By the Year 2016 What Percent of Homes will have 3D Printers?

[Tuukka]

Less than 1%. Depends on costs and practicalities of the whole thing though. And after I've said this, someone will come up with an online shop that sells 3D designs for printers, printing material, and makes it easily accessible and widespread to prove me wrong.. typical.

Anyways, there has to be some other use for it than "just for fun" and if most printers still cost close to $1000, I don't think so. However, if you could replicate spare parts for whatever with that 3D printer of yours, then that would be a killer product and I could see how it could still reach 1-10% by 2016. I don't think novelty values alone could take it that far though.

[DTaylor]

About 1%.
If you follow the current trend of doubling sales year over year, that will end with every home in the US as having a home printer in under 10 years. (That is likely where Disney got their prediction that in 10 years every household will have a 3D printer.)

In 2012, there were 80k printers sold, leaving a total of 155k in homes. We expect 160k to sell in 2013, 320k in 2014, and so on.

This means that in 2016 there would be 1.2 million units in homes. There are 115 million households.

So, about 1%.

But don't forget, 1% is still 1.2 million units! That's nothing to bat an eye at...

Drew Taylor
Cofounder, CEO
https://3Dagogo.com