Today's 3D printers come in styles optimized for different applications and kinds of printing. But thanks largely to the RepRap open-source 3D printing movement, these amazing devices have become affordable, viable tools for designers, engineers, hobbyists, schools, and consumers alike.
Barely more than a decade ago, 3D printers were hulking, expensive machines reserved for factory floors and deep-pocketed corporations, all but unknown outside the small circles of professionals who built and used them.
