First, I’ll preface this by pointing out that BambuLabs has just about everything in place (I’d say, they’re load testing at the moment) to do this: encryption, a “store front,” user identity, machine identity, video recording, in-system logging.
We’ve all seen, and maybe some of us have experienced, designs made by a person being given away or sold, against the rights outlined in “Usage Agreements” (which are based on the honor system, at best). In many cases, not even the meager sum of attribution is granted. Others might print these objects and also profit from someone else’s work.
Ultimately, this will lead designers to ask the question themselves: This is my time that is being sold, and I receive no benefit (and, perhaps, complaints to add features to their models!) Maybe, if you’re just starting out and you want to get your designs out there, vanity is enough of a payment, especially if someone else is feeding you or housing you or designing is a hobby. Other people, however, those who have professionally committed to designs that “work” and “fit perfectly”… have to eat.
Giving away their intellectual property isn’t an option for them. They would be, in effect, creating competitors. Why should it be acceptable for people who use their time to educate and train themselves and perfect their abilities and invest in toolsets, to give away their talents while no one questions the fact that ditch diggers, garbage haulers, prostitutes, drug dealers and tax collectors must all be paid for their services?
To that end: I would like to see an extension to Online Models or Makerworld, or some other platform, to allow for paid printing of models. The models could be printed as many times as desired, but at a cost. Failed models would not be charged, if the failure was determined by the Cloud AI (spaghetti, etc.) Payment would be in some form of crypto, maybe a new token, that uses each movement and extrusion from a printer’s logs, as well as the image stream, to establish a blockchain. The printed model itself would contain a blockchain identifier, perhaps an internal QR code, or modulated extrusions that could be machine read to produce a unique identity.
I print and sell many models. I am happy to continue doing so. However, if that ability were distributed, the benefits would be tremendous. An easy, obvious example: Many of my models are sold internationally. Everything has to be packed and shipped across the globe.
Think of the energy used to move a 3 ounce package to Australia, Italy, the UK, the Netherlands, or anywhere else from the US (or other countries). All the vehicles (vans, trucks, airplanes), all the people (and the vehicles they use to get to their logistics centers), all the computing resources to track these packages, all the energy to run the sorting machines - all of this could be immediately eliminated if, for example, someone with a BambuLab printer and the right filament and shipping capabilities in any of those areas could see my Request To Print, bid on it, win the bid, print and ship, from the customer’s locality. Upon confirmation of receipt by the customer, the smart contract would pay the person who printed the part. Instead of weeks for a model to get to a customer, transit would be cut down to a couple of days, at most! Even better: a customer with a BambuLab printer could print the part herself! Instead of an idle printer, the printer (or printers) could be earning for their owners.
Making the logistics train “all electric” isn’t the answer. Doing that merely shifts the problem to centralized, vulnerable power centers. That is extremely myopic (“I don’t see the smoke, so I did my part!”). Eliminating the need for as much of the logistics train as possible, however, would be disruptive and would have a net positive impact. Or… we can keep paying for semi-tractors and trains and ships and cargo planes to move bits of plastic across continents and oceans.
I don’t expect many people will react positively to this. Especially people who believe “free” really means “without cost” and that they should be entitled to the work of designers and engineers, gratis, simply because they lack the tools, time and talent to create those models themselves. Those “free” models will still be there. But, there should be a platform that supports the creators of those models as well, one that prevents the theft of their IP, so they can be encouraged to create better models.
