A three-dimensional printer is a device that constructs tangible objects from an electronic file. The way it does this is similar to the way a normal printer prints images onto a piece of paper, except instead of ink, the 3D printer sprays a bonding agent onto a layer of fixable powder. This printer can be a very resourceful tool, aiding in fields such as architecture, civil engineering, jewelry design and industrial design. With such a powerful, new age instrument, there are both positive and negative ways it can be applied. For example, in 2012 a lower jaw was created from a 3D printer for an 83-year-old woman in the Netherlands [1]. However, the printer has also been used various amounts of times to produce firearms. One man in America made an assault rifle with a 3D printer no bigger than an espresso machine in his spare bedroom – he printed each part separately made from plastic and then assembled them. Another man in Japan has been sentenced to two years in prison for manufacturing plastic revolvers in his home [2]. This 28 year old is the first person in world history to receive jail time for creating firearms with a 3D printer; it is highly unlikely he will be the last. The availability of 3D printing is rapidly growing, meaning it will be much easier for the public to print guns. Of course, the printing of weapons could be made illegal, however, this would only criminalize the action, not stop it completely. Possessing blueprints for manufacturing firearms from 3D printers could become as easy as illegally downloading a movie, TV show or music from the Internet. And bearing in mind the current gun laws in America, the people of USA would undoubtedly revolt – they are permitted to buy guns, surely they can print them off as well. Taking all of this into consideration, perhaps 3D printers should be made exclusive, rather than being sold to the public as household appliances. Moreover, perhapspossibly three-dimensional should be used only in serious workplaces and fields such as medicine, education, engineering etc. so that the foreseeable negative impact 3D printing would have on society can be avoided. Conversely, there are countless amounts of innovative, futuristic technologies that are appearing on the market, all of which would indubitably attain positive and negative attributes. Consequently, it would be very problematic and time-consuming to keep track of and assess each and every one of these technologies, even more so keeping them from the public. Additionally, some technologies have more elusive, long-term negative impacts than others, for instance, wearable smart devices such as the Google Glass.
*For references, see Bibliography |