3D Printing Gets Personal As M3D Gets Hobby-Friendly

Either the world is full of designers (and engineers) or ordinary folks are ready to get creative by the handful. There can be no other explanation as to why the funding of The Micro 3D Printer, "the first truly consumer 3D printer" has gone through the roof. On the last count we saw $2,579,672 pledged by 9079 backers, for a project that was seeking $50,000 on KickStarter.

This device costs as little as $199 for early adopters and $299 for the first batch of common market adopters. We recently saw Staples introduce 3D printing facilities to their New York and Los Angeles stores.

Over the past several years, 3D printing has gone from a magical process only done in science laboratories and college classrooms to a common, everyday creative venture. Instead of schools and universities or workplaces providing 3D printing facilities, there seems to be a market emerging for homegrown designers aiming to prototype their projects.

The price point of the services seems to be the key element here. Over the past couple of years, 3D printers have gone from an expensive affair to something the hobby user can afford. Something as simple as a MakerBot Replicator Mini starts at $1,375 – 3D printing is becoming common, and groups like MakerBot are becoming household names.

At the moment The Micro emerges as the most affordable 3D printer on the market, also easy enough to be used straight out of the box. The device can be operated by essentially anyone and can be used for projects like jewelry, education, businesses and workshops – or whatever else you can dream up. We'll be taking a close-up look as soon as possible, and it's safe to assume quite a few other users new to the environment will be too.