Basically the author talks about how a $600 dollar 3D printer kit, the printerbot, helped him create a replacement part for his dishwasher. This is another good reason to have a 3D printer since getting parts for some of the appliances/cars/etc today is a near impossible feat.
http://blog.makezine.com/2012/11/28/a-printrbot-fixed-my-dishwasher/