Gun Printing Just Got Serious

Well, this should crystallize the possibilities of additive manufacturing for anyone who didn't think this through:

"World's First 3D Printed Metal Gun Fires Over 50 Rounds"

Between this and CNC centers dropping in price, folks will be able to make darn near anything soon, and that's going to really upset the control-oriented government we currently have.


Larry

 

Wow impressive looking very clean 1911. But kinda funny that the first gun made with this new tech is over 100 years old

 

Greetings
I can see this technoligy making parts for old west revolvers simple and affordable. Imagine the market for S&W model 3 American First Model, Second Model and Russian lock work parts. There must be hundreds of these that sit useless due to the lack of parts.
Mike in Peru

 

Looks like a very good representation of the 1911 pistol.

Throws brass right back at the shooter just like every other 1911 I ever shot.
Even to the point that the shooter in the vid was moved to comment on it.

Don't count on this technology supplanting existing technologies for mainstream firearms production anytime soon.

Could be useful for reproducing obsolete parts at the sorts of high prices wealthy folks are willing to pay for one-off projects.

 

They get bonus points for not having a gargantuan billboard on the slide.

 

BUT THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!! Any criminal can just print off his gat fotay and unleash the havocs on the earth!!!

 

While the machine used to create that gun currently cost $850,000, I think we have all seen how quickly these technologies can move from heavy industrial to 'serious hobbyist' price points.

Sooner than many expected, we're going to see machines that can turn digital files into material objects, doing for small-scale production what PC's did to publishing twenty years ago, and creating issues of intellectual property and censorship more recently encountered with digital media.

I would not be surprised to see 3D printers start prompting regulation similar to that required for high explosive components or other HIGHLY controlled items, once the media and congress critters realize what they actually represent. I can only imagine how Hillary feels about the idea that a peasant can make ANYTHING in his home.....


Larry

 

The term "gun printing" makes me think that any Joe Shmoe with a special printer can print a gun just as easily as printing a word document when in fact it's pretty complex:

"Building it involved the process of laser sintering — which helped them manufacture over 30 individual components for the gun — and various powdered metals.

YOU CAN'T BUILD THIS IN YOUR BACKYARD

But to be clear, and likely to*the relief of law enforcement, this isn't something you can run out and do yourself. "There are barriers to entry that will keep the public away from this technology for years," said Scott McGowan, the company's VP of marketing, In a statement to The Verge. Those include a prohibitively high cost for the equipment involved and the expertise required to actually pull off the printing."

Because of this I'm not to worried about one of our elected finest pointing to this as another avenue to use for gun control.

 

I would have voted for a 140 year old one (SAA) but the 1911 works.

Well crap. My local library will let you print for $0.25 a copy. I was gonna go down there today and see if I couldn't do it for $0.25 a part. I'd have like $5.00 in a 1911.

 

Once they get past 20,000 rounds through it, I'd agree they've got something.

 

yzguy,

Your snarky smiley notwithstanding, legislators are ALREADY proposing restrictions on printers. You need to pay more attention if you're going to be cocky-

http://www.ibtimes.com/3d-printer-regulation-proposed-Democrats-fear-criminals-printing-guns-1254537

Larry

 

So when the 1911 purists start counting MIM parts, does this mean the whole pistol = MIM or none of it does?

 

I love cool technology and this definitely qualifies.

 

Significant step up from the single-shot plastic gun a few months ago.

 

Think they could get 2-3kout of it with an aftermarket barrel before a slide crack .
And as for old guns I rather see a webley in 455 with the service length barrel and lanyard ring skull crusher,
there hard to find working and not in 45 acp locally and o so good looking of a revolver

 

I'm stunned... hoodathunkit? Maybe 3D printing has a metallurgic future after all.

 

I don't understand why 'printing' is exciting and dangerous, but CNC is just old hat.

You can make nice guns - that will last plenty more than fifty shots - right now, with a fraction of that investment, and you could literally do it in your basement. Sure, in the future, laser sintering will be cheaper and easier and better, but CNC mills will continue to improve, too.

 

Leave it to the Democrats to try and put the reigns (registration) on a machine that injects plastic.

 

Saw this today, looks awesome!

 

One day in the future instead of sending your gun back to the company for service, they will just email you the new part

 

Aw, don't worry Senator Yee, you can also use this technology to make wicked bongs.

 

A good while back I posted here about the possiblities of scanning and replicating older firearms, and for the most part, the response was that without the finishing process, and at the (then) current level of metallurgy, It just wasn't quite in the cards yet.

WOOOHAH!!!!!! Not as complicated as a Broomhandle, but a darn fine start.

Now if someone can just send me $900k for a laser-sintering machine... the first broomhandle mauser is yours !!! How about a .45 ACP Luger while I'm at it?

I still think using wax/plastic printed guns as the forms for investment casting would work well.

 

Since politics had to be brought into it, it's not the government we currently have, even our beloved Republicans have voted for certain restrictions in society.

 

By 'currently have', I was referring to this century/my lifetime, rather that President Obama's administration.

And yes, CNC is currently quicker/cheaper, but eventually-and perhaps, very soon-additive manufacturing will be reduced to something similar to printing documents, and then the world will really change.

Larry