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Limitations and Common Issues with 3D Printing Essay

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It would have been clear by now that 3D printing has some obvious advantages. However, sensitivity to a number of considerations is needed when new boundaries are broken using science and engineering. Following are the common issues that arises out of the emergence of 3D printing
Cost and Time
3D printing can’t compete with mainstream manufacturing technologies with respect to cost and time for manufacturing. It may take anywhere between a few minutes to several hours to manufacture a product using 3D printing depending upon the material used, size and complexity. It is also possible that 3D printing companies might lock in consumers through proprietary supply chain channel which might increase the cost of ownership.
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"Most people do not yet realize that research is underway which involves not only printing non-human cells, but also merging human cells with non-human cells. We think that once folks begin to realize, depending on their backgrounds, there will be some who will be concerned about this possibility," Gartner research director Pete Basiliere says [12]
The rapid emergence of 3D printing will also create major challenges in relation to intellectual property (IP) theft. Gartner predicts that by 2018, 3D printing will result in the loss of at least $100 billion per year in IP globally [13]
Insurance Considerations
Since 3D printing is a disruptive industry, it is not easy to understand the future implications beyond educated guesses. Since insurance industry typically needs historical data to calculate claims, they have their work cut out with respect to calculating the claims that may arise out of this industry category.
The potential claims can be a product liability including accidental injury/damage due to the 3D printed product or legal liability due to IP issues [14].
With a supply chain which may not involve any physical products as designs and manufacturing processes can be sent electronically,

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