How hard is it to acquire raw materials for 3D printing?

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

THS occasionally catches flak for not being able to build up to the state it is in in 2100. If they are so fast-building, they are the solution to that problem. If not, then at least they aren't a problem.

The things where THS catches flak are not cases where 3D printing is useful. The general wealth level of the society is way too low for 3D printing to work the way it works in UT. It can work the way it works in the THS core book as long as it can't be used to produce feedstock (or if it can, does so 2 orders of magnitude slower than its general production rate; 'divide production rate by 100 if working from raw materials' eliminates the problems).