This blog post takes a balanced look at the innovations that 3D printer technology will bring to our lives, as well as the regulatory and intellectual property issues that arise.
What if you could make clothes you designed yourself right in front of your eyes and wear them immediately? What if you could easily make the food you want to eat without going to a restaurant or cooking? These scenes, which seem like something out of a science fiction movie, are becoming a reality in our lives thanks to the development of 3D printers. This technology is not just a fantasy, but is increasingly becoming a reality in modern society.
3D printers are driving innovation in various fields, and their applications are expanding day by day. A 3D printer is a printer that adds z-axis movement to conventional printers, which print 2D images by moving along the x- and y-axes and spraying ink onto paper, enabling it to print three-dimensional objects.
3D printers were originally designed to make prototypes before commercializing products and were limited to making plastic materials, but they have undergone repeated developments and have now reached the level of making artificial organs and kitchen appliances. For example, in the United States, 3D printing technology has recently been successfully developed to produce body tissues such as ears, muscles, and jawbones that can be implanted into the body. This has led to revolutionary advances in the medical field and is expected to greatly help overcome physical limitations.
While few people doubt that 3D printers will play an important role in making our lives more comfortable, the view of 3D printers is not always positive. This is because the changes brought about by this technology are accompanied by various social and ethical issues, as well as positive aspects.
The most widely discussed issue surrounding 3D printers is intellectual property rights. Anyone with a design blueprint can use a 3D printer to create an object, and some people are seriously concerned about intellectual property issues such as illegal copying. It has been pointed out that without proper countermeasures, this could lead to serious social unrest caused by legal confusion. These are not the only issues being discussed regarding 3D printers. Recently, a group called Defense Distribute, which has been researching the manufacture of firearms using 3D printing, successfully fired a plastic pistol made with a 3D printer, sparking serious discussions around the world about tightening gun control. Currently, guns manufactured using 3D printing based on online data are not at a level where they can be used for crime, but there are calls for regulations on 3D printers that go beyond simply regulating gun sales in order to avoid a situation that is expected to arise in the near future.
However, we need to think more carefully about regulations on 3D printers. Currently, many companies related to new technologies in Korea are facing difficulties in entering the global market due to government regulations.
For example, in Korea, the use of drones is limited to military purposes and photography. Compared to China, where drone flights are restricted to certain areas, and Japan, where drones are actively used for remote medical care and medicine delivery, the development of drone-related industries in Korea is inevitably slow. This is an example of how important government regulations are in accepting new technologies. 3D printers are no exception.
Currently, 3D printer technology in Korea has advanced to the point where it can produce artificial organs, artificial skin, prosthetic arms, and prosthetic legs, but due to the lack of safety standards for domestically produced products, there is reluctance to purchase them from overseas, making it difficult to find markets for them. Such regulations are tantamount to tying the hands of companies competing in the global arena, and considering the significant impact of market preemption competition in new industries, this can only be considered a huge loss.
Regulations on new technologies are not simply for safety, but are an important factor that can greatly affect industrial growth and the national economy. Given that the future value of the 3D printer industry is highly regarded due to the endless possibilities of 3D printing technology, the government must consider and implement more cautious regulations.
We must not allow a regrettable situation to arise in which Korea’s new industries are crippled because we fail to keep up with technological trends. Therefore, the government must strike a balance between regulation and support to promote safe technological development without hindering innovation. This is an important task that applies not only to the 3D printer industry, but also to all new technologies in the future.
