3D printer maker Bambu Lab faces patent infringement lawsuits that could threaten hobbyist 3D printing in general
3D printer maker Bambu Lab faces patent infringement lawsuits that could threaten hobbyist 3D printing in general
An OG in 3D printing is taking on a new, but highly successful, upstart in the industry
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/18550496
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Umm... Wow... Wtf?
Almost not surprising. Inventors and R&D businesses patent things all the time, then it takes a while to claim them. There was a guy in Australia who apparently invented WiFi (he calls it "wiffey") and he successfully asserted his patent against WiFi manufacturers worldwide such that they paid him a couple pennies in royalties for every chip manufactured.
The saving grace is that patents only last for 20 years. After that, anyone can use the design, like Gillette's double edged safety razor (which is why their modern razors are so silly and change every few years).
So far, it looks like only FDM is at risk here...
Which is most of hobbyist 3D printing. Resin printing has its issues, especially with strength
And sheer toxicity. You need fume vents and air quality monitoring for processing resin.
The the damn resin absorbing into your skin and curing the next time you're in direct sunlight. Resin is super detailed, but I can't say I particularly enjoy doing it.
That’s terrifying I haven’t even considered that. I like my FDM machine.
Eh, it isn't so bad as long as you take precaution.
Wear gloves and a mask, and make sure to keep your tools separate.
I wonder how may people that have bought a $250 printer from Amazon are taking those precautions or even know they need to.
But it's what anyone into miniatures uses due to much higher details
Miniatures ≠ most of the 3d printing market. Minis may be fine but the rest of the 3d printing space will be at risk and covers a great deal more use cases.
I'm not sure what qualifies as "hobbyist" in your book, but the vast majority of hobby-level printers I've interacted with over the last 5+ years are into MSLA more than FDM. 🤷🏽♂️