3D Printing Future Timeline

[RedSox2013]

Lets look at the next 3 years according to this post:

2014: The 3D Printing Market will continue to expand. Consumer printers sold will increase by 55% over the previous year
2014: Expiration of Key 3D Printer Patents will open up the industry to competition, decreasing prices dramatically, especially for top end machines.

2015:Organova has changed the way drug discovery and testing is done. Sales of 3d printed human cells for testing are skyrocketing.

2016: 3D Printers enter the mainstream. 90% of the population will know what a 3D Printer is, and Sales of consumer oriented printers will have increase 8-10 times since 2013

2017: The first fully functioning 3D Printed Mouse liver will have been produced.
2017: Gartner has estimated that the 3D Printing market will have grown close to 2000% by now.

In my opinion all these will be fact. We have already seen some nice price drops this year, and all indications are that the market will grow more than expected.

[3LawsSafe]

I like to look at the past to predict the future. Case in point: some key patents to FDM printing ('glue gun' type) expired in 2009. Prior to that, the average cost of this type of printer was about 14,000USD. Now the average cost is 300USD, or just 2% of the costs only 5 years ago. The importance of this can not be overstated. Now, in 2014, key patents for selective laser sintering expired, and you can bet the same will happen to costs. The only question I have is can I pull enough energy to operate a laser in my home? To say nothing of the ignorant majority's fear of everyone printing a gun.