I think it's time for Chinese manufacturers to step up to the task. I've recently bought a (filament) 3D printer, and reading up on the domain, it was interesting to see how it developed:
The open source community figured out how to write software that can turn CAD drawings into CNC instructions and wrote firmware that could drive the printers. Meanwhile, multiple Chinese manufacturers built hardware, competing with each other to build better stuff and increasingly cheaper prices. The end result is that you can buy really decent 3D printers at around $250 with open firmware.
The open source community figured out how to write software that can turn CAD drawings into CNC instructions and wrote firmware that could drive the printers. Meanwhile, multiple Chinese manufacturers built hardware, competing with each other to build better stuff and increasingly cheaper prices. The end result is that you can buy really decent 3D printers at around $250 with open firmware.