The possibilities brought by 3D printers are thought by some to be endless. To others, they seem a bit too endless. In recent years, 3D printing has been used to replace hearts and various other organs, cutting the cost of surgeries, with the prospect of making transplants obsolete. 3D printers have done everything from helping patients rebuild their faces after fighting off tumors, to lowering the production costs of cars, as printing a car in 44 hours requires a lot less material and manpower than traditional car manufacturing.
However, 3D printing also comes with some risks. If you can print anything, it most certainly won’t be used exclusively for good. 3D printing first came into use in 1984, but it wasn’t until 2012 that someone used the technology to make a gun. Defense Distributed, a group based in the United States, disclosed plans to design a plastic gun that could be downloaded, printed and used by anyone with a 3D printer. Not a huge deal in a country with such lax gun laws, but a slightly bigger deal in nations such as here in the United Kingdom, where not even police officers carry firearms.
That’s why the discovery of printing plans for a handgun at Waldron High School in East London prompted the school to stop funding for their 3D printers altogether. The printers have been in use for the past three years, but on Wednesday the school put out a statement saying they were to immediately end the programme after the discovery of the printing plans. According to the principal of Waldron High School, Sammy Churchill, an investigation has been launched to find out who downloaded the plans. “Technology offers exciting educational opportunities. But until we have thought through its implications, and how we can protect students from its abuse, it would be reckless to have them in the school,” he said.
The reactions have varied from disappointment to indifference. Callum Green, a student at Waldron High School, is among those who think terminating programme is a rash decision. “I’m hoping to go to medical school. It’s incredible what 3D printing can do in medicine. We had a surgeon who’d worked in Africa come in and give a lecture and he told us they’re making prosthetic hands,” he said. While Principal Sammy Churchill makes clear that the most important issue is the safety of his students, the choice to completely scrap the programme will have a negative effect on some of the schools’ pupils.
Troubled students have found solace in working with the new technology, sparking new interests. “Working with the 3D printers has transformed my son Liam. After a difficult first year with detentions and truancy, the new technology really sparked his interest. He started bringing all sorts of things he’d made a home for the family,” said parent Grace Williams.
The idea to integrate 3D printing into education might seem futuristic, however, the technology has more practical uses than many are aware. The Guardian recently reported that in China, the first 3D printed village has been put on display. A relatively unknown company by the name of Winsun announced a year ago that they printed ten houses worth 3 200 pounds each, in less than 24 hours. In January of this year, they revealed an 1100 square meter villa and a five-story apartment building, igniting new ideas of managing disaster relief, temporary housing for refugees, and low-income housing made available at a much more rapid pace.
The good uses of 3D printing easily outstrip the bad. The bad uses might not even work very well, “I was watching the Good Wife, and they said that printed guns hardly even work anyway,” said Waldron High student Celine Hoffington. As for now, it seems 3D printing is more likely to end homelessness than bumping up the homicide rate.
Gustaf Kilander 