Kurt acquires a 3D printer and begins making various consumer products based on designs found online, without considering product safety. Elly designs a teething ring that becomes popular. However, Kurt speeds up printing and doesn't cure the lawn darts properly, potentially endangering users. Additionally, a replacement blender blade Kurt prints contains plastic shards, showing issues can arise from untested designs and materials. The story highlights that 3D printing allows anyone to make and distribute products without safety oversight, using unknown designs and materials, which could have dangerous consequences for consumers.

1. Interactive session
Building Product Safety into 3D Printing
from Design and Beyond
ICPHSO
symposium
Orlando, USA
2015

2. THE IMPACT OF 3D PRINTING
ON CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY
Gail Greatorex
Product Safety Solutions
Melbourne, Australia
ICPHSO symposium, Orlando, USA
2015

3. Somewhere in the USA
A group of friends are about to start dabbling in 3D printing

4. One of the friends . . . Kurt
Kurt acquires a consumer level 3D printer
He’s excited to explore what he can make with this new
device

5. Kurt’s friend, Elly
Elly has always felt she had untapped creative talent
She downloads some 3D print software and starts
designing some household products

6. Kurt and Elly’s friend, Simon . . .
Simon knows somebody who is importing 3D printing
filament
Simon supplies Kurt with these raw
materials for a good price

7. Elly has a friend who’s having a baby . . .
Elly has been invited to the baby shower. She wants to give
a teething ring as a gift, but that seems a bit plain . . .
So she designs a teething ring with some extra little animal
shapes around it

8. Kurt makes a teething ring
3D printed from Elly’s design
Elly’s friend loves the
teething ring

9. Demand for the new design
Elly and Kurt start printing more to sell online

10. Kurt gets excited . . .
Now Kurt thinks there might be some money in making toys
He finds toy designs online at 3Ddezigns.com

11. . . . and over-excited
Kurt tries to speed up the printing process by turning up the
heat in his apartment
He doesn’t read the designer’s instructions about the
temperature needed to cure the finished product

12. Products no longer available – re-created
Kurt was reminiscing about his high school days and
remembers some fun he had with his friends playing with
lawn darts
He looks online for a design for lawn darts he can use
He finds a design and tries printing them

13. Kurt gets thirsty
Kurt pops into his friend Dave’s apartment to use his blender
But he breaks the blender blade! Now he needs to find a
replacement

14. Dave’s blender
Kurt discovers that part is no longer available, but he finds
the design for a very similar part on
a website 3DPartsAGo-Go.com
He prints a new blade and fits it to the
blender before Dave even knew it was broken
Phew!

15. Dave’s blender
The next morning, Dave is making breakfast for his new
girlfriend. . . but breakfast goes horribly wrong when she
finds some strange pieces of plastic in her juice glass

16. A new and thriving business
Kurt’s Kreations Inc is off and running, selling:
 Kurt’s Krazy Kars™ toys
 Elly’s Ezi-teethe™ teething rings, and
 Lawn darts

17. 3D Printing and Product Safety
What does this story from Somewhere, USA tell us?
What are the issues for consumer product safety?

18. 3D Printing and Product Safety
Anyone can buy a 3D printer
Anyone can access designs online
. . . and vary them to suit their needs
And supply them to others

19. 3D Printing and Product Safety
Novice and untrained designers!
Novice and untrained producers!

20. 3D Printing and Product Safety
Raw materials – Quality? Consistency?
Product output – Quality? Consistency?
Opportunities for checks and balances?


21. 3D Printing and Product Safety
Making and supplying banned products!
Incorrect replacement parts!

22. 3D Printing and Product Safety
And these are not the only issues that 3D
printing means for the future
of consumer product safety
There are many more . . .

23. 3D Printing and Product Safety
Now for the conversation
Interactive survey
Interactive discussion