Rapid Ready Roundup: Firearms Denied, 3D Systems and a Duck

In the course of my diligent efforts to keep you good people up to date on the state of additive manufacturing (AM), I come across many interesting news items. I’ll gather them up every so often and present them in a Rapid Ready Roundup (like this one). You can find the last Roundup here.

Thankfully, most of the hysteria around 3D printed guns has faded from major media’s consciousness. All the attention given to that particular use of the technology has led Create It REAL, a Danish 3D printer company, to build new safeguards into their program that are intended to disallow the printing of firearms. 

From the company’s press release:

There have been debates in the media on how to stop people from printing guns on their 3D printers. Banning the technology would mean a huge regression towards what The Economist called the “third industrial revolution.” Banning the files which contain the 3D information of a gun does not seem to be possible in the times of digital file sharing.

… Create it REAL, however, has found a solution to this issue. Upon opening a 3D file, the smart software scans the model and tries to match its characteristics with the characteristics of a firearm. If certain features align, the software will not allow the user to view and print the model.

This is an interesting take on the potential problem of 3D printed guns. In this instance, I believe corporate self-regulation is a much better solution than governmental interference in the technology. If 3D printer manufacturers can be found in any way liable for harm caused by a 3D printed firearm, it is in the industry’s best interests to self-police the problem before it really becomes an issue.

Moving on, 3D Systems (who has a snazzy new website, by the by) is known at least in part for its “growth by acquisition” strategy. Thus far, the acquisition strategy has focused on businesses related in some way to AM, and company investments didn’t stray far from the technology, either. That all changed when 3D Systems decided to invest in Planetary Resources.

The investment came by way of a new venture capital arm of the company named, appropriately, 3D Systems Ventures. If you aren’t familiar with Planetary Resources, the company plans to build autonomous robots that can mine resources from asteroids.

“We are excited to work very closely with Planetary Resources’ engineering team to use advanced 3D printing and manufacturing technologies to increase functionality while decreasing the cost of their ARKYD spacecraft,” said Avi Reichental, 3D Systems CEO. “In success, we will create the smartphone of spacecraft and transform what has been an old-style, labor-intensive process, into something very scalable and affordable that will democratize access to space, the data collected from space and off-Earth resources for scientists and the public. We are delighted to join the Planetary Resources team.”

Finally for today’s Roundup, we have a duck named Buttercup. The duck was born with a deformed foot that had to be removed for fear of infections. This amputation has left poor Buttercup at quite a disadvantage when it comes to swimming or just moving around. Fortunately, 3D printing has come to the rescue, thanks to Feathered Angels Waterfowl Sanctuary.

Enlisting the help of service bureaus NovaCopy, and using photos of Buttercup’s sister (named Minnie), the sanctuary designed a 3D model of a new prosthetic foot for Buttercup. The design was used to print out a mold, from which a silicone foot was cast. Once the prosthetic is attached, sanctuary staff hopes Buttercup will be able to walk and swim nearly as well as other ducks.

Below you’ll find a short clip featuring the design work for Buttercup’s foot.

Sources: CNET, 3D Systems, Create It REAL (.pdf)