Even if metal printers do get that cheap (and the powders too - right now atomized metal is brutally expensive), it's hard to see the average consumer having much use for one. What would really be worth printing out at home -even in metal - that would be cheaper and easier than ordering it over the net? Most people throw things out when they need spare parts; they don't even try to fix them. And when they do, they usually find out that it makes more sense to buy a new one, with the assurance that it will work, than to try and make their own repairs and then have it fail to fix the problem. Small appliances and electronic gizmos aren't even designed to be repaired any more, even if parts were available. I suppose there could be some kind of Maker Revolution that would turn all this around, with a new appreciation of fix-it skills and fabrication expertise leading to implementation of a new generation of products that were easy to diagnose and repair, but I'm not holding my breath...

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com