I have to say though, once you start designing your own stuff, it's kinda a pain in the butt. I created a rather simple device for my work (imagine a half cylinder with a few recessed areas) and took me quite a while to get a good print of it. Orientation, fill-in ratio, they all need to be tweaked. Overhangs are a nightmare.
Is it a program like Solid Works? or one specifically designed for the particular 3D printer?
You can create the model in any 3D modeling package of your choice, including Solidworks (very good for this kind of thing actually), and then you need an intermediate piece of software that generates the instructions for the printer that tell it how to print the object, which covers the pain in the ass stuff rumby is talking about. That includes layer thickness, orientation, support materials so overhangs don't collapse, what percentage to infill solid objects etc. A lot of printers can use the same software to generate that code, some use proprietary software.
Really? I have never even looked in to getting one and just assumed they were closer to $1000. I guess the more advanced/bigger you go the more pricier they get...but $200 is nothing to get something to play around with. Very neat.
I've never seen one as cheap as $200 before, so that is basement price. As noted, the maximum size on Chino's printer is relatively small, and Chino is probably lucky to have had it run so well so far. Setting up a 3D printer can be a bit of a pain in terms of calibrating, and messing with getting the print to stick to the bed and there are other issues with the print nozzle and plastic. It can take a good investment of time to learn how to use it properly. The average home 3D printer is more in the 500-2000 range, depending on what features it has.
They're making fast progress at the moment, but there are still kinks to sort out before they're useful enough to become commonplace for the average person. Within a decade I imagine they'll be very accessible though.