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Introduction

3D Printing Technology has become an industry revolution challenging risk mangement and insurance

underwriting. This once future technology to reproduce virtually any type of end product imaginable is

now a reality.

From initial prototype modeling of various types (and end uses) of equipment and machine parts to the

production of food products, products for artists, designers, architects as well as medical devices,

including personalized implantable devices and prosthetics 3D Printing technology has developed at a

rate which is challenging risk management and insurance underwriting.

Information provided in this document explains how 3D printing technology developed to where it is today,

the technical aspects of 3D printing and provides additional information and guidance to assist with risk

management solutions and insurance underwriting.

3D printing or additive manufacturing is the process of fabricating 3-dimensional objects in just about any shape

from a digital model. This is a content-to-print solution that typically will include the 3D printers, print materials and

on-demand custom parts services for both professionals and consumers. The technology allows for creative

content development and design productivity tools through stereolithography (SLA, printers, selective laser

sintering (SLS) printers, multi-jet modeling (MJM) printers, film transfer imaging (FTI) printers, selective laser

melting (SLM) printers and plastic jet printers (PJP).

The additive process unlike traditional manufacturing with it’s subtractive process involves the successive layering of material to reproduce the digital model. The term additive manufacturing refers to technologies that create objects through sequential layering. Objects that are manufactured additively can be used anywhere throughout the product life cycle, from pre-production (i.e. rapid prototyping) to full-scale production (i.e. rapid manufacturing) in addition to tooling applications and post-production customization. Some additive manufacturing techniques are capable of using multiple materials in the course of constructing parts. Some are able to print in multiple colors and color combinations simultaneously. Some also utilize supports when building. Supports are removable or dissolvable upon completion of the print and are used to support overhanging features during construction. The 3D model is created using computer aided design or 3D scanners which send a digital image in the form of an STL electronic file to the printer. Traditional manufacturing subtracts material (cutting, edging, sawing, drilling) to remove material to create an object whereby 3D printing adds material to create the desired object. While 3D printing technology has been around since the 1980s, it was not until the early 2010s that the printers became widely available commercially. The first working 3D printer was created in 1984 by Chuck Hull of 3D Systems Corp. Today there are consumer, commercial, and industrial printers. Initially the printers were used to develop product prototypes; saving R&D costs and resources to bring products to market. Today they are being used to create finished products in architecture, consumer products, construction, industrial design, automotive, aerospace, food, engineering, biotechnology, fashion and other industries.

Technical Reference 3D Printing Technology

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The current slow print speed of 3D printers limits their use for mass production. To reduce this overhead, several fused filament machines now offer multiple extruder heads. These can be used to print in multiple colors with different polymers or to make multiple prints simultaneously. This increases their overall print speed during multiple instance production while requiring less capital cost than duplicate machines since they can share a single controller.

With the expiration of the patent on these technologies there is now a large open-source development community as well as commercial and do-it-yourself variants. This has led to orders of magnitude price drops since this technology's creation opening up the consumer market and other applications such as food-grade products. The cost of 3D printers has decreased dramatically since about 2010 with machines that used to cost $20,000 now costing less than $1,000.

Since most people are not CAD professionals they have to use third party designs. 3D Printing marketplaces are the largest sources of 3D printable designs and it is believed that they will dominate the market of 3D printable objects.

3D Printing Marketplaces are a combination of file sharing websites with or without a built in e-commerce capability. Designers upload suitable files for 3D printing while other users buy or freely download the uploaded files for printing. The marketplaces facilitate the account management, infrastructure, server resources and guarantees safe settlement of payments (e-commerce). Some of the marketplaces also offer additional services such as 3D printing on demand, location of commercial 3D print shops, associated software for model rendering and dynamic viewing of items using packages such as sketchfab.

Some of them like Thingiverse are dedicated to free sharing of 3D printable files. Others such as Shapeways offer a 3D printing service for objects which have been provided for sale by designers. Another category are websites such as by Threeding and 3DprintWise which offer free and commercial exchange of digital 3D printable files for use on 3D printers but do not directly include 3D printing services themselves.

Examples include:

Engineers, jewelry makers and architects developing prototypes and turning out finished products.

Consumers are soon able to create complete garments, meals, cookies and cupcakes, self-modeled

bobble dolls, new sponges and other replacement products for home use bypassing the traditional

purchasing models.

Big Box retail stores such as Target and Home Depot are installing 3D systems in their stores to enhance

sales changing their operations from strictly a retailer to a manufacturer where the customer is doing the

manufacturing. Newer retail printers will be able to produce a part or model up to 5” cubed .

Systems are being used for reconstructive surgical consultation using imaging, surgical software and 3D

printing using biocompatible polymer and titanium powder and liquid photopolymer resin to produce

patient-specific implantable medical devices. This allows for the achievement of improved outcomes from

traditional reconstructive surgery to include surgical and dental needs (implantable jaw, facial bones, etc.)

as well as spinal and hip implants ( also the potential for replacing traditional hip replacement technology).

In this process layers of living cells are deposited onto a gel medium or sugar matrix and slowly built up to

form three-dimensional structures including vascular systems. Bioprinting of human tissues will accelerate

the preclinical drug testing and discovery process enabling treatments to be created more quickly and at

lower cost.

3D printing technology has been used to create entire concrete residential homes.

Biotechnologists are researching the use of human cellular lab cultures and 3D printing to produce human

organs which would solve the shortage of organs for transplantation and enable the production of patient-

specific organs which are not subject to rejection.

3D printing has spread into the world of clothing with fashion designers experimenting with 3D-printed

bikinis, shoes and dresses.

Rocket parts built using this technology have passed NASA firing tests. In July 2013 two rocket engine

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injectors performed as well as traditionally constructed parts during hot-fire tests which exposed them to

temperatures approaching 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit (3,316 degrees Celsius) and extreme pressures.

NASA is also preparing to launch a 3D printer into space; the agency hopes to demonstrate that with the

printer making spare parts on the fly astronauts need not carry large loads of spares with them.

Firearms - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Joint Regional Intelligence Center released

a memo stating that "significant advances in three-dimensional (3D) printing capabilities, availability of free

digital 3D printable files for firearms components and difficulty regulating file sharing may present public

safety risks from unqualified gun seekers who obtain or manufacture 3D printed guns," and that "proposed

legislation to ban 3D printing of weapons may deter but cannot completely prevent their production”. Even

if the practice is prohibited by new legislation online distribution of these 3D printable files will be as difficult

to control as any other illegally traded music, movie or software files."

Internationally where gun controls are generally tighter than in the United States some commentators have said the impact may be more strongly felt as alternative firearms are not as easily obtainable. Downloads of the plans, "[design] a working plastic gun that could be downloaded and reproduced by anybody with a 3D printer" from the UK, Germany, Spain, and Brazil were especially heavy and in demand.

Discussion These printing hardware and software systems allow for the creation of a single object at a cost equal to a full

production cycle and run with simple and easy customization without the factory or assembly line. Each piece is a

one-off customized piece allowing for the modeling and production of almost anything one can imagine. Using

traditional reduction manufacturing methods of large and complex 3D printed objects one can achieve finishing

techniques to create exact copies of large and complex finished objects.

The 3D printing process uses a variety of materials to create the object including various thermoplastic powders

and liquids, metal alloys, rubber, clay, plaster and photopolymers. Nanotechnology can also be used to alter the

charactieristics of 3D printable materials. Thus combining two new technologies an object can be readily created

with specific physical or chemical characteristics. A large number of additive processes are now available. They

differ in the way layers are deposited to create parts and in the materials that can be used.

Regardless of the material selected they all have to be heated and dependent upon the process used some may

be melted to be able to layer together the model into a finished object. Dependent upon the material used and the

desired object determines the 3D process used which may include:

• Selective laser melting

• Direct metal laser sintering

• Select laser sintering

• Fused deposition

• Stereolithography

• Laminated object manufacturing

The current slow print speed of 3D printers limits their use for mass production. To reduce this overhead several

fused filament machines now offer multiple extruder heads. These can be used to print in multiple colors with

different polymers or to make multiple prints simultaneously.

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Type Technologies Materials

Extrusion Fused deposition modeling (FDM)

Thermoplastics (e.g. PLA, ABS), HDPE, eutectic metals, edible materials, Rubber (Sugru), Modelling clay, Plasticine, RTV silicone, Porcelain, Metal clay (including Precious Metal Clay)

Wire Electron Beam Freeform Fabrication (EBF3)

Almost any metal alloy

Granular Direct metal laser sintering (DMLS)

Almost any metal alloy

Electron-beam melting (EBM)

Titanium alloys

Selective laser melting (SLM)

Titanium alloys, Cobalt Chrome alloys, Stainless Steel, Aluminium

Selective heat sintering (SHS) [21]

Thermoplastic powder

Selective laser sintering (SLS)

Thermoplastics, metal powders, ceramic powders

Powder bed and inkjet head 3D printing

Plaster-based 3D printing (PP)

Plaster

Laminated Laminated object manufacturing (LOM)

Paper, metal foil, plastic film

Light polymerised Stereolithography (SLA) photopolymer

Digital Light Processing (DLP)

photopolymer

Extrusion deposition:

Example - Fused deposition modeling: 1 – nozzle ejecting molten plastic, 2 – deposited material (modeled part), 3 – controlled movable table.

In fused deposition modeling the model or part is produced by extruding small beads of material which harden immediately to form layers. A thermoplastic filament or metal wire that is wound on a coil is unreeled to supply material to an extrusion nozzle head. The nozzle head heats the material and turns the flow on and off. Typically stepper motors or servo motors are employed to move the extrusion head and adjust the flow and the head can be moved in both horizontal and vertical directions. Control of this mechanism is typically done by a computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software package running on a microcontroller. FDM usually cannot produce stalactite-like structures, since they would be unsupported during the build.

Various polymers are used, including acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), polylactic acid (PLA), high density polyethylene (HDPE), PC/ABS, and polyphenylsulfone (PPSU). In general the polymer is in the form of a filament fabricated from virgin resins. Multiple projects in the open-source community exist that are aimed at processing post-consumer plastic waste into filament.

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Granular materials binding:

The CandyFab granular printing system uses heated air and granulated sugar to produce food-grade art objects.

Another 3D printing approach is the selective fusing of materials in a granular bed. The technique fuses parts of the layer and then moves the working area downwards adding another layer of granules and repeating the process until the piece has built up. This process uses the unfused media to support overhangs and thin walls in the part being produced, which reduces the need for temporary auxiliary supports for the piece. A laser is typically used to sinter the media into a solid. Examples include selective laser sintering (SLS) with both metals and polymers (e.g. PA, PA-GF, Rigid GF, PEEK, PS, Alumide, Carbonmide, elastomers) and direct metal laser sintering (DMLS).

Selective Laser Melting (SLM) does not use sintering for the fusion of powder granules but will completely melt the powder using a high-energy laser to create fully dense materials in a layer-wise method with similar mechanical properties to conventional manufactured metals.

Electron beam melting (EBM) is a similar type of additive manufacturing technology for metal parts (e.g. titanium alloys). EBM manufactures parts by melting metal powder layer by layer with an electron beam in a high vacuum. Unlike metal sintering techniques that operate below melting point EBM parts are fully dense, void-free and very strong.

Another method consists of an inkjet 3D printing system. The printer creates the model one layer at a time by spreading a layer of powder (plaster, or resins) and printing a binder in the cross-section of the part using an inkjet-like process. This is repeated until every layer has been printed. This technology allows the printing of full color prototypes, overhangs, and elastomer parts. The strength of bonded powder prints can be enhanced with wax or thermoset polymer impregnation.

Lamination:

In some printers, paper can be used as the build material, resulting in a lower cost to print. This process can now use ordinary sheets of office paper, a Tungsten carbide blade to cut the shape, and selective deposition of adhesive and pressure to bond the prototype. There are also a number of companies selling printers that print laminated objects using thin plastic and metal sheets.

Photopolymerization

Example - Stereolithography apparatus

Photopolymerization is primarily used in stereolithography (SLA) to produce a solid part from a liquid. In Digital Light Processing (DLP), a vat of liquid polymer is exposed to light from a DLP projector under safelight conditions. The exposed liquid polymer hardens. The build plate then moves down in small increments and the liquid polymer is again exposed to light. The process repeats until the model has been built. The liquid polymer is then drained from the vat leaving the solid model.

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Inkjet printer systems spray photopolymer materials onto a build tray in ultra-thin layers (between 16 and 30 µm) until the part is completed. Each photopolymer layer is cured with UV light after it is jetted producing fully cured models that can be handled and used immediately without post-curing. The gel-like support material, which is designed to support complicated geometries, is removed by hand and water jetting. It is also suitable for elastomers.

Ultra-small features can be made with the 3D microfabrication technique used in multiphoton photopolymerization. This approach traces the desired 3D object in a block of gel using a focused laser. Due to the nonlinear nature of photoexcitation, the gel is cured to a solid only in the places where the laser was focused and the remaining gel is then washed away. Feature sizes of under 100 nm are easily produced, as well as complex structures with moving and interlocked parts. Yet another approach uses a synthetic resin that is solidified using LEDs.

Mask-image-projection-based stereolithography

In this technique a 3D digital model is sliced by a set of horizontal planes. Each slice is converted into a two-dimensional mask image. The mask image is then projected onto a photocurable liquid resin surface and light is projected onto the resin to cure it in the shape of the layer. In research systems the light is projected from below allowing the resin to be quickly spread into uniform thin layers reducing production time from hours to minutes. The technique has been used to create objects composed of multiple materials that cure at different rates.

Risk Guidance The coverages most significantly impacted are General Liability, Product Liability and Worker’s Compensation.

Other coveages impacted may include Errors & Omissions, Product Recall, Construction Defect and others. 3D-

printed products are treated the same as any other new operation that poses new risks.

Instead of underwriting a product or production exposure insurance carriers are now underwriting multiple

exposures as well as potentially unknown product applications that will continue to evolve. An example would

be the evolution of nano-technology based products.

The 3D printing process presents exposures which may include heat sources and toxic fumes being emitted from

melting and decomposition. There are also equipment exposures not unlike traditional manufacturing equipment

such as machine guarding exposures.

Defective and counterfeit product exposures, among others, will arise for all participants along the manufacturing

continuum industry experts said. As long as an individual is in possession of the proper printer, material and digital

file they can theoretically replicate a product designed by others. Thus the risk of counterfeit and potentially

defective product risks increase too.

The above material exposures as well as the sourcing of the materials used present a significant exposure.

Contaminated, defective or the incorrect materials used could create a defective product. For these reasons

the materials used may be an overall greater potential liability exposure than those presented by the 3D

printer. Similar to traditional manufacturing failure to determine the material used and source of material

ordered increases the risk of product failure/contamination.

There is also a risk of weapons and other prohibited products being produced which is challenging security experts

to create new security technologies to replace traditional security scanners. Newer security equipment sniffs-out

the presence of chemicals rather than look for the finished product.

In addition to the inherent and potential 3D printing exposures there are printer-specific exposures dependent upon

the application. 3D printer manufacturers sell printers and supplies for a wide range of applications. A traditional

industrial machine manufacturer may produce machines for cutting wood or steel. The 3D printer manufacturer

produces and sells equipment for creating solid objects, medical products, clothes, food and other finished

products likely unknown to the seller with differing technologies and exposures to loss.

The current intellectual property legislation in the developed countries does not explicitly regulate 3D printing. This

creates numerous questions about the legal statute status of the 3D printing marketplaces and the technology

itself. Some analysts predict that 3D printing marketplaces will be "the next Napster" in terms of legal complexity.

There is also the unknown as to how a loss will be defined in a court of law and how a loss would be apportioned

to those involved in the entire chain of getting the printed product to market and many legal regimes, including

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patents, industrial design rights, copyright and trademark could apply. Any of the mentioned legal regimes may

prohibit the distribution of the designs used in 3d printing, or the distribution or sale of the printed item. At this time

there is no case law for 3D Printing losses.

Although the challenges and potential risks are many there are some basic guidelines which can be used

to help reduce the overall risk both in risk assessment and risk improvement.

First, the team of the underwriters, risk engineers and brokers should first assess the company’s risk management

profile and risk appetite. In particular the company’s production, research and development teams should be

integrated on a regular basis with risk management.

Consider the production environment and output of the company; if 3D printing enables production of, say, just 100

hip implants or 100 hearing aids, such work will generally take place outside of a traditional mass-production

factories and may not be subject to government regulation and inspection such as from OSHA, FDA, EPA, etc. The

technologies emerging risks may include unregulated manufacturing.

Multiple projects in the open-source community also exist that are aimed at processing post-consumer plastic

waste into filament. These involve machines to shred and extrude the plastic material into filament and if included

in the work environment may pose additional non-traditional exposures to include property loss potentials and the

issue of plastics fire-loading and control needs.

Supply chain management is critical if a 3D printer is used to replicate a cupcake, the manufacturer should be as

careful of contaminants in the mix as traditional bakers would need to be. This would involve an assessment of an

organization’s quality control systems and storage and handling of raw materials, work-in-progress and finished

goods through shipping and delivery.

3D printing increases the risk of counterfeit products. So long as a person has access to a 3D printer and a

digitized product counterfeits can be produced. Using inferior material there is the risk the counterfeit product will

be of inferior quality too and not match the anticipated specifications for use of an original. Because of the reduced

time needed to produce products the risk of counterfeit products being placed into the stream of commerce on a

rapid basis could increase. Because of this risk protecting proprietary product software is very important to prevent

“identical” but potentially defective products from being sold.

Additional Guidance:

Because of the complexity of this risk it should be assessed by a Risk Engineer who has knowledge of 3D printing

technology. This may be determined through the risk engineering Q2P database accessible through your portfolio

executive. The guidance offered below is not exhaustive in scope and may or may not be applicable depending on

the risks of a user versus a manufacturer of the 3D Printing technology.

It is imperative that Risk Engineering be provided risk contacts that are intimately familiar with the printers produced or sold as well as their applications; preferably through the operations, QA, finance and risk management departments.

Does the printer manufacturer have adequate contractual risk transfer controls from the raw material and component suppliers?

Does the risk have adequate contractual risk transfer controls from the suppliers of the materials to be used?

Does the risk have adequate contractual risk transfer controls with the purchasers/clients?

Are changes in contract requirements, especially requirements for hold harmless, additional insured status

reviewed by Legal Staff.

Do they install their product?

Contingent Business Income Exposure - Do they manufacture all parts used in the printers? Do they have

multiple suppliers for component parts?

What software / CAD do they design? Do they purchase Professional Liability to cover the software / CAD? Do they perform any inside QC or third party testing on the raw materials to insure they are the materials purchased and of the quality certified?

If they produce the materials what kinds of in-process and finished product quality controls are in place?

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If the risk sells 3D printing material do they provide their customers with MSDS Sheets?

When evaluating materials do you include an assessment of material/ingredient toxicity?

Are there any new applications in the near future?

Are there any new printers in development for new applications?

Do you have any licensing agreements or other contracts with others to co-produce materials, products, etc?

Have you made any acquisitions of related firms?

Conclusion

3D Printing has the potential to radically alter both the business and personal lives of millions of people in the

coming years and create significant impacts on how we work, live and plan. It may even kick off the next industrial

revolution.

1. Environmental impacts

It is readily known that traditional manufacturing is often wasteful and dirty. In many ways 3D printing can lessens that waste and the carbon footprint manufacturing has on the Earth although it does tend to be energy greedy.

Fewer wasted materials: Only the raw materials needed to create the object—be it plastic filament, metal

powder, or carbon fiber—are used. Using biodegradable PLA plastic filament in fused deposition modeling

printers like MakerBot is a good start and example.

Possibility of longer life spans for products: Individual product parts can be replaced with 3D printing so

the entire product doesn't have to be discarded and replaced each time it malfunctions, improving our

disposable life-styles and product qualities.

Less transport: Products often have to travel across multiple continents to get to their final destination. With

3D printing production and assembly can be local with only raw materials possibly being the only things

shipped and should take less space, weight and transport cost. Some raw materials are also reusable or

recyclables and readily available at hand.

Fewer unsold products: If a company makes a product on spec orders or to fill potential future orders the

ones that are discontinued or not sold often end up piling up in landfills or sold at deep discounts. With 3D

printing this can be improved upon as it is a by demand production process.

It should be noted that research shows 3D printers themselves have inefficiencies that make them less

environmentally friendly. An inkjet 3D printer wastes 40 to 45 percent of its ink. If a printer is not turned off or

unplugged it can use an excessive amount of electricity known as the electricity vampire syndrome. These are

issues for future resolution for the manufacturers.

2. Creating a new art medium

3D Printing is opening up the world to the artisanal movement and allowing the creation of art previously un-makeable. They also allow for the recreation of historical and architectural art and pieces not available to everyone, helping museum curators with their inventories. This can extend to the recreation of the Budda statues destroyed by the Taliban in Afganistan to Van Gogh paintings.

3. Innovation in education

One manufacturer, MakerBot, announced a crowd funded plan to get a 3D printer into every school in America. "It can change the whole paradigm of how our children will see innovation and manufacturing in America," MakerBot CEO Bre Pettis said in the announcement. The company also recently announced a plan to do the same in certain colleges and universities. Starting with State University of New York at New Palz, the centers are equipped with

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30-3D printers, along with several 3D scanners to help train engineers, architects and artists to increase motivation and increase motivation for growth in the industry.

4. 3D printing in zero-gravity

NASA and the defense industries are extremely excited about the technologies’ potentials. Due to the critical need for weight reduction and payload management it is cheaper, easier and of less weight to haul raw materials into space and create the needed parts and tools while in space. It might also allow for printing of food in space rather than hauled freeze dried products. It can also help accelerate the building of parts for the International Space Station. A partnership has developed with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center to launch the first 3D printer in space. It will manufacture parts in zero-gravity and the hope is to make space missions more self-sufficient.

5. The Revolutionizing mass manufacturing

Mass production is the biggest challenge in 3D printing as it was not designed for that type of production initially. The adoption of large-scale printers and rapidly evolving technology to produce parts faster allows for the potential for the technology to change traditional manufacturing in many industries:

Food: Anything that exists in liquid or powder form may be 3D printed. Food is one of the next big

conversations on opportunities and controls.

Military: The machinery for the military is often customized and replacements must be made quickly. A 3D

gun has already been printed, so it's only a matter of time before the technology catches on in this industry.

Electronics: The size, shape, and materials used to make electronics make this industry a natural candidate

for 3D printing.

Toys: Home 3D printers and open source design software will change the way children create and play with

toys.

Automotive: This industry is already utilizing the technology—Ford reportedly uses 3D printing to test parts.

High-end and smaller auto companies will benefit first.

6. Changing medicine and healthcare industries

Bioprinting is one of the fastest-growing areas of 3D printing with the using inkjet-style printers to make living tissue. Organovo, a Chinese firm is one of the most well-known company who does this and who plans to commercialize 3D-printed liver tissue in the very near future. They have also partnered with the National Eye Institute and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences to print eye tissue.

Researchers at Human Methodist Research Institute said they have created a more efficient way to create cells allowing for 100 percent of the cells to live instead of the 50 to 80 percent that normally survive using current technology.

All of this will raise questions about the development of complex organs and will engage societies in a debate of moral, ethical and political concerns.

Most recently an American based team of scientists have 3D printed the severed ear of late painter Vincent van Gogh out of living tissue, creating a living and functioning replica of the self-severed ear of the artist.

7. Transforming the home

As almost all of us love new technology and especially convenience and with home 3D printers becoming smaller and more affordable (MakerBot's smallest printer is just over $1,300) people will want to print custom jewelry, household goods, toys and tools to whatever size, shape, or color they want. They will also be able to print and make replacement parts right at home rather than ordering them and waiting for them to be shipped rapeidly. Home 3D printing could evolve into a $70 billion industry per year by 2030. Think how this will impact the replacement parts industry for all areas of society.

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8. Reaching disconnected markets worldwide

Developing countries are often partially or completely disconnected from global supply chains for even the most basic products. 3D printing has the ability to bring them into the supply chain. The best example of this is Austin-based startup re: 3D, which had a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign last May with Gigabot, an industrial-sized, affordable printer. The Gigabot will be used for many of the projects in Chile, like 3D design internships, manufacturing clothing and experimenting with printing using recyclable materials. Another way 3D printing can help developing countries is through partnerships with 3D printing researchers such as many countries in the developing world are in dire need of prosthetic limbs but do not have access to the technology or the education required to make their own. A Canadian professor is creating a way to make a prosthetic limb that is about 80 percent as good as one that could be made by hand. The lab is sending the prosthetics to disabled Ugandans.

9. Impacts on the global economy

The 3D printing industry will have far-reaching effects on the global economy. The McKinsey Global Institute recently released a report that said 3D printing will cause major disruptions in the global economy by 2025 predicting that it will bring about new product development cycles as the systems become cheaper. More and more companies will adopt the technology and product creation will focus more than ever on client feedback and customer-centered design and customization. The industry is also reducing the cost of entry into markets allowing very niche businesses to develop.

China is investing heavily in the technology to rival this rapid growth rate in the U.S. and Europe. In June 2013, the country announced a gigantic 3D printer they claimed was the world's largest at the time. t's not clear what impact the technology will have on the economy but it could give China a competitive edge in domestic production and technological advancement. With its localized production the technology will significantly affect China's current large-scale manufacturing industries.

10. Intellectual property considerations

Sharing 3D printing schematics on open websites like Thingiverse and Shapeways with free designs are bound to cause issues with intellectual property as 3D printing becomes more mainstream. The current majority of current designs are unpatented, allowing them to be copied repeatedly and sold by anyone. Expensive or designer objects can also be reverse-engineered or replicated and sold at a cheaper price.

While some of the more established companies are starting to go after users of these sites arguing that they are infringing on copyright or violating intellectual property laws most of these users are building upon original designs, changing the base designs, improving upon them, making them better, or localizing the products to better reflect local population needs and desires. Think of the third-world applications. The industry will have to figure out how to make sure large corporations react appropriately and legally to entrepreneurs and open-software designers in their fight to protect company copyright laws.

Bill Enos, CRM, MESH Senior Risk Engineering Consultant - Zurich NA Risk Engineering (803) 396-8166 office (803) 207-9761 cell Bill.Enos@zurichna.com

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gun designs will ultimately fail"

3D Printing Industry (3DPI)

THRE3D

Editor In Chief, physics.org, Institute of

Physics, 76 Portland Place, London,

W1B 1NT

Richard A. D’Aveni is the Bakala

Professor of Strategy at Dartmouth’s

Tuck School of Business and the

author of Strategic Capitalism

(McGraw-Hill, 2012).

ExplainingTheFuture.com and

Christopher Barnatt, 3D Printing