An anecdote: I know someone who works for a small engineering company. They bought a ~$3000 one and used it perhaps a couple of times. 3d printing is still at the &quot;early inkjet&quot; phase of hassle. It&#x27;s sometimes easier for a guy with a lathe and a mill to knock something up by hand from a pencil drawing for a one off if he&#x27;s got 20 years of experience than have to knock the thing up in some CAD software and frig around with a 3d printer for an hour then wait for it to print and then have to clean it up.<p>I suspect the market is saturated with such purchases.