3D printing could be the next great technological disruption

The article indicates they already exist. "...home versions for little more than $1,000 (or half that in kit form)."

I seem to recall reading a $999 3D printer being announced at a hardware conference recently, but I'm afraid I can't find the link.

The Cubify (http://cubify.com/cube/store.aspx) is $1299, so I don't think it will be long until we have a few sub-$999 models to choose from.

So why do they have to be less than $1000? Henry Ford disrupted things and never built a consumer version of the assembly line :-)

There is already use of 3D processes in specialist markets for production parts, those markets are training the people who build these things what is and what is not useful.

The 'home' 3D printing market is wicked fun but I don't know if it will ever be much bigger than the home 'machining' market is either. Time will tell.