Again, I reiterate. What is CNC milling? Basically, it is a computer-numeric-controlled machine that cuts away material from an existing block. Subtractive manufacturing, in other words. 3D printing as often referred to is additive manufacturing.
So what makes 3D printing so much more exciting than CNC milling? Well, you don’t have to end up with all this cut-away waste product that you have to dispose of, and you don’t have to start by putting down a block of already existing material. In essence, it is simply much more efficient in practical terms. But also, as to the reason of why it features so much more heavily in the media than CNC milling, well, that’s because the process of seeing this machine build up “something from nothing” is just so much more visually striking and awe-inspiring than seeing a machine cut away from an already existing block of material. Well, duh, anyone can do that. Just not quite as accurately as a machine, but hey, come on! We seen artistic sculptors do just that, and they do a good enough job at it, so yeah, it’s not that much more interesting to watch a machine do it. The machine is a little faster, sure, but overall, not “awe-inspiring.”