Smithsonian magazine, May, 2013, has an article, "The Printed World," which discusses the state of 3D printing.

The 3D Systems plant is in South Carolina. Complex 3D printers can be costly, those in use in their lab are about $170,000. Various companies make prototypes of parts for aerospace and automotive companies, complex models, orthopedic implants, orthodontics (and other medical uses including foundations for implanting cells to grow body parts), etc.

Developers dream of home 3-D printers that can reproduce broken parts such as door handles, automobile parts and a myriad of other objects.

Microsoft has announced a software release that will enable the Kinect for Windows computer sensor with the ability to quickly create detailed 3-D models of people and objects.

The ABS plastic feedstock for 3-D printers is derived from petroleum.

Add to this the laser equipment to scan the object to be created.

On the market is a cheap version, the Cube (from 3D Systems) starting at $1300 which can make cheap plastic jewelry, dolls,and the like.