Hacker News Reader

Comment by throwaway48476 | Hacker News Reader

If 3D printing isn't kept open source there's going to be laws about what you can and can't print that will kill innovation.

View on HN

I can't imagine the printers being open source or not mattering for that, nor can I see any reasonable government banning printing of specific things. If something is illegal to own or manufacture, that already applies to 3D printers just as much as it did to CNC machines or any other method.

Are you so sure?

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A2228?utm_ca...

Not quite the same, and hopefully likely to fail if it hasn't already, but it shows that interest exists in regulating 3D printers. When enough interest exists, things will happen.

JMHO.

If NY state did require a background check to buy a 3D printer, you'd have to get one regardless of whether you're buying a prusa or a bambu printer.

...and?

Applying to all brands equally doesn't make it okay.

I am saying it doesn’t matter whether it is open source or not.

... well... stepper motors, motherboards and v/t-slot extrusion can be used for many other things than 3d printers...

If they are going to regulate this, then why not CNC machines? Lathes? Drill presses? Pipes and lumber?

Because violent criminals tend to lack wealth, knowledge, and skills. Nobody in the hood about to knock off a 7-11 has a tormach at home and the gcode for a reciever queued up.

Yet they have made it so that sophisticated printers must include firmware that refuses to print banknotes.

The bambu printers haven't been open source.

Why would some law being passed depend on open source? If anything, that would push some senator to regulate even harder.

Doubt it

2D printers are not open source and you can still print pretty much anything

I don't think you can print cash/paper money.

That is covered by "pretty much anything." That doesn't mean absolutely everything.

"Pretty much everything" does include "can't print some things" which is pretty much: they control what you can and can't print. So technically you are right and they are right too, but this conversation path led us back in a circle instead of moving the debate forward.

With the 3D printer you can currently print everything on the 2-D printer you can print everything minus one. (actually there’s probably a whole bunch of currency you can’t print which is maybe hundreds of things ) those are completely different systems of control.

No, you can’t. Printer manufacturers are required to prevent printing certain kinds of images on sophisticated printers. And they also print watermarks unique to your printer on every page.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com