Rapid Prototyping & Piracy

At my work (aerospace manufacturer), we are using Rapid Prototyping (such as the link below). There are even metallic powder that could be use, so it is not only plastic parts.

In some cases, these parts are good enough for production parts.

Do you think, that if those machines goes down in price, that it could lead to piracy of manufacturing goods and destroy the economy (at least partially).

If something broke at your house (or some lesser component on your car), you simply go to the Internet and download the 3D solid, that make your part, bypassing the creator/manufacturer of that spare part (with all the legal, hazard that this could imply, there are already bogus aircraft parts being made, so imagine).

The piracy culture of today (music, movie, consumer goods, etc.) is already well establish, I think this will simply add to this.

Don't you think?

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I could imagine this being used in third world countries but a fake part would be found soon after failing so I think it won't be used by any fair company.

After all it is murder to use such a part and people would be killed by its failing.

I have rapid protoypes made quite regulalry of my 3d models for clients....one day soon it may well prove to be a very popular tech for pirates. But there is limitations with the materials used right now. To me personaly, it'd be great to be able t o get a 3d print done cheaply at home, although I'm sure other people would see it as a tech for ruining society lol.


Wayne...

You bring up a great point!

When nano manufacturing can make anything by scavenging atoms from scrap heaps, will we as a society allow everyone to have everything they want.

Or will we allow this potential unlimited wealth for everyone to be kept propriatary for the benefit of a few so they can keep everyone else enslaved?

History suggests tremendous efforts will be made to suppress the technology, but will fail. It only takes one escaped replicator to spoil the monopoly, and smart people will hack nano products to make lesser replicators while the suppression is still working.

Originally posted by Cyberbian
You bring up a great point!

When nano manufacturing can make anything by scavenging atoms from scrap heaps, will we as a society allow everyone to have everything they want.

Or will we allow this potential unlimited wealth for everyone to be kept propriatary for the benefit of a few so they can keep everyone else enslaved?

History suggests tremendous efforts will be made to suppress the technology, but will fail. It only takes one escaped replicator to spoil the monopoly, and smart people will hack nano products to make lesser replicators while the suppression is still working.

I forgot if it was in Alvin Toffler "Future Shock" or "The Third Wave", but he foresaw a world were production will be more local. (I know that Alvin Toffler was right on some point and wrong on plenty of other).

So, perhaps one way of reducing our dependency to oil is to reduce energy required to move goods.

One can imagine a world where buying stuff at the local shopping center, trigger (via inventory control) replacement good to be manufacture, not only just in time, but also just in the quantity desired, then ship over a small distance (just like USAToday newspapers are printed locally), so several production units instead of giant one.

There is still a long way to allow these technologies to compete with the efficiency of mass production, but a more local foods & goods production is not out of the question.

For Cyberbian, as you mentioned, the production power is concentrated in very few hands, these technologies may change this (just like music and book edition has been changed by MP3 distribution, eBook and small press editing).

If everybody can produce anything, anywhere, cheaper, I'm afraid this challenge our very economic foundation.

Right now the technology isn't a danger in any way, plus it takes an age to rapid protoype something as small as 30 cm. But if it ever get to the stage where it could be 'dangerous' to countries economy, then they'll tax the damn hell out of it.

Wayne...