Social Problems
With all the benefits of 3-D printing, it is easy to look away from the number of unanswered social issues it can cause. According to Gages, the machine is slow in producing a lot of a single part, where manufacturing using injection molding would be much more cost-smart (2015). Not only that, but it is also expensive to make. Generally, with the advent of each new technology, certain biases tend to surface; these include favoring the sector that is rich in finances to be able to afford it, favoring the sector that is educated enough to be able to competently and safely operate the machine (in this case, the 3-D printer) and the fact of bringing down labor-intensive jobs, such as blue collar occupations (Roubini, 2015). These changes, if not properly assessed cold have the result of only affecting the wealthy population of the world, unfairly distributing the 3-D printing resources without prioritizing the benefit of the poor first. To use this technology, the poor sector needs to be educated in the use and practice of this technology for it to benefit all.