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Sunday, May 14, 2017
http://dailyasianage.com/news/61212/fourth-revolution-through-3d-technology
Fourth Revolution through 3D technology M S Siddiqui
The first Industrial Revolution used water and steam power to mechanize production. Industrialization marked a shift to power, special-purpose machinery, factories and mass production. The second revolution used electric power to create mass production particularly of petroleum and steel. The third Revolution used electronics and information technology to automate the production. Now, the fourth Industrial Revolution is building on the third---the digital revolution---since the middle of the
last century, which is characterized by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres. In the new era, everyone can potentially be their own manufacturer. The process is called three dimension (3D) printing. This printing technology developed in the 1980s through the innovation in inkjet printing technology. World renowned weekly, the Economist, considers disruptive technology as the 'Third Industrial Revolution' whereas the World Economic Forum (WEF) also believes it is the harbinger of 'Fourth Industrial Revolution', as it will have similar impacts like ICT or internet. The latest technology of 3-D consists of scanner and printer. A 3-D model refers to the digital data stored in some format that provides the specifications for a component or assembly. It is typically a piece of software, such as a data file, that can be used by a 3-D printer to create a three-dimensional object. 3D printers and scanners enable to make three dimensional solid objects from a digital file. Initially, a computer design is developed in a Computer Aided Design (CAD) file either by a 3D modeling program for making new object or by using a 3D scanner for copying existing object. Then the model of the object is sliced into hundreds or thousands of layers, which ultimately enable to create the object layer by layer. A 3-D scanner can intake photo of physical object and used to create a copy of the original object. It is a means of generating physical models from digital designs. 3D print technology functions by constructing items from numerous thin layers of material and in a position to print metal, clothing materials, and plastic products etc. It has revolutionary capacity to manufacture tissues, bones, and human organs. The said bio-printing used to construct functional body parts and organs with a high degree of accuracy and personalization. It has the ability to construct tissue scaffolds for cellular growth and production of vascular networks. A 3D printer or scanner enables the owner to design copy and manufacture any product of his will. Every 3-D printed object begins with a digital design for the object. Individuals can either develop their own designs with computer aided design ("CAD") software or animation modeling software, or purchase and download designs from an online marketplace. The individual then sends the design to the 3-D printer, as it would any ordinary computer file.28 This design serves as a "virtual blueprint" for the 3-D object. As personal 3-D printing becomes more prevalent, the possibilities are truly endless, limited only by the users' creativity. While this seemingly infinite potential is quite exciting, it also raises new legal Questions, if individuals can 3-D print products, who will be held strictly liable for defective products that they manufacture and sell? And if not, what should be the scope of individual products liability? In underdeveloped countries, traditional construction methods are expensive; they take time and are inefficient as a result of poor regulation. Recently, 3D printing has been touted as means to build entire homes in a process termed "contour crafting". Everything including floors, walls, plumbing, and electricity can be completed in as quickly as 20 hours. The potential to develop strong and safe housing through "contour crafting" may vastly improve the quality of life for so numerous people. This technology has diversified opportunities. Over 3.4 million people each year die from water- and sanitation-related issues; 99% of these deaths occur in the developing world. Lack of clean water and proper sanitation kills children at a rate equal to a jumbo jet crashing every 4 hours. Engineers from the University of Washington are partnering with the charity "Water for Humans" to use 3D printing techniques for constructing toilets and rainwater collectors. Furthermore, they plan to teach local entrepreneurs in developing countries how to use, build, and maintain these 3D printers.
It has been proposed that 3D printers shipped to a disaster zone can be used to produce medical supplies to help the injured. Indeed, more advanced 3D printers can be configured to operate on solar power and used in areas where power lines have been cut. With advancing technology and falling prices in recent years, domestic 3D printers are now available in the United States for less than $1000. Although plastic has primarily been used for printed objects or "printouts," attempts are being made to make metal and edible materials more affordable. 3D printing offers the possibility of manufacturing precisely designed objects inexpensively and readily. These may potentially include the production of basic medical supplies, vaccination beads, laboratory equipment, and prosthetic limbs. It has the ability to promote initiatives across the entire developing world, increasing living standards and providing a higher quality of healthcare to its residents. There are still numerous untapped applications for 3D printing in medicine that have yet to surface, but if harnessed correctly may positively affect millions of lives. As industrial and personal 3D printers become capable of making more and more things, 3D printing away from control will proliferate and related laws may become increasingly impotent. For example, the Gartner group predicts that "by 2018, 3D printing will result in the loss of at least $100 billion per year in intellectual property globally." Similar predictions, which turned out to be accurate, were made about the music industry in the mid-to-late 1990s. Gartner's prediction seems to be based not only on IP infringement, but also on IP that will never be bought. 3D printing may result in widespread copying, not only of consumer products, but perhaps more importantly, B2B components. Companies that formerly bought replacement parts may start making the parts themselves, or repairing them. To date, little thought has been given to the effects of 3D printing on other areas of the law. 3D has already raised many legal concerns. Implementation of laws of patent, copyright and design will be important initially as design of any existing product can be copied and made immediately, which may cause loss of at least $100 billion per year globally. 3D printing will certainly affect IP law, but challenges to product safety and product liability law will probably have more relevance to most people in a 3D printed world. As 3D printing away from control spreads, product safety and liability issues will multiply, as will insurance claims and related legal issues. Thus, if the 3D printing technology remains unregulated, the basic purpose of intellectual property rights i.e. to foster an environment to flourish the creativity and innovation will have to be compromised. Government regulators will also be challenged. Food and Drug Administration regulators will be faced with approving countless 3D printed medical devices, drugs, and human organs. Using 3D printing for new kinds of crime will challenge the law enforcement, investigation, intelligence, military, national security, and criminal justice systems, and inter-country relations, and lead to calls for new laws to address the Dark Side of 3D printing. Although 3D printing away from control may challenge policy makers to cope with disruption of the status quo, this technology also presents incredible opportunities for nation-building through thriving economies. From a legal standpoint, there are two key areas of concern in 3-D printing - intellectual property infringement and product liability. The World Economic Forum (WEF) revealed that the 3D printing technology can change the world in ten ways. It can- (a) enable the blind and visually impaired people the chance to see, (b) create body plants e.g. bone implants to limbs, (c) produce lightweight casts for broken bones, (d) ensure faster medical progress, (e) make stronger and safer vehicles, (f) ensure better and cleaner factories by reducing the number of factory workers and waste produced by the industry, (g) ensure faster design and innovation, (h) promise less pollution from shipping, (i) guarantee better education in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics as using printers the schools can make subjects more engaging, and (j) enable to make miniaturized devices to guarantee targeted medical treatment. Bangladesh may frame the rule and encourage the use of 3D technology without any legal and procedural intervention.
The writer is a Legal Economist. He can be reached at: mssiddiqui2035@gmail.com