In the end it won't matter what you or I or the POTUS think about 3D printing. I think it will turn out like MP3s and music. They tried to control and legislate it and they failed. Once the genie is out of the bottle there's no putting it back. 3D printers are only going to get better and more affordable as time goes on and making actual functional and practical guns will become easier and easier.Personally, I don't think this is a good idea. I think in the long run it could really jeopardize the legitimacy of legal gun owners owning guns who have gone through the correct channels to do so.
3d printers really aren't that expensive especially for a successful drug dealer and I'm thinking that it could lead to a new black market of throw away guns. The files for the guns are easily accessible, it just seems way too easy and dangerous for me. I'm all for people's rights and liberties which is why my skin crawls and I'm outraged at what has been happening to this country for the last 10 years. I think this technology is exciting and holds alot of promise for many things but when it's applied to guns I think it becomes a slippery slope. Who knows though that's why I'm so interested in getting opinions. Thanks for the feed back so far.
I don't think you'll be able to print guns much longer. Anyone who has ever tried, just for fun, to copy a dollar bill on a high quality color photocopier can tell you why...
There is a utube of a guy shooting a full mag through a printed lower.You still can't print the receiver, which is the actual part of the firearm that is legally a firearm. Until they can start layering metal in those printers, have fun with your magazines!
A 3D printer is also a lot easier to make than a copier, so the entire firmware thing is a moot point.Bills can be easily recognized by software algorithm, whereas determining that a printable 3D file is a firearm part or not is much more difficult. Firmware hacking is commonplace, too, and I can't see how that would change in foreseeable future, especially when we're talking about printers that can easily be controlled by software running on a regular computer.
Current, high-strength 3D printing medias can already match the strength of injection molded plastic (read: polymer gun frame, without metal inserts) and it's only a matter of time before titanium powder printers challenge current multi axis NC lathes.
I am strongly considering putting in a pre-order for a Form 1 printer. I am impressed by the strength, quality, and economy of your product's capabilities, and it appears to be well-received by all who have written about it. I am somewhat dismayed by the decision to develop the Form 1 around proprietary software and polymer material, but I understand the need to protect patent and trade secrets by doing so. Hopefully, once your enterprise achieves success and financial stability in the marketplace, Formlabs will consider allowing open development so users may improve upon its innovations.
Before I make my decision to patronize Formlabs, I had a few questions I hope can be easily addressed:
-Is the vendor that manufactures the proprietary polymer recommended for use in the Form 1 large enough to satisfy demand should the platform become popular quickly?
-Are the Form 1 units themselves (or the polymer) being manufactured in the United States? Is the software being developed domestically?
-Do the laser-emitters or other components in the Form 1 have a known life-expectancy (as do the fusers in FDM machines)?
-Does Formlabs have an opinion regarding their products' use for printing legally-manufactured components for firearms?
Thank you for answering my questions. I am very impressed by the product Formlabs is offering, and I hope to do business with you all shortly.
Which is why they keep trying to make us stoopid(er)With the know-how, nothing is "shut" now or ever.
I don't really think 3d printing will ever really take off to the level that some people think it will. The fact is that 3d printers are not only expensive (I realize that they will get cheaper), but I don't really think there will ever be that much demand for them outside of niche markets.
I don't really think 3d printing will ever really take off to the level that some people think it will.
Electron beam melting (EBM) is a similar type of additive manufacturing technology for metal parts (e.g. titanium alloys). EBM manufactures parts by melting metal powder layer by layer with an electron beam in a high vacuum. Unlike metal sintering techniques that operate below melting point, EBM parts are fully dense, void-free, and very strong.
The 2nd amendment doesn't specify "free men and women" it says "the people"I'm all for guns in the hands of free men and women, but this is kind of counter productive.
Someone without the financial resources to afford the same quality of personal protection that you can.Who would need a one or two time weapon for defense, or trust their lives to it?
I haven't ever bought a paper printer, but that doesn't stop me from making prints. I got to Kinko's or borrow a friends printer, and they never even charge me for the paper and ink.Someone would have to be a little goofy to buy a 1,500$ minimum printer and print a cheap-o plastic molding and expect to defend themselves and their family..
Projection. If you want to evaluate what group benefits most, it seems to me that would be the group of people that manufacture personal use firearms. A group that currently represents a minuscule percentage of violent criminals. Most are hobbyists, gunsmiths and enthusiastsSeems like the real benefit is to criminals and those who are held back by existing legislation, who are deemed to be violent, mentally ill, or otherwise could have a one or two time use weapon for use in murders or spree killings.
Do we have drug gangs buying drill presses and bulk manufacturing zip guns? Do the cartels have CNC mills to make guns? I don't see where your concerns are founded anywhere in reality.Don't get me wrong, I'd love to print up lowers and magazines and anyone who could buy one otherwise should be able to. I just see scenarios where drug money buys these printers and creates en masse "hot" weapons used in crimes like robberies and carjackings.
This goes back to a couple of fundamental points it is important to understand and internalize:If I'm to understand, what you're saying is there should be no laws regarding felons, rapists, and murderers from possessing firearms? That's a bit of an extreme position, and I think most would disagree with you. Not all laws are bad..