You could be right but it sounds to me like you're back fitting a story. 3d printing has a much more convoluted history than that. It's not trumpeted as someth

You could be right but it sounds to me like you're back fitting a story. 3d printing has a much more convoluted history than that. It's not trumpeted as something for hobbyists to make fun plastic prototypes. It is being heralded as the future of manufacturing. There once was, and still is, hope for making actual useful components. 3d printed prosthetics. 3d printed casting moulds. 3d printed blood vessels and kidneys. 3d printed jaws. 3d printed mass customizations. 3d printed drones. 3d printed RepRaps. Clearly the tech press has been going mad for the stuff. But one shouldn't believe the hype: your makerbot cannot do any of that, and even the nifty flexing Objet printed business card I received (which must have cost $4 to make) broke after a few months -- I have a shard on my desk.