Out with the old

There's a revolution several hundred years in the making, and several Colorado companies are participating at a time that could be a major tipping point.

It started with movable-type printing in the 15th century, but today's Johannes Gutenbergs are printing more than ink; they're printing objects via 3D printing. It is because 3D printing has a real opportunity to improve our world that it faces threats from status quo institutions like governments and incumbent businesses, which often have shared incentives. But if status quo institutions are successful in thwarting this industry, we'll all be worse off.

Here's how 3D printing works: An engineer digitally designs an object as a CAD (computer aided design) file. The file then instructs a printer to produce the object based on the specifications in the file. Pretty simple, right? The chain can be understood by its two links: software and hardware, both of which are rapidly evolving.

Software is becoming easier to use, so more people can create files, and open-source alternatives to expensive enterprise software are more capable than ever. Meanwhile, file-sharing makes it easier to distribute files online.

Hardware, including printers and scanners, is stratifying to include anything from industrial machines that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars down to do-it-yourself hobbyist machines that cost a little over $1,000. With hardware stratification comes increased capabilities. Their "ink" is expanding to include hard plastic, wood filament, nanocomposites of blended plastic and powdered metal and more. Scanners are increasingly able to scan physical objects and convert them to digital formats that are then capable of being reproduced through printers.

3D printed products are being used in an inspiring number of ways, from prosthetics and aerospace to jewelry and other consumer accessories. For example, a five-year-old South African boy named Liam was born with Amniotic Band Syndrome, which caused amputation of the digits on his right hand before birth. Ivan Owen in Bellingham and Richard Van As in South Africa designed 3D printed prosthetic digits for Liam dubbed Robohand (available in the public domain), which he's now using to play, eat and brush his teeth.

On the consumer end, Nokia recently released a file with a case design for its new Lumia 820 that can be edited, customized and printed.

The burgeoning 3D printing industry is captivating because it unleashes our freedom to create and share, just like movable type printing unleashed our freedom of speech (and thought) in the 15th century.

Colorado features innovative companies like Loveland-based Aleph Objects, which manufactures open-source hardware printers. Then there's the Denver-based 3D Printing Store, which has consumer focus on custom orders and hosting events. There are numerous more 3D printer re-sellers, software developers and other entrepreneurs contributing to the industry with each passing day.

Unfortunately, the industry's captivating potential is exactly what puts it at risk. It's not that the people in status quo institutions are ill-willed; they're not. It's just that new institutions change the environment that status quo institutions used to.

If you think this concern is overwrought, think about how difficult it has been for a company like Uber, most recently here in Colorado. Uber is simply an application that connects people who want transportation with people who want to provide transportation. The drivers pick customers up exactly where they want in clean vehicles. They are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and they use advanced payment systems to make the exchange seamless.

Uber has fought costly legal battles against public utility regulators and existing transportation service providers in state after state over its ability to provide this straightforward service. In January, Colorado's Public Utilities Commission sought transportation rule changes that would effectively prevent Uber from operating in the state.