I had a read of the article and there are some interesting points stated. One thing that I don't think will work is 3dprinters being sold at mega cheap prices and then companies trying to recoup the cost through patented filaments or 'chipped cartridges'. What's the point in buying a 3dprinter is the materials to run it are too expensive or you are tied into one manufacturers materials. I read an article a while back that described an interesting concept, that was you pay a monthly rental fee for a 3dprinter and take out a two year contract (like current iphone contracts). Then at the end of the 2 years you can trade in your printer for a newer current up to date model. So instead of purchasing the printer outright at the start you might only put $50 - $100 down and then your monthly payment would be another $50 - 100, at the end you either own it or trade in and have a guaranteed price on trade in.