Open source technology is what brought the desktop 3D printer space to where it is now. If it weren’t for groups such as
RepRap,
who really encouraged the sharing of open source files for building 3D
printers, most of the desktop 3D printer manufacturers that exist today
probably would never have come about. The open sourcing of files and
designs take the idea of filing for patents and instead approaches the
market from a totally different perspective. As an individual inventor,
on one hand, this means allowing anyone to use your inventions and
innovations without having to compensate you monetarily. On the other
hand, it allows for the quick dissemination of those ideas. This
typically leads to a faster adoption rate, and a massive amount of
iteration on behalf of those ideas and creations.
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