The project provoked controversy with 3D printing firm MakerBot pulling gun part blueprints from its website in the wake of the Sandy Hook shootings and 3D printer manufacturer Stratasys refusing permission for its machines to be used by the company.

BBC: 'Pirate Bay' for 3D printing launched

Bob Cornick of Zebra Technologies , a manufacturer of printer-encoders, says Wal-Mart broke that paradigm, as companies debated investing in a technology or waiting to see how it grows.

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Any good 3D printer is likely to find uses never imagined by the manufacturer.

FORBES: How HP Could Reinvent 3D Printing...and Itself

Now the world's largest envelope manufacturer--it cranked out 37 billion last year--and fourth-largest commercial printer, Mail-Well offers a glimpse into an industry consolidation gone awry.

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