own home. 3D printing could be used in a variety of applications. Ever needed a specialized part that requires a long wait time as the item is backordered? A 3D printer would be able to print you that part in just hours without the need for stock. Thought about creating you own toys, but wouldn’t be able to afford having a toy manufacturing company produce you even just a single copy? 3D printers would be able to do that at the fraction of the cost. Ever had an idea, but you couldn’t turn it into a physical prototype? A 3D printer is designed just for that.
Albeit the wonder 3D printers have, unfortunately they aren’t as available as everyone wants them to be. Although the price did significantly drop over a short period of time and with the release of slightly cheaper, but still expensive, 3D printers in the market, it is still not that accessible aside from developers, inventors, or hobbyist. A common consumer just can’t buy them due to their high cost and the technicality required in using them. The common public just can’t deal with 3D processing, designing, and rendering, and the software to automate and simplify the process just don’t exist just yet.
Here are the top reasons on why 3D printers aren’t that widely available yet:
- They are just too expensive. With the cheapest printer costing about a couple of hundreds of dollars, a regular consumer just cannot readily buy them. Although a couple of hundreds of dollars is affordable for some, they are also the hardest to use without the technical knowledge. Most ready to use 3D printers cost more than a thousand dollars, and most household can’t just buy them at that price. Not to mention the continuous cost of buying its ink, plastic filaments, that are just as expensive.
- They require too much technical skill. Modern 3D printers are designed only for those with background in 3D design. Although some printers do offer templates which you can print, this is usually useless as you wouldn’t be able to unlock all the things your 3D printer can do. Little development is being done in this field, and 3D printing continues to be a specialized device. But with the growing online 3D model community where enthusiasts offer 3D models of basically everything under the sun, 3D printing in the future will be as easy as printing on your current inkjet printer.
- They remain just a hobby. No business whatsoever would want to put their designs on the internet, where it could be pirated and produced easier than ever before. With the advent of 3D printers, companies are still waiting for some law to protect them before they’ll be willing to venture out into making 3D templates of their products. As a result, 3D printers are currently only used by hobbyist in making crafts such as flower pots, home decorations, and other somewhat simple products, often produced at a much higher price than if you would just buy them at the market, and inventors and developers in making their prototypes. Unless more company join the 3D printing bandwagon, it is simply not for everyone.
Despite setbacks, the 3D printing market is still evolving. It isn’t currently ready to sit beside your refrigerator and coffee-maker, but soon enough it might make its way into your home.