OPINION
Monday, April 6, 2015 7
Coffee cups, Handguns, and Pirates
Sailing in the uncharted waters of 3D printing
heather pringle › layout editor
I
n 1974, a joke written by David Jones in the New
Scientist unknowingly predicted the development of an innovation that decades later
would be called “the third industrial revolution.” Though his proposal imagined a laser that when
shined through liquid plastic monomer caused it to
solidify was intended to be tongue-in-cheek, it was
only three years later that a patent would be granted
for the same idea. The full impact that 3D printing will
have on our society has yet to be seen but recognition
of the technology’s significance has spread from academic circles and begun to permeate discourse within
the general public. It has been said that while the technology has the potential to change industry, end world
hunger, and provide a new platform for creativity, it
also stands to become Pandora’s box, unleashing the
capacity for individuals to produce deadly weapons
and other objects seen to be socially immoral. Indeed,
3D printing has the potential to raise a myriad of legal
issues that spread across a number of areas of regulation including national security, food and drugs,
environmental, and even treaties and international
agreements. It also stands to be the impetus for current manufacturing models to be overturned on their
head.
Just as the introduction of the Internet sparked a
transformation whereby information was democratized, we are currently facing what could potentially
be seen as a paradigm shift where there is a complete
democratization of manufacturing. However, what is
truly revolutionizing the world around us is the combination of these two. Where the Internet has provided
the public with access to knowledge, 3D printing
takes this one step further and allows this knowledge to transcend the digital realm by transforming
itself into tangible products. In essence, we are posed
to see the development of a new self-sufficient public
as it is able to consume the products of its own creation. Individuals will adopt the role of the manufacturer through a viable alternative to the model of mass
production. We are already witness to a culture that
embodies self-sufficiency through the open sharing
of ideas and knowledge. It is currently characterized
by notions of customization and individualization;
the idea that people can “make what they can’t buy at
Wal-Mart.”
Without the previous barriers to entry, there is a
risk of disruption to the previously established systems of control. The ability to make products as we
need them has a fundamental impact on the operation of economies of scale and reduces the importance of mass production. It has been suggested that
3D printing could have the effect of reversing current
models where production of goods has been shifted to
countries where labour costs are comparatively lower.
The theory is that the technology has the potential to
bring manufacturing back to developed countries as
this advantage disappears. In fact, in 2012, President
Barack Obama spoke of the hope that 3D printing
would “strengthen American manufacturing” and
ensure that “manufacturing jobs of tomorrow take
root not in places like China or India, but right here
in the United States of America.” These machines
have the capacity to perform work now done by lower
skilled workers overseas in ways that are more cost
effective to larger companies. The advantages to be
gained from this shift go beyond job creation and its
effect on the local economy; it also allows companies
to enjoy the benefits