Hello everyone,
I’m not sure how many people will see this, or if anyone from Creality will come across it, but I wanted to start a discussion about Bill AB 2047. For those who may not be familiar with it, AB 2047 appears to be aimed at placing regulations on manufacturing, with a major focus on additive manufacturing and 3D printing. While it has been presented by some as a bill meant to target the manufacturing of firearms, I believe the bigger issue is that this is not a firearms bill, it’s a tech bill.
The main concern is that once regulations like this are put in place, this will open the door for even more restrictions later down the road. Today, it is framed around firearms, but tomorrow it could lead to the government regulating what you can and cannot print. Another major concern is how something like this could be enforced. A bill like this could eventually lead to 3D printers being required to stay online, connect to a server, and possibly send or verify the files being printed before the printer is allowed to operate. That creates a serious privacy and security issue (and like the ID verification, these servers are prone to getting leaked/hacked).
This is especially concerning for people or businesses that offer 3D printing services for others who may not own a printer themselves. If a customer sends a private design, prototype, or product file, and that file has to be checked through outside servers, there is always a chance that the file could be exposed, leaked, copied, or misused. This becomes an even bigger problem if the person or business is working under an NDA or any type of confidentiality agreement.
Another issue is that this could eventually lead to companies pushing the government to regulate whether a file you created on your own time is allowed to be printed at all. That is a dangerous path because it takes control away from the person who created the design and puts that control into the hands of outside companies. Not only that, but there is also the question of accuracy. I do not believe software would be capable of reliably identifying and blocking only the files it is supposedly meant to restrict, Software/hardware doesn’t know what intent is. There is a real risk of false positives, where completely legal and harmless files could be blocked, flagged, or delayed simply because the system incorrectly detects them as something else.
I would also like to bring this issue to Creality’s attention and encourage them to stand with the 3D printing community in fighting against this bill. Companies like Creality have helped make 3D printing more accessible to everyday people, hobbyists, makers, repairers, small businesses, and creators. I believe they can help protect that freedom and push back against regulations that could limit what people are able to create.
That is the part people should be paying attention to. This is not only about firearms. This is about keeping 3D printing alive, protecting the ability for individuals, schools, hobbyists, and small businesses to create, repair, prototype, and manufacture things on their own. It is also about making sure more people continue to have access to the tools that allow them to bring their ideas to life. 3D printing plays a major role in STEM education, robotics, engineering, research, and even the medical field. Limiting access to these tools could hurt innovation and make it harder for students, creators, and professionals to continue developing new ideas, solutions, and technologies.
I wanted to bring this up because I think it is important for the 3D printing community to talk about these kinds of bills before they become a much bigger problem. Please help get Creality’s attention and help the community get all bill involving manufacturing regulation thrown out.
Below I have listed a few videos for those who may want to learn more about this: