The hype is less about present practicality and more about the future. Within just the last few years print resolution and available print materials have skyrocketed while printer prices have dropped enough that you can even find them on some store shelves. If that trend should continue, it may well supplant "traditional machinery" in some areas.
Until then, we have hobbyists and artists working to improve the industry and bring attention to the potential it can have for the future.
Until then, we have hobbyists and artists working to improve the industry and bring attention to the potential it can have for the future.