3-D printing is poised to revolutionize manufacturing. Called “additive manufacturing,” it’s the process of using a variety of materials such as metal, acrylic and even biological materials to literally “print” an object. While it’s already in use by the largest of manufacturing firms, 3-D printing will really get its close-up when it becomes affordable for small-scale inventors and designers to use the process to make small batches of items.

For starters, the price of 3-D printers needs to come down. As of today, they are prohibitively expensive to individuals and small companies. This is changing, however. While the least expensive of consumer 3-D printers still runs around $2,000, as more models are available, this price will inevitably drop.

CNN recently reported on two companies that will soon begin marketing lower-cost 3-D printers. The first is Printrbot, which already has several units on sale for between $399 and $650. The other company is Makibox, which is selling some models for as low as $200. While there are drawbacks to using units this low-end – such as a limit to the types of materials that can be used – their availability is bound to start helping solve the price problem.

But it’s not only price that’s keeping 3-D printing away from its consumer close-up. According to a recent article in MIT Technology Review, the complexity of the software that works in conjunction with 3-D printers needs to be simplified.

“A lot of people are 3-D printing other people’s designs, but they can’t yet model their own. They are in a holding pattern,” Matthew Griffin, director of community support at Adafruit Industries, an online marketplace for high-tech hobbyists, told MIT (News - Alert) Technology Review. “There is a gap between what they are seeing and what is inspiring them and what they can make,” he said.

What this all means is that the future of 3-D printing at the consumer or small business side will ultimately rely on changes to the usability of the design software. Until then, smaller players wishing to use 3-D printing will continue to rely on 3-D printing marketplaces such as Shapeways, a Dutch start-up company that allows users of the service to upload CAD (computer aided design) files and have Shapeways print them from a variety of media such as food-safe ceramics, metals and acrylic.

With simplified 3-D printing design software and more affordable printers, the consumer and hobbyist market will be well placed to take advantage of a true revolution in small-scale manufacturing.