I can has http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banach%E2% ... ki_paradox]replicator nao?
The things you find on Wikipedia...
But seriously, having something like this exist but be the one thing every megacorp agrees to suppress (while still using it to their own benefit as much as they can cook the records to hide) is entirely in-genre for a magitech corporate dark future - it lets them have the benefits of a post-scarcity supply chain for "black" projects or stretching production per unit cost, while still selling material goods. It also makes the massive amount of air/water/dirt/etc. that would have to be transported out of a gravity well to make colonies much less troublesome to deal with, not to mention the inevitable losses from imperfect seals and that last wisp you can't pump out of an airlock before opening it.
To help avoid abuse, strictly applying the requirement to be a single solid object, not a group of objects such as an assembled machine, and a high energy requirement for the process should suffice when added to the "if someone unauthorised finds out about this, kill them and everyone they know, and burn everything they've touched since" factor.
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows
The things you find on Wikipedia...
But seriously, having something like this exist but be the one thing every megacorp agrees to suppress (while still using it to their own benefit as much as they can cook the records to hide) is entirely in-genre for a magitech corporate dark future - it lets them have the benefits of a post-scarcity supply chain for "black" projects or stretching production per unit cost, while still selling material goods. It also makes the massive amount of air/water/dirt/etc. that would have to be transported out of a gravity well to make colonies much less troublesome to deal with, not to mention the inevitable losses from imperfect seals and that last wisp you can't pump out of an airlock before opening it.
To help avoid abuse, strictly applying the requirement to be a single solid object, not a group of objects such as an assembled machine, and a high energy requirement for the process should suffice when added to the "if someone unauthorised finds out about this, kill them and everyone they know, and burn everything they've touched since" factor.
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows