3D Printer Section Appears on Amazon 

Last month’s news of 3D printers entering brick-and-mortar Staples stores may have represented a major step in mainstream commercialization of additive manufacturing tools, but in what is perhaps an even bigger step, online retail giant Amazon recently added a dedicated section of its site to 3D printers and supplies.

There, you are welcomed by a bright array of filaments, instructional books, and of course, 3D printers, touting well-known brands such as MakerBot alongside brands such as Afinia, fabbster, and Cubify.

And while Staples’ big news was focused on the fact that for the first time you could go to a major retail chain around the corner to pick up a 3D printer, Amazon’s is arguably much bigger, considering the company’s sheer size and position as the world’s largest online retailer.

Still, the fact that 3D printers have lowered in price to allow not only for their distribution beyond manufacturers, but for them to emerge from boutique hobby stores and into multiple major retailers could mean bigger things on the horizon for the technology, as consumer demands will continue to drive innovation.

Topping Amazon’s list at the moment for the most expensive printer is a used MakerBot’s Replicator 2 desktop 3D printer, being sold by One Man Grill Products for $2,479.49. But for the more practical hobbyist, the JET open source 3D printer can be found for as little as $1,099.

Even the Cube 3D Printer—the same one that is making its way into Staples stores across the U.S. as we speak—is available for $1,099.99.

While we aren’t likely to see the Joneses having a 3D printer delivered from Amazon anytime soon, increased availability through major retailers is sure to have an impact, even in light of Amazon’s near-silent launch of its latest section. As TechCrunch writer John Biggs put it, 3D printing is “still ‘cool’ enough to be cutting edge, yet it’s lucrative enough for behemoths like Amazon to throw it a bone with this store.”