3D Printing Gives Hackers Entirely New Ways to Wreak Havoc

Hrvard Business Review ^ | October 25, 2017 | by Alessandro Di Fiore

[fireman15]

For the last decade, the 3D printing sector has been dominated by closed systems, in which 3D printers could only be used with the manufacturer’s resin and software. The trouble with closed systems is that they limit innovation. One printer manufacturer alone cannot offer the variety of materials needed for the thousands of potential 3D printing applications. As a result, the development of new end-user applications and materials has stalled, and growth in 3D printing has plateaued. To break out, the industry must reinvent itself and become open.

There has been progress in that direction. Players from adjacent industries have recently started to move into the sector. They have tended to bring a more open approach.

Consider HP. It has recently entered the world of 3D printing, but it has done so through an open platform. Rather than having a proprietary closed system with its own materials, HP is open to third-party material development. It is offering a 3D printing industry materials development kit (MDK). This is like a software development kit in open platforms for new apps, such as the Apple Store. The MDK enables companies interested in certifying their materials to quickly test the compatibility of 3D powders with HP Jet Fusion 3D printers before submitting them to HP for certification. Other pure digital players like Autodesk are also pushing for an open approach.

Shifting from a closed system to an open one has many advantages. Open systems tend to be more innovative, and we expect to see more material innovation and applications for 3D printing in the future. But open systems also have some drawbacks. The most glaring one is cybersecurity. Once introduced into an open environment, a virus can spread faster through multiple parties and flows of information than in a closed system.

[wally_bert]

I wished my wife had some interest in my stuff instead of sports, running, arts, culture, and social gatherings.

The aforementioned items I loathe.

[fireman15]

I should mention that my wife was not actually an army nurse in WWII. She is a military historian and collector. She works with mostly museums, service organizations such as the USO and the military.

[wally_bert]

I’m impressed greatly.

[fireman15]

I wished my wife had some interest in my stuff instead of sports, running, arts, culture, and social gatherings.

Well, I get drug all over the country setting up sometimes unreasonably large displays. I usually just call myself, “Mr Alice” when on these excursions. But I remind myself that she is still probably one of the only wives in history who ever said, “We need an airplane that I can ride in too.” She also loves old cars, firearms, and knows how to tape sheetrock, all essential wifely duties in our household.

[fireman15]

She has been sick and grumpy for the last month from something that she picked up at a high school she was helping out at.

[wally_bert]

If I ever get to flying lessons and see that I have it in me, I’ll most likely be solo.

No owning a plane that I can see, just a renter. Besides I don’t need the extra costs.

[fireman15]

We started out hang gliding but any time you want to go hang gliding it is basically an all day affair... driving to the mountains and waiting for the wind to come up, etc. then driving back.

So I purchased a homemade ultralight airplane that is made mostly from Styrofoam and has a Rotax snowmobile engine with gear reduction and an adjustable pitch composite propeller. The wings come off in just a few minutes so you can store it at home. It uses 1 to 2 gallons per hour depending on the throttle setting. The Skypup ultralight is extremely easy to fly. You do not need a medical or pilots license to fly it.

Our general aviation airplane is super simple to fly also. It is a Piper Cherokee but even thought it is one of the most economical airplanes... it is still much more expensive to own and operate. It does have the advantage of being able to carry 50 gallons of gas and using only about 5 gallons per hour at the best economy speed which is around 100mph.

[2harddrive]

PEOPLE: Just to to www.CodeIsfreeSpeech.com and download for FREE all 10 3D-printer gun blueprints! I did, and I have no such printer! It took about one minute to get them all. Support our First Amendment against Judicial and Fakebook censorship!

[fireman15]

PEOPLE: Just to to www.CodeIsfreeSpeech.com and download for FREE all 10 3D-printer gun blueprints! I did, and I have no such printer!

To clarify, just ONE of the files at www.CodeIsfreeSpeech.com is intended for a 3-D printer, the Liberator. The rest are open source blueprints along with some files meant to be used for finishing an 80% lower using a CNC Milling Machine.

It is fun to watch liberal heads explode over this, but the Liberator is more of a conversation piece than a firearm. The designer was not a gunsmith or even much of a firearms enthusiast when he designed it. Its intended purpose was to cause controversy.

People without 3-D Printers do not realize that it takes more than a little effort to print and assemble a project such as this one. Every piece takes a considerable amount of time and must be printed in the proper orientation out of the appropriate filament, hand finished for fit, and then assembled. After that despite using a tiny .22 rim fire cartridge I still would be a little hesitant to fire one. I would have much more confidence in the durability and reliability of a homemade "zip gun" made from plumbing fittings.

[2harddrive]

Thanks, Fireman15. Yours was an excellent post!

[fireman15]

I thank you very much for the link. I would like to purchase and finish an 80% lower receive, one of these days to add to my collection of firearms. And I will most likely “print” a Liberator because I think that it definitely has historical significance. The availability of these files has been intermittent.

[2harddrive]

“I thank you very much for the link. I would like to purchase and finish an 80% lower receive, one of these days to add to my collection of firearms. And I will most likely “print” a Liberator because I think that it definitely has historical significance. The availability of these files has been intermittent.”

Now you have access. Please share the link with your friends and spread it over the internet!