ABB lead the campaign on these as if they are going to revolutionize manufacturing lines where humans & machines will work together. That never happened just like 3D printing never shook the world as it promised it would.
Additive orthopedics are a pretty big deal to people who need, say, an ankle replacement.
And it's way too soon to say something like that, at least absent a "yet" modifier.
And I don't mean in SF. I mean in Small Town, Kansas, sponsored by the local high school, library, and whoever else.
Buying one for home use is a dalliance for the upper middle class. But democratized access to technology would be far more effective.
Sharing an actual structural, metal 3D printer seems so much more useful than having 20x plastic-only home machines.
My side project we're using a Prusa Mk3 for an end use part and the quality and cost is amazing. A lot of other people are doing the same. There are so many types of material too now.
I feel like this is a technology that isn't a consumer product until suddenly it is.
Two companies I work with in the Bay Area who are changing the game.
For example, I recently toured the Moots bicycle factory and was surprised to learn their rear dropouts are 3D printed titanium.
And frankly collaborative arms are just so much easier to develop on that it might be worth it to use them for that even if your final product is going to use a full industrial arm. You're going to make a mistake in your collision checking routine at some point.