@zvava Also I forgot, 2D printing is incredibly restricted by patents (despite being the same shit for 100+ years) - the main reason why there are comparatively few printer companies and almost all printer companies seem to be a small subsidiary of a huge company is seemingly because companies exercise illegitimate legal action against any new company that is finally offering decent printers.

If a small company was to start offering free printer designs and printers for sale in any meaningful quantities, they would soon have to shut down faced with a barrage of rent seeking and legal threats.


3D printing was seemingly mostly spared this fate because there are only so many monopolies that even the patent office will award on CNC xyz axis movement and plastic extrusion and most of them have expired.