Comment Re:this is opposite of economy of scale (Score 1) 144
> The more 3d printers are manufactured, the lower the cost and the more features (bang for the buck) that scaling out any product brings.
A 3D printer in a retail setting, where it's kept fairly busy, will use a few thousand dollars worth of filament and electricity every month. A retail location needs to charge the same amount again to cover labor costs (a $9.50 employee costs $20/hour with taxes, healthcare, workers comp, etc.) Then roughly the same amount again for rent of the floor space, signage, permits, roi, etc. So the store needs to sell about $10,000 in prints per month for the machine to earn it's keep.
Whether the printer cost $5000 or $3000 to purchase has very little impact on the final cost to the consumer.