3 D printing – a new disruption to law ? by

8 Additive manufacturing, better known as 3D printing, has emerged into the public consciousness in recent years as one of the latest technological innovations with the potential to “disrupt” many areas of our lives, from healthcare to trade. 3D printing is actually a group of technological developments which permit the construction of objects, usually by building them up layer by layer. In this way, industrial prototypes can be created more cheaply and quickly compared to previous “subtractive” manufacturing techniques, and can also be done in a way which involves less wasted material. The legal history of 3D printing can be traced initially to various patents granted in the 1970s and 1980s; the 1990s and early 2000s saw the development of more 3D printing techniques for industrial applications. However from the mid-2000s onwards, 3D printers have begun to come down in price to an extent that they are now affordable for, and marketed to, the average consumer in developed economies. With 3D printers such as the MakerBot Replicator Mini retailing for under £1000, the ability to produce complex objects quickly and cheaply has been “democratised” – at least economically.