Imagine a world where you can make things, actual, tangible stuff, with just a computer and a printer.  Cool, huh?  But you don’t have to imagine anymore, that kind of technology already exists in 3D printing.  Not everyone knows this, but industrial 3D printers have been around since the 1980s, and they’ve recently gained popularity in the medical field.

The Good

Dr. Jules Pokens of Hasselt University led a team of surgeons for an operation involving the use of an artificial jaw made from titanium powder, heated and built-up in layers in a 3D printer to create a working lower jaw, which was then finished with a bioceramic coating.

“The new treatment method is a world premiere because it concerns the first patient-specific implant in replacement of the entire lower jaw,” Dr. Pokens stated.

Dr. Pokens also stated that the patient was able to recover faster, speaking a few words just hours after the surgery and was able to speak and swallow normally a day after the procedure.

Even Bioengineers at the Seatle Children’s hospital make use of 3D printers to create accurate 3D models of an infant nasal and oral passage.

“Accurately modeling the premature infant nasal pharynx has been a difficult task,” said Jay Zignego, Bioengineer at the Center for Developmental Therapeutics.  “Yet, having these models readily available is essential to our ability to test respiratory device interfaces.”

They use the V-Flash Desktop 3D Printer from 3D Systems.

“With V-Flash we have been able to create solid models  which accurately represent the morphology of the nasal pharynx from CT scans.  In fact, we are the first to create accurate 3D models of an infant nasal and oral passage. These models allow us to test the efficacy of various respiratory device interfaces, such as nasal prongs,” Zignego added.

And with 3D printers now becoming more affordable, commercial and home use of this technology is now possible.  The V-Flash Personal 3D Printer is priced under $10k, so anyone with that money can purchase it and use it for whatever.

And that’s the problem.

The Bad

3D printers can make use of different kinds of materials, from metal to plastic and even ceramic.  If industrial printers were used to create prototypes or even mass produce jewelries, gadget casings and other stuff that can be found in the market, personal 3D printers can be used to produce pirated products.

Just look at the German 3D printer manufacturer EOS; they can now create metal objects as robust as cast parts, and often as strong as forged parts.  They even created a fully-functional replica of a Stradivarius violin!  See what I’m getting at?  A 3D printer is a piracy tool.

And now, there’s an app made for 3D printing.  The 3D Printing Sculpteo Design Maker app by Sculpteo can be downloaded for iPhones and iPads for free.  It allows you to design anything you want, from iPhone casings, coffee mugs, bowls, vases etc. and order the 3D print at Sculpteo, which they will ship to you.  This is actually pretty cool, especially if you’re very creative or like giving personalized gifts.  But if you own a 3D printer and a 3D printing app, what’s stopping you from copying stuff found on the web and selling them at a cheaper price than the original?