Retailers in the UK have announced that the Cube 3D printer is for sale online for £1195 (about R19471).
The Cube allows users to design a three-dimensional product and then send instructions for the design to the printer.
The Cube then "prints" the design by building up fine layers of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene or polylactic acid - both types of plastic - to form a 3D object. The printing material comes out of a cartridge hot, then quickly dries to form a hard resin.
Retailer Currys said the "plug-in-and-play simplicity" of the Cube allows users to start 3D printing as soon as they take it out of the box.
There are no cables and the Cube's Wi-Fi facility allows users to send prints from their computers.
The Cube is almost twice the price of the Velleman K8200 3D printer, which went on sale at UK electronic specialist Maplin in July for £699 (R11385).
However, the Velleman model is supplied in kit form and may not be suitable for non-technical users, whereas the Cube claims to be the only 3D printer certified for safe use in the home for both adults and children.
While 3D printing has been used in the construction and aerospace industries for some time, the launch of these desktop 3D printing devices indicates that the technology is finally making its way into the mainstream, with analysts expecting solid growth in the coming years.
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