> Ignoring the development of the sorts of skills and abilities in the general public that come from tinkering with small bench top machines like lathes and 3d printers is detrimental to nation’s ability to be self sufficient and raise the next generation of mechanically inclined people.

I replied to your topic about China stopping exports of stepper motors and aluminum extrusions, now you're switching to yet another goalpost.

For what it's worth, I've spent a lot of time with 3D printers in the past decade. The amount I've learned doesn't hold a candle to any of the deep dives I've done for real engineering work. A couple months of paid full-time engineering work on in a new area would bring any engineer up to speed.

3D printers are cool, but the self-importance some people attribute to this hobby is a little too much some times.