Simply rent one. Most major shoptools are best used by experts and the capital cost + maintenance is just way too high for occasional use. This goes for Lathes, mills, bandsaws (the metal variety), sheetmetal gear and so on. 3D printers are no exception to this rule (even though having all that gear certainly is a wonderful feeling you don't actually need it and gaining all the required expertise is a matter of (many) months or years, not weeks).
Until you reach the stage where you are making stuff a substantial portion of your time renting is by far the better option (especialy in fields where there is still a lot of development).
If you want to get one to play with the technology on a daily basis buy one that is as open and flexible as possible so you can move up as new developments become available.
Until you reach the stage where you are making stuff a substantial portion of your time renting is by far the better option (especialy in fields where there is still a lot of development).
If you want to get one to play with the technology on a daily basis buy one that is as open and flexible as possible so you can move up as new developments become available.
This is a pretty good option:
http://www.emachineshop.com/machine-shop/Rapid-Prototyping-S...