What if your
3d printer
CNC Machine
Workflow
needed government permission to run?
Colorado lawmakers are advancing HB26-1144, a copy-cat bill that targets digital manufacturing files, in an effort to regulate 3D printers, CNC machines, and the digital design files they use. This has implications for anyone working with digital manufacturing tools, from makers and educators to small businesses.
THIS IS ABOUT CONTROLLING DIGITAL MANUFACTURING.
HB26-1144 creates criminal penalties for possessing or distributing certain digital files and manufacturing instructions.
For the first time, Colorado law would move toward regulating digital manufacturing files themselves, including formats used in 3D printing and CNC workflows such as STL, OBJ, 3MF, STEP, CAD design files, G-code, and more.
Traditionally, laws regulate physical objects. HB26-1144 shifts regulation upstream to digital information.
what the bill does
WHAT HB26-1144 WOULD DO
Creates A New Crime Category
Creates new criminal penalties under Colorado law tied to digital manufacturing.
Targets Private Manufacturing
Bans the private creation of certain firearm components using 3D printers and CNC machines.
Regulates
Digital Files
Criminalizes possession or distribution of certain related design files or instructions.
WHEN GOVERNMENT STARTS REGULATING FILES…
THEY ARE REGULATING THE FUTURE OF INNOVATION.
Today, nearly every physical object begins as a digital design file. Engineers, designers, and hobbyists use them to create everything from drone components to automotive parts to replacement hardware for consumer products. 3D printers and CNC machines simply translate those files into physical objects.
That’s why the question raised by HB26-1144 goes far beyond one category of parts.
The modern maker ecosystem depends on open exchange of designs.
• Open-source hardware communities
• Maker forums and repositories
• Engineering collaboration platforms
• Educational labs and classrooms
The entire system works because design information moves freely.
Once government establishes authority to regulate those files,
the scope of that authority can expand and create a chilling effect on innovation.
Not just for firearms, but for any digitally manufactured object.
THIS IS bigger than colorado
Colorado isn’t alone.
States like California, Washington, and New York are already advancing proposals that go even further, requiring things like printer “blocking software,” government-approved device lists, and large civil penalties for non-compliance.
If HB26-1144 were to pass, it would create the legal framework that opens the door to any kind of regulation in the future.
Illegal activity should be prosecuted. But regulating digital design files and the tools that use them raises serious questions about the future of innovation.
That’s why many in the tech community are speaking up now.
TELL COLORADO lawmakers NOT TO OPEN THIS DOOR
HB26-1144 is not yet law.
For people in the 3D printing, maker, engineering, and digital manufacturing communities, this is the moment when your voice matters most.
Today, the debate is focused on firearm-related files and manufacturing. But the larger question is whether governments should begin regulating digital design files and the machines that turn them into physical objects.
Once that precedent is established, the scope of regulation can expand far beyond its original target.
Participate in the Public Hearing
Before it can move forward, the bill must be scheduled for a public committee hearing in the Colorado State Senate where lawmakers will hear testimony and vote to advance or table it. You can provide testimony!
Contact the Committee Members
Contact the committee members and let them know how this proposal would affect innovation, maker communities, and the future of digital manufacturing in Colorado. The time to speak up is now!
Contact Governor Jared Polis
Ask Governor Polis to stop HB26-1144! Let him know that Coloradans in the technology, engineering, and maker communities are paying attention to this bill and its potential impact on digital manufacturing.
Contact Governor Jared Polis
(303) 866-2885
Contact Senate State Veterans & Military Affairs Committee
Individual Members
Sign up for HB26-1144 Email Alerts