The most inexpensive 3D Printer consumers have been waiting for is coming to stores sooner than anyone expected.

Kickstarter, Wall Street, the government, and the growing number 3D Printer makers are bringing the possibility of consumers owning the technolygy at a fast pace. According to CNET, the compact Micro, a 3D Printer, launched on Kickstarter this week; it topped Kickstarter funding by making $50,000 in 11 minutes. The intriguing part about Micro's 3D Printer is that its backers funded it at $200 a pledge.

The sheer rapid interest has everyone talking. The Micro is designed to minimize the fuss and hassle from a design to a printed product. How does it work? It auto-levels and then auto-calibrates; it comes with a custom M3D design software package described as as "interactive and enjoyable as a game." The printer will also work with open-source software for more advanced users.

The printer itself is small, just over 7-inches tall. One will not be able to print a boat, but he or she could 3D print a vase, build custom made cups and bowls, or print toys. It also comes with filament spools, similar to printer cartridges designed for the Micro, at a cost of $12 per spool. It will also hold standard spools from other manufacturers. All of this is available through the Kickstarter pledges, CNET reported.

But Micro is just the beginning. On April 4, there was an Inside 3D Printer trade show in New York that whet people's appetite. A handful of 3D printers were priced at less than $500. They could print small objects in limited colors, similar to the Micro. The more advanced home 3D printers, on the other hand, are $1000 and up, but those prices are dropping as well. This opens up the market to a wider audience, PCWorld reports.

3D printing in general involves taking a "filament like plastic and discharging it through a nozzle on a substrate to make parts; and, it has been used to make a range of items, including smartphone cases, toys, automotive and aeronautic parts, and even a space probe," PC World explains.The CEO of 3D Systems Avi Reichental stated via a keynote address at the trade show that 3D printing allows for faster and almost inexpensive parts for such items, and designing and prototyping the parts becomes easier.

Some experts expect that the 3D printer market will grow rapidly in the coming years with sales of printers, materials and services reaching $3.8 billion this year, compared to $2.5 billion last year, and hitting $16.2 billion by 2018. The more high-end printers used to cost $4000; now they have dropped to $1,500.00, while 3D printers like the Micro and others range from $300 to $500.

The 3D Printer even has the government and Wall Street interested. According to Money News, the House Small Business Committee held a hearing recently, titled "The Rise of 3D Printing: Opportunities for Entrepreneurs." It has become so popular that investors and pundits are "trying to figure out whether 3D printing is going to remain a product, costing up to a million dollars for large-scale industrial applications, or whether it will be adapted for small business and even home use."

Enthusiasts predict that in a few years, most people will know someone who owns a 3D printer. One analyst noted that home users of 3D printers have largely been hobbyists and early technology adopters but also added that with the growing interest in 3D printing, there will be a learning curve.

Anotther 3D analyst stated that in the near future, these products will really be for "home use, but only when the devices themselves become more affordable, accessible, and easy to set-up. The greater number of consumers still have to be educated so that they can use computer-aided design software to produce designs to print."

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