[slijin]

We have a Dimension 1200es in our school; I'm not sure about the printer's price, but I do know that each tray of "ink" (i.e. plastic) costs on the order of $200 apiece.

Unless you go with a RepRap or a MakerBot product, you're going to be hard-pressed to get a 3D printer and have the funds to stock it, let alone a "professional" one.

FWIW, IMO the only caveats with using hobby 3D printers is that their resolution is comparatively low (I believe .1", but that's still pretty good). The durability of the final product is dependent on the quality of the material you use.