NPR

Homemade Weapons Just The Start Of 3D Printing's Potential Security Risks, Analyst Says

The technology allows people to cheaply make their own parts and products. According to a new study, it's also prompting security concerns.
A close-up view of a single-shot pistol that can be made entirely from plastic parts forged with a 3D printer. (Robert MacPherson/AFP/Getty Images)

Some predict 3D printing could revolutionize everything from manufacturing and medicine, as more people get access to technology that lets them cheaply make their own parts and products.

But the same technology that might one day custom-print heart valves or lead to astronauts manufacturing their own tools aboard the International Space Station could also be used to print bombs and explosives, or make it

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