Example Of The Risks Of Revolution: 3D Printing Essay

3D printing is a technology that began in the year 2006 (Neely pg 1). It started as a commercial project as the machine was quite costly for home use. As with any other technology, it came with a lot of hype from people, magazines, and mostly technology freaks. People began to appreciate the idea of having a 3D printer or a 3D figure of oneself. As the author says, though there is the good and fun side of the printer, there are two concerns that will bring about problems in the future; safety and intellectual property issues. Throughout the article, the author establishes the 3D printing craze and outlines the good and bad side of the project.
Currently, 3D printing has come to revolutionize the ability for people to create concept or prototype models without the need to go to industries. It saves them the hustle since all one needs is a 3D printer and a 3D model (Neely pg 3). The 3D printer works like the normal printer, but the printing head contains powdered material. Another benefit of using a 3D printer is that it falls under the additive manufacturing. Additive manufacturing is the creation of an object by placing layers upon each other, unlike standard manufacturing, which removes the unwanted raw materials to create the final object. The manufacturing process will benefit people since they are in a petition to create objects at the comfort of their home without the need of going for a centralized production.
3D printing is flexible in that they can manufacture objects without the need to involve a lot of machinery in it. Scientist can use the printer in coming up with 3D objects for their research; something that was not possible with the standards manufacturing process. 3D fuses the old ‘blacksmith’ process and the centralized process (Neely pg 3). Consumers can create their specific models and produce them in larger quantities. They will tackle the issue of mass production and uniqueness. The technology does not require a person to have an artistic mind since one can use the design made by another person and tweak it to his or her desired specifications.
Intellectual property rights are at risk since people will be in a position to recreate products (Neely pg 7). Currently, it is hard for a person to reproduce a product since one must gain access to a factory, legal licenses, and authorization from the companies. It is quite a tedious process given the fact that in the end, the companies will most likely not give out the rights. With a printer at home, one needs to have a computer, 3D software, and the printer. With the current laws that govern the four kinds of intellectual property; trademark, copyright, patent, and trade dress, there is not much one can do once their works get into the wrong hands. There is a twist and turns in the law; it can favor either side of the case.
The views expressed by the author are true and hold ground under all arguments. The benefits of 3D printing outweigh the demerits of this technology. The 3D printing will make realism possible and affordability to the average inventor. It will benefit many educational sectors in that they can use miniature objects to teach students. However, I do not reckon with a couple of his views. Intellectual property violation will be hard to come by immediately after the release of the product; it will take people a long time to start mimicking other products. 3D printing is costly and the printers developed for home use cannot cater for large development. Most of the 3D printer’s owners will focus more on their works than copying others. The author’s fears will come true when the prices of 3D printers and materials will come down and become affordable to the common man. in my perspective, 3D printing will be a great technology to behold once it goes international and producers will have a run for their money once better products reach the supermarket’s’ shelves.

Work Cited

Neely, Erica L. "The Risks of Revolution: Ethical Dilemmas in 3D Printing." 2014. Academia.edu. PDF. 24 March 2015. < https://www.academia.edu/8209419/The_Risks_of_Revolution_Ethical_Dilemmas_in_3D_Printing >