http://www.3ders.org/3d-printer/3d-printer-price.html
I can hardly believe there are so many commercially available! They one I was looking for isn’t even on this list! I’ll find it and give an url.
That’s what’s called a market bubble! So long as it’s just folks making an extra dollar at home making kits, it’s one thing, but there’s no way there are enough buyers to sustain that list.
@Peter_WynDham that list you linked to is hopelessly outdated, but it contains a link to their current one (which is the same one that is linked to in the community box).
And i agree with @Mike_Miller , not only are there too many 3D printer makers, but additionally, many of them don’t provide the level of sophistication that is needed to bring the 3D printer movement forward instead of stalling it with a flood of Prusa Mendel v2 based bots.
@Mike_Miller , ride that bubble until it pops. And then when it pops, if you’re truly dedicated, and interested in 3D printers (and not just money) you’ll still be around and able to participate in making advancements. The bubble should help drive prices down a little bit.
@Mike_Miller This group has 64,531 members. There is just a tiniest bit of interest in 3D printing!
It is VERY common for popular machines to have many week lead times. Machines are not being manufactured fast enough. Demand has been nowhere met.
It’s not a baad thing. Just recognize it for what it is. 3d printers are not difficult to make, and have had many years of open source support to get them where they are today. That said, they’re full of fiddly little bits that the average consumer won’t want to mess with.
I peg 3d printing at the 1979-1980 Personal computer era…the hobbyists just got a computer with an injection moulded case (Apple ][), and a small dedicated group are meeting in hobiest groups with machines that have plywood cases. Makerbot (IBM PC) is one of many companies (TI, Commodore, Kaypro, Atari, IMSAI, Radio Shack)
How many of them are making computers now? I got in on the tail end of that era…it’s why I’m REALLY digging printing now!
It’s not /difficult/ to make one. It is however difficult to make and support 1000+ machines. Makerbot is not even able to. I think that’s one of the reasons behind their annual price increases.
The companies that survive will be the ones that balance the tech, the Marketing, and the running of the business. I know plenty of people that are awesome at a technical niche that aren’t successful because they don’t run the business side well.
MISSING http://www.makerstoolworks.com/