Printing Your Next Firearm!

[Kirk Freeman]

We have discussed the possibility of 3D printing and how it will someday render "gun control" (even more) impossible:

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...8-the_technological_death_of_gun_control.html

But now it appears some on the cutting edge are indeed making magazines and plan to make firearms with 3D printers:

MAKE | Proscribed Printables

3D Printed Magazine Project | Snowflakes in Hell

Great times to be alive--to see the death of gun control on many fronts.

 

[printcraft]

Great....... now I need to be an FFL too?

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Only if you want to sell it.

 

[Takashi]

Saw someone making lower receivers on m4carbine. It's only a matter of time until 3d printers prices drop. I use them to rapid prototype designs, and they do a great job in that front.

 

[Westside]

as a guys who works with 3D printing and mockups. right now you are limited to pieces that can be made from plastics and or resins. So for now the barrels and other pieces that take high pressure impacts would still need to be made out of metal. but simple milling equipment can make smooth bore weapons.

 

[Concerned Citizen]

That's pretty cool. I saw a show on that recently, they were talking about one application being that they could put the printer on the space station, and if they ever needed a part or a tool right away, NASA could email them the file and they could just print it on the spot.

 

[Westside]

Great....... now I need to be an FFL too?

you could always just give them away

 

[kludge]

as a guys who works with 3D printing and mockups. right now you are limited to pieces that can be made from plastics and or resins. So for now the barrels and other pieces that take high pressure impacts would still need to be made out of metal. but simple milling equipment can make smooth bore weapons.

this.

The materials used right now that I know of are too fragile to make receivers.

 

[sonofagun]

this.

The materials used right now that I know of are too fragile to make receivers.

Should be able to make mold blanks, or whatever the industry calls them, and cast a part based on the 3D blank.

Also, technology will catch up. Possibly using high power lasers and metal powder used in metal injection molding.

 

[Booya]

this.

The materials used right now that I know of are too fragile to make receivers.

This is not entirely true. If you play with whatever resin/plastic you can absolutely make "disposable" receivers. I know that you can get at least 200 rounds through a nice glass filled resin lower.

 

[T.Lex]

I think that's over-selling what those 3D printers can do, and under-selling what people can do in their own garage.

I mean, I don't see a difference in regulating the building of an improvised zip gun and using a 3D printer to make basically the same thing.

As noted above, maybe when the technology gets to the point of allowing metallic infusion and putting lands and grooves in barrels.... well... then maybe.

 

[kludge]

This is not entirely true. If you play with whatever resin/plastic you can absolutely make "disposable" receivers. I know that you can get at least 200 rounds through a nice glass filled resin lower.

IMO, 200 rounds is too fragile. And that resin isn't cheap, you could probably buy a Kel-Tec SU-16 for less.

 

[Tebow]

Mind=blown

 

[Kedric]

"May you live in interesting times." And brother, are we ever.

 

[Patternpimp]

3D printing using pulverized stainless steel has been around for a few years now. Down side is it requires a secondary sintering process to fuse the powder. The video of the wrench is deceptive, the wrench produced is different then the one scanned. Secondly the laser scanner couldn't measure all the clearances necessary to make a functional adjustable wrench. However still cool.

 

[Colts]

I saw a recent article where they were 3D printing with chocolate as the media. Move over chocolate Santa, come on chocolate 1911.

3D printing is one form of Additive Manufacturing (AM); another is Laser Sintering (LS). LS can buildup layer by layer metal alloys (from powder) and could make a near net shape gun (most parts). I would still want the barrel to made the old way by Subtractive Manufacturing.

 

[bingley]

I am unimpressed with 3D printing. Sure, it's nifty, but I can already buy a gun now from a store. However...

I saw a recent article where they were 3D printing with chocolate as the media. Move over chocolate Santa, come on chocolate 1911.

Now that's using your noggin! This is something I can't get from any gun store. Maybe I can make chocolate ammo? Ball ammo seems to be in order. None of that hollow point stuff, unless I can fill it with cream or something.

Da Bing

 

[revsaxon]

Ill take a case of mp5sd when the printing gets better. For strategic testing purposes of course.

 

[Dead Duck]

Thats Great- But what about Bacon? =

 

[Hammerhead]

Thats Great- But what about Bacon? =

I think you're getting into cloning there.