A recent ENGINEERING.com survey revealed that our engineering and design readers are very optimistic about the future of the consumer-class 3D printers. But counter to the wishful claims made by those with a vested interest, they don’t believe that sweeping change is coming.
Our readers predict that consumer-class 3D printers will continue to grow, both in the home (59%) and the workplace (69%). The takeaway from the workplace growth is that low-cost 3D printing alternatives are what will give engineers and designers their own personal, desktop devices.
Only 3% think that it is a passing fad, yet no one believes that we will see 3D printers in every home. And few believe that consumer-class 3D printers will be the catalyst to an industrial revolution.