Introduction

Abstract

In recent years 3D printing has become a hot topic in the media, in industry and in academia. The benefits of 3D printing are manifold. For example, it may revolutionise production, stimulate creativity and decrease our environmental footprint. However, the potential risks of 3D printing should not be overlooked. This book argues that 3D printing raises serious social, ethical, regulatory and legal questions. If individuals can print anything they want, how are we going to solve issues of, for example, intellectual property infringements? What are the societal consequences of the various types of products one can print with a 3D printer, such as weapons, medicine or food? Should (aspects of) 3D printing be regulated, and if so, how and to what ends? How will businesses (have to) change their way of working, and their revenue model, in light of the shift from mass-production to customization, to personalization and to printing-on-demand? And what of product designers? How will their role change in a world where everyone has the potential to design and create their own products? In this book leading scholars from the fields of law, philosophy and economics and business science provide tentative answers to these questions.