I've been on this band wagon for a long time. The next "age" of human development will probably be defined by complex object printing and/or genetics. The "space age" will really be an offshoot of enablement by advancement in those two areas. Though nano technology is a *very* broad term, it might be given the title as the most fundamental development for the coming dramatic and rapid evolution of man.

Unless quantum computing turns out to be the path to transcendent intelligence that far surpasses anything humans can imagine. I'm a bit skeptical though.

I do not see why such a technology should need such expensive computers. I seriously doubt it requires as extensive processing as ray tracing for instance. Most likely the people involved are just impatient and looking for an excuse to spend money on cool toys.

I do not see why such a technology should need such expensive computers

You need a lot of memory, because the surface meshes of objects are incredibly detailed (if you want to get a good resolution product thatis). If you want to display the dataset you again need memory (this time in your top-of-the-line graphics cards)

You also need considerable computing power because the algorithms for where and how to create extra struts or interior strengthening of thin shelled parts isn't trivial. It's note enough to just have a surface model of something to be able to print it.

Worst case you have to do load bearing analyses which require finite element methods (and that require TONS of memory and CPU&GPU speed to complete even moderate tasks in an acceptable timeframe).

50k is rather cheap considering the demands.