Overly excited gadget lovers always long to call some evolving technology a force that will change the world — but very few new concepts really do that. At every Consumer Electronics Show, it almost becomes a cliche that some latest and greatest arrival will alter how we live.
So, it pains me a little bit to admit that 3D printing will indeed change the world and alter how we live. For better or worse, it’s unavoidable.
That’s the reason the dedicated 3D printing section on the South Hall Floor at the Las Vegas Convention Center is almost impassable during CES 2014. There are more than 20 companies displaying their 3D Scanners, 3D Printers and assorted printed items at the show. When you consider there were fewer than 10 such firms on site in Vegas last year, it’s obvious how fast this technology is evolving.
Most tech-savvy people know the basics of 3D printing. Put simply, the 3D process scans a real world object, stores its dimensional design as a software document. The printer then transforms raw material (resin in most cases) into a precise replica of the original object. That’s the quickest explanation you’re likely to find, but it’ll serve.
With great effort, I bulled my way into the throng around some of these hot companies, beholding an endless array of freshly cranked out knick-knacks and gimmicks. Some booths were scanning visitors’ faces and reproducing them on personalized action figures. All of that was a friendly way of announcing the emergence of 3D printing into the mainstream consumer market. Multiple firms are now looking to make such machines as common in a household as a microwave or a DVR.
Robox by CEL is a newcomer to the field, but the device and its founding company are all about taking devices from manufacturing and scientific development to the average buyer. The Robox is designed to be faster and easier to use with a price point (about $1,300) that will allow households to climb aboard the revolution.
XYZprinting will serve up its Da Vinci 3D printing system for a proposed price of $499 later this year, introducing an even more appealing entry level price point.
So, a “3D Printer in every pot” is coming down the pipe very quickly. It seems almost certain that the reality will be on top of us before we’re all fully prepared for the practical and ethical issues.
Once we can make our own shoes, dining wear, jewelry, etc., will we forgo traditional retail channels and just invest our money in resin? How many jobs will be touched by such a transition?
What are the legal ramifications of that self, micro manufacturing? For example, if you own a Ford Fiesta, and a small part fails on you, you could now print your own replacement part with strong enough compounds. That would no doubt be cheaper than buying the actual auto part, but — the moment you make and install your personal auto replacement part — you’ve committed thousands of dollars worth of patent fraud because you don’t have the legal right to manufacture Ford parts.
There will also be countless opportunities to make items that could otherwise be legally regulated. The story is widely distributed that 3D Printers can make fully functional guns. Now, it’s not as if Americans can’t get guns if they want them, but an easily acquired supply of non-registered, fully functional and self-made weapons could prove a nightmare.
With 3D printing stepping into our couture in full regalia at CES 2014, it’s clear that this particular technological revolution won’t be stopped. In fact, there is already momentum for the “printing” of everything from human skin for tissue grants to food forged from base materials.
While the kind of companies going to battle on the CES floor continue to marshal their forces, they’ll also be watching for what kind of regulations and restrictions will be pitched at them.
I’ll be over here wondering if there will be any way to enforce such regulations when — if the Feds come breaking down your door — you simply 3D print a new lock.
CES 2014: 3D Printing
