3-D Printed Gun Only Lasts 6 Shots

I think its neat. I bet it would work better on a 22lr platform

Why are they doing it in plastic instead of selective laser sintering?

I doubt SLS 3D printers are available for hobbyists.

The show CSI has already done a story with a printed gun.

I doubt SLS 3D printers are available for hobbyists.

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yeah, SLS printers arent available to much of anyone.......really only multi-million dollar manufacturing companies and high end research facilities are the only ones with enough $$$ to afford one.

of all the printer technologies currently available, plastic extrusion is really the only one with any chance of creating a usable prototype that doesnt cost more than a pair of the popes shoes.

It suffered the same common failure as other polymer lowers, it just did it much sooner. No doubt because it was low grade plastic rather than glass reinforced zytel or nylon 6. And this was a 5.7x28mm, not a 5.56mm, so one can imagine that a single round of 5.56 may have destroyed it.

Still, pretty neat, and I agree with Jbrady that it probably would have worked with rimfire.

As for the fears of "undetectable printed plastic guns", well, that's just ridiculous. Guns need metal parts, period. Polymers have come a long way, but there are things that just can't be done. I suppose it would be possible to make a 100% polymer throw-away liberator type pistol that was good for one or two shots of low powered, low pressure ammunition. But somehow I just don't see the criminal element clamoring to buy very expensive printers so they can produce barely useable weapons. They can make those kind with a few dollars worth of pieces and parts from the hardware store.

Undetectable plastic guns.. what about those fancy graphite or carbon barrels? Are they still sleeved?

what about those fancy graphite or carbon barrels? Are they still sleeved?

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Yes.

The carbon fiber and graphite add rigidity to a slender barrel tube with very little weight, so you can have a lightweight barrel that shoots like a bull barrel. But those materials cannot directly withstand the forces at work when a bullet is fired. You'll also notice those are most common with rimfires, which don't exert anywhere near the pressure or friction of centerfire rifle rounds.

For example:

Volquartsen Match Barrel Ruger 10/22 22 Long Rifle THM Tension .920" Diameter 1 in 16" Twist 16-1/2" Aluminum Sleeve Black

This barrel features a match grade chamber and hand lapped bore, which makes it very easy to clean and care for. Barrel will vary no more than +/-.0001" from breech to muzzle. Each barrel is digitally measured to ensure exact tolerances. Barrel is .920" in diameter and is drilled and tapped to accept Volquartsen's Barrel Mount Scope Base. This THM (Tensioned Honed Match) barrel has a .473" steel core tensioned between centers with an outer sleeve. Tension is set at the factory. Removing or tampering with end caps voids warranty.

Firing pins, bolts and barrels need to be steel (or another hard, high tensile strength alloy). There's just really no way around it.
Other materials may have the yield but not the hardness, or be very hard but too brittle.

If you sit on one, will it reproduce you butt?

primalmu said:

I doubt SLS 3D printers are available for hobbyists.

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Guess I'm a little lost as to the goal. There are easy ways to make a 'thing' that will fire rounds without the need of a 3D printer. I thought maybe they were investigating a viable means of producing firearms with newer technology. Something about applying for a manufacturer license and creating a non-profit just seems to me like they ought to be trying to do something viable and not make disposable and almost assuredly banned-in-a-fit-of-media-outrage items.

There are several open source, plastic deposition 3d printer plans on line, with forums of hobby users eager to share their knowledge. Cost to build a Rep Rap is about $500.... And I'm dying to make one!

It will last long enough for you to acquire something better...

Think along the lines of the Liberator pistol of WWII.

Ron in Texas

There are several open source, plastic deposition 3d printer plans on line, with forums of hobby users eager to share their knowledge. Cost to build a Rep Rap is about $500.... And I'm dying to make one!

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exactly why we need not worry about the felons printing masses of guns...

if you are a felon/ gang member/ ect. are you really going to take the time to build, learn to use, calibrate, print and assemble 1 crappy unfinished firearm.

or are you going to take that $500 and buy half a dozen well made stolen firearms from your favorite illicit arms dealer.......

Guess I'm a little lost as to the goal. There are easy ways to make a 'thing' that will fire rounds without the need of a 3D printer. I thought maybe they were investigating a viable means of producing firearms with newer technology. Something about applying for a manufacturer license and creating a non-profit just seems to me like they ought to be trying to do something viable and not make disposable and almost assuredly banned-in-a-fit-of-media-outrage items.

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Things generally improve over time. A lot of people do things with tech just for fun. They made a working firearm from a 3D-printing process that lasted for 6 rounds. That's a nice proof of concept. Now they are open to try new materials, new receiver designs (other than the AR15), new rounds, etc.

Wouldn't it be neat if we could download a publicly traded "gun file" that we could print on our own 3d printer and print out most of the parts for a viable homemade gun for next to nothing? Well without hobbyists playing around at this stage, that will never happen.

Well as far as innovation goes. My hat is off to them. Good to see there are some attempts at innovation occuring. What will this mean for average consumers and hobbyists. Now not a whole bunch. But if you ever get to googling CNC and hobbyists bits regarding guns and fabricating them. You can see where there is a will, there is a way.

Heck my imagination got the better of me and this is a fun way to decompress after work.

http://www.reprap.org/wiki/Main_Page

Now go get yourself a mill, a CNC setup, carbide cutting bits, and fashion yourself something. At least that's the hope.

I wonder what would qualify as low-pressure for these 3D guns. A complete plastic gun seems insane. A metal barrel would be necessary with a fully supported chamber.

I'd attempt duplicating a Ruger MKIII with some obvious and critical differences (avoid a patent suit or some nonsense). If it holds up then maybe a departure into cowboy calibers. A semi-auto 3d/CNC gun that shoots .32 LC would be interesting if a bit completely pointless.

It's about innovation afterall. The beginning will be a bunch of pointless things till it leads to some great beneficial things.

6 rounds in the first prototype is what you call an "interesting failure"

Lots of room for improvement, at some point the concept of "gun control" will be laughable, because anyone will be able to whomp up a simple gun on short notice.

"A metal barrel would be necessary with a fully supported chamber."

Has anyone done any research on using ceramics --both for the barrel and the rest of it?

Seems to me it might be possible to make a ceramic barrel with strong cords wrapped around inside it for "pressure-strength." You could form this on a negatively-rifled mandrel, like a hammer-forged barrel, except without the hammering. I'm sure they're doing nifty stuff with other ceramics besides your regular pottery-type coffee-cup clay.

I mean, like, even silicon carbide is a ceramic, too, right?

Just noodling it around in my head.

Has anyone done any research on using ceramics --both for the barrel and the rest of it?

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In theory it'd be possible, but in practice, I don't think one could ever get it reinforced enough to avoid fracture and still have a man portable gun.

That said, what the future holds is truly anyone's guess.

If you told someone 100 years ago about many of the technologies we take for granted today, I'm sure most would have said such things weren't possible.

What about making the barrel out of phosphor bronze? Non-ferrous, very strong.

Bronze worked fine during the Civil War.

What is scarry is that it worked at all, even for 6 rounds. It would be interesting to know how much of the gun was printed and how much was AR parts.

I don't see the BCG or barrel being made on a printer, but anything is possible.

The BATF must be having fits about this. I wonder if they had a FFL to manufacture.

Jim

Don't need an FFL to manufacture a title 1 firearm for personal use.

Don't need an FFL to manufacture a title 1 firearm for personal use.

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Yep. One thing I think we might see arise out of this would be to simply see a cartridge developed that can operate within the limits of the tech.

Say a .22 caliber cartridge that's centerfire, rimless, and reloadable, but still operates down near the pressure-level of a .22LR.

If a particular design got popular enough I don't see why some company might not spring up to supply the more difficult parts while you make the rest at home. IE, you buy a "kit" which consists of the barrel, firing pin, and a few other parts, and then the rest of the thing you just 3d-print.