[bluGill]

This seems like another case where the hobby has discovered the 3d printer hammer and forgot that cnc tools (lathe, milling machines) are often better and faster for the job. Or if plastic is what you want injection molding is something you can do on a hobby scale and it is much better (but unlike the others this isn't something you can go from CAD to widget)

[jstanley]

In my experience it is very rarely the case that setting up machine tools is faster than 3d printing. And even when it's faster, it's not less trouble. And you have to go and acquire materials in suitable shapes and sizes, and deal with cleaning up chips and offcuts, and deal with deburring and cleaning the part after it's finished.

The 3d printer is always ready and always has material in the right shape. It doesn't make a lot of noise, it doesn't make a lot of waste, the parts come off the machine clean and dry and ready to use. It's really hard to overstate the convenience of 3d printing.