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However, low-cost chemical production has the potential to help people as
well. Cronin said, “We could see 3D printers reach into homes and become
fabricators of domestic items, including medications. Perhaps with the intro-
duction of carefully-controlled software 'apps,' similar to the ones available
from Apple, we could see consumers have access to a personal drug designer
they could use at home to create the medication they need.”
4
Consumer safety
Another risk introduced by 3D printing technology will be consumer safety.
Consumer safety is something that most of us in industrialized nations take
for granted. What's easy to forget is how many legal and regulatory safeguards
have been put in place over the years to make sure that we don't get hurt by
the products we buy.
Nobody has been hurt yet by a malfunctioning 3D printed machine part or
toy or by a 3D printer itself (at least not seriously). One of the most dificult
legal aspects in consumer safety cases isn't capturing criminals. It's iguring
out who's legally at fault when failure happens.
Tort law is less appetizing than its name at irst suggests. A torte is a rich
cream illed cake. Tort law, in contrast, untangles blame (or innocence) of
involved parties when a product malfunctions and someone is accidentally
hurt or killed.
Under tort law, a party's responsibility ends if that party can demonstrate
it made reasonable efforts to head off and minimize the risk of product failure
under reasonable use scenarios. For example, a tire manufacturer would be
held responsible if its tires blew up every time a vehicle drove over 80 mph;
even though this is an illegal driving speed, it is a likely use scenario. However,
that same tire manufacturer would not be held responsible if the tire blew up
after a buyer of the tires rammed his car into a curb.
Here's a scenario that may someday be played out in the courtroom.
Which party is at fault in this hypothetical case? A car enthusiast with good
intentions 3D prints a custom-steering wheel in her basement workshop.
Needless to say, this printed steering wheel didn't undergo quality and
safety control procedures. The design ile was purchased from a popular
website that sells lashy novel car add-ons such as novelty air fresheners
and gear shift handles.
