3D printing
For methods of applying a 2D image on a 3D surface, see pad printing. For methods of printing 2D parallax stereograms that seem 3D to the eye, see lenticular printing and holography.
3D printing or Additive manufacturing[1] is a process of making a three-dimensional solid object of virtually any shape from adigital model. 3D printing is achieved using an additive process, where successive layers of material are laid down in different shapes.[2]3D printing is also considered distinct from traditional machiningtechniques, which mostly rely on the removal of material by methods such as cutting or drilling (subtractiveprocesses).
A 3D printer is a limited type of industrial robot that is capable of carrying out an additive process undercomputer control.
While 3D printing technology has been around since the 1980s, it was not until the early 2010s that the printers became widely available commercially.[3] The first working 3D printer was created in 1984 by Chuck Hullof 3D Systems Corp.[4] Since the start of the 21st century there has been a large growth in the sales of these machines, and their price has dropped substantially.[5] According to Wohlers Associates, a consultancy, the market for 3D printers and services was worth $2.2 billion worldwide in 2012, up 29% from 2011.[6]
The 3D printing technology is used for both prototyping and distributed manufacturing with applications in architecture, construction (AEC),industrial design, automotive, aerospace, military, engineering, civil engineering, dental and medical industries, biotech (human tissue replacement), fashion, footwear, jewelry, eyewear, education, geographic information systems, food, and many other fields. One study has found[7] that open source 3D printing could become a mass market item because domestic 3D printers can offset their capital costs by enabling consumers to avoid costs associated with purchasing common household objects.
3D Printers Will Soon Change The World, If It's Not Strangled In A Lawyered Up World
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Image of HCC MakerBot Cupcake CNC printing of spikey gear and raft in the MakerBot 3D printer. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
By Gary Shapiro
One product which will soon change the world is 3D printing. These devices let consumers print three-dimensional objects at home, from phone cases, jewelry, ceramics and home décor to board game pieces, tools, and even food. The 2014 InternationalCES® was the first ever to host a 3D printing TechZone, and it had to be expanded three times to accommodate all the new companies in the market. As 3D printers evolve with new inputs, features and lower prices, they’ll change the consumer landscape much like MP3 players transformed the music industry at the turn of this century.
Yet along with this innovation, 3D printing is facing legal challenges. Established players in manufacturing are going after user-generated 3D file sharing sites, arguing that their intellectual property is ripped off by home printers. But in many cases, home 3D printer aficionados are building out and improving upon original designs. Our copyright laws are unclear about the degree to which 3D designs and software are protectable, and what constitutes infringement. Looking ahead, it is important for the courts and the Congress to allow in-home manufacturing to blossom and make its full potential contribution to our economy. Imagine a world where most products are made locally, and aspiring jewelers, cooks, inventors and designers can create, experiment and create new markets with a simple investment from their home.
The U.S. Constitution states that our patent and copyright law should “promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts.” Two centuries later, the debate about what to promote and what to protect through copyright law continues. Recently, the House Judiciary Committee began an overdue examination into whether the copyright laws need updating as it considered the legality of uploading copyrighted files to peer-to-peer networks. But politicians are overrun by armies of lobbyists and their PACs, all trying to strengthen rather than loosen the copyright monopoly Congress bestows. Thankfully, technology moves quicker than Congress and such innovations as the VCR and personal video recorder survived misguided legislative murder attempts.
Our challenge now is to make sure the 3D printing ecosystem does not die death from a thousand cuts.
Thingiverse, a website that allows people to post and share designs for 3D printers, has been fielding Digital Millennium Copyright Act takedown notices since at least 2011. Last year, the company that owns the rights to the Tintin comics issued a takedown notice to Thingiverse over a toy design uploaded by one of the site’s users. The original design – for a simple model based on a rocket from the comic – was removed, but another popped up in its place.
The Tintin rocket is a great, small-scale example of the potential for collaboration and innovation in 3D printing. Though the original design was removed from Thingiverse, another user posted a similar design for a Christmas tree ornament based on the rocket. And someone else modified the idea so it could be illuminated, and then redesigned it again so other users could personalize the ornament with their names or other text. Out of just one idea, at least three new products were created, each improving on the last and providing a product that wouldn’t have otherwise been available. Innovation in 3D printing isn’t just about replicating things. It’s about taking an idea and modifying it to make something even better.
The same example illustrates just how inadequate our copyright system can be at protecting intellectual property, while fostering an environment that allows innovation to thrive in the wake of new technologies. Rights holders need to move away from suing or threatening to sue every potential copyright violator, and embrace a system that makes it easy and affordable for at-home 3D printers to access legal and licensed designs. iTunes’ licensing model is a good example. Just as the recording industry has adapted to digital music downloads and found revenue in other areas like touring and merchandise, the creative content and manufacturing industries will have to adapt to 3D printing. And we’ll all be better off for it, with more access to unique, innovative products and services.
It took more than 20 years from the Copyright Act of 1976 to the establishment of “safe harbors” with the passage of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998. Yet the Internet now puts the world within our reach in ways no one imagined 40 years ago, that were just glimmers of possibility at the turn of this century when DMCA was passed. We can’t let another 20 years go by before we enact appropriate policies that work in today’s constantly changing Internet era.
