The Promise and the Peril of 3D Printing
3D printers themselves, although considered too expensive by many now are predicted to be like the desktop computer and ink-jet printer not too far in the future. Not only that but they already print beyond just plastic items.
Hod Lipson, a computer science professor at Cornell University and the founder Fab@Home, who has begun a project to make the printers smaller and intended for household use. Lipson pointed out commercial 3D printers can already print useful metal objects and is already being used to print objects for medical purposes.