What exactly defines the price for these things? Makerbot has a $1300 smaller 3D printer, but also a huge $6400 printer. The prices seem kinda arbitrary.
1) technology. Something that will print powdered steel using laser sintering is going to cost a lot more than a "cheez whiz" EPS toothpaste tube. The makerbot is a cheez whiz printer. This is a sintering printer, albeit not one that will do metal. 2) resolution. On the low end, candyfab. on the higher end, this thing. I'm not sure what cutting edge is, but this thing will do 100 microns with a 10 micron layer thickness. The Makerbot is less; not sure how much less. 3) speed. Fast costs more. Resin goes quickly. toothpaste does not. 4) Material cost. Resin is cheaper. Toothpaste is expensive. 5) Build quality. I haven't messed with a Makerbot. Autodesk has never built anything. But Makerbot is definitely a bootstrapped, experimenter's gadget. Autodesk is the 4th largest software company in the world.