I wasn't intending to imply that one could use any old sand in the machine, only that disposal shouldn't be unduly bad for the environment (unless your recycling comment was intended to focus on the economic aspect rather than the environmental aspect).
Taken in the context of being a first-generation device, I don't think this is a bad product at all. First-generation 3D printers were way less polished than this appears to be (though of course I haven't used it myself). It remains to be seen how much maintenance it will require, but even current-gen 3D printers seem to manage to break down once a week or so, so again I don't think DIYers will be deterred there. :P And in particular, I think hackerspaces with a decent amount of cash but with scant floorspace might find this product compelling (our waterjet is easily the single largest tool in the shop). This might also appeal to folks with personal shops who can't justify the enormous expense of a full-size waterjet, who might purchase this out of sheer novelty. AFAICT it won't appeal to rapid prototypers, because prototyping in acrylic (or wood) via a laser cutter is already so much faster than waterjetting (unless you need your prototypes to be metal, in which case you already own a full-sized waterjet).
TL;DR: empowering DIYers is good, even if initial appeal is limited, and hopefully subsequent generations of the device will improve the economics.
Taken in the context of being a first-generation device, I don't think this is a bad product at all. First-generation 3D printers were way less polished than this appears to be (though of course I haven't used it myself). It remains to be seen how much maintenance it will require, but even current-gen 3D printers seem to manage to break down once a week or so, so again I don't think DIYers will be deterred there. :P And in particular, I think hackerspaces with a decent amount of cash but with scant floorspace might find this product compelling (our waterjet is easily the single largest tool in the shop). This might also appeal to folks with personal shops who can't justify the enormous expense of a full-size waterjet, who might purchase this out of sheer novelty. AFAICT it won't appeal to rapid prototypers, because prototyping in acrylic (or wood) via a laser cutter is already so much faster than waterjetting (unless you need your prototypes to be metal, in which case you already own a full-sized waterjet).
TL;DR: empowering DIYers is good, even if initial appeal is limited, and hopefully subsequent generations of the device will improve the economics.