David Tobin, the Executive Director of the Community Manufacturing Initiative, and producer for the 3D Printing Nerd YouTube channel, stood on the floor of the Rocky Mountain RepRap Festival. He waved his arms emphatically while encouraging a group of event sponsors to take a stand against legislation threatening 3D printing. “All this will be gone! The RepRap community? Gone! Gone, if this is allowed to pass.”
As one of the country’s largest gatherings of consumer 3D printing enthusiasts, RMRRF drew nearly 6,000 people to showcase creative projects and home-brewed hardware in Loveland, Colorado. Only two major 3D printer manufacturers joined the festival, Prusa Research with a large display of hardware, and Snapmaker, whose team walked the floor to chat with makers. Both companies are vocal supporters of open source ideals, a belief that innovation should be shared freely.
