Earlier this year, a US open source group calling itself “Defense Distributed” published blueprints for producing a functioning plastic gun downloadable and printable by anybody with a 3D Printer, thus raising concerns about homemade weapons.
In response, Danish 3D printing firm “Create it REAL” has come up with a software that would give 3D printers the possibility to block the printing of gun parts. This firearm component detection algorithm compares each component a user is trying to print with a database of potential firearms parts, and shuts down the modelling software if it senses that the user is trying to make a gun.
However, even Create it REAL acknowledges that the software is intended to prevent people from accidentally printing a gun. Hence, it aims more at mitigating liability for 3D printer manufactures and 3D printing companies. Nonetheless, the technology is a start and has raised the spectre of 3D printers becoming subject to digital rights management (DRM), a procedure to control the use of digital content and devices after sale.
