Proposed 3D printing regulation in various states

[Joan Horvath]

Hello colleagues-

As everyone starts to vanish for the summer, I thought I would note, particularly for people in the US, that there are a variety of laws being promoted in statehouses (particularly WA, CA, and NY, but likely coming soon to a statehouse near you) that would require that 3D printers be able to prevent the printing of a "gun", whatever that means. Obviously this would require some sort of online AI software, or dramatic 3D printer processing upgrades. In the California case (AB 2047) this would most likely imply that open source printers would be illegal (since they can be altered), that printers would need to be online, and a host of other impacts. 

As many of you know, I write 3D printing books and related STEM curriculum, with some of it having adaptations for blind and visually impaired users, and I am particularly discouraged about how this might turn back the clock on disabled access to 3D printing. 

In New York the law has been passed as part of the budget; it now goes to a technical feasibility committee. In California, AB2047 has been passed out of committee and will likely be voted on in the Assembly soon, where there is a good chance it will pass. Make:'s Dale Dougherty has a good summary of the situation at https://makezine.substack.com/p/is-3d-printing-the-problem.

I'm a technologist, not a lawyer, but reading these bills has me deeply concerned. They demonize maker-level technologies in ways that I know are frustrating for all of us. The analogy I've been using is this: What if tomorrow TSA said that airport security is fully automated, and you have to figure out how to get your bag approved by an algorithm. Would you feel safer on an airplane? 

We educators need to, well, educate people on how 3D printing really works, and that these bills are unlikely to have the intended consequences while having many unintended ones. May be a rough few years ahead for makers and educators if rationality does not prevail.

Joan Horvath

www.nonscriptum.com