3D printing - Fancy 'printing' a working gun at home?!

[Wozza]

Or this one:

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[beorhthelm]

Bearing in mind my design expertise is a solid intercity 125 in woodwork when I was 13, does it print it in paper then or whatever material you need and would you have to print the parts and then put it together.

its run within a framwork that moves the head vertically as it prints each horizontal layer. its not expensive either, you can get a 3D printer kit for a few hundred, to a grand for a substantial size/quality one. generally plactic, but metal too, is fed into the print head. its going to revolutionise alot of manufacturing especially where low number units are required.

however the main weakness is that, the end product is pretty weak, which is OK for somethings not others. i'm highly sceptical that they made a functioning gun considering the pressures and forces involved. EDIT... reading the link, what they printed was a part called the lowe reciever, the handgrip, trigger and magazine manifold. so not the high pressure parts of the barrel and breach. so basically the bits you could craft out of wood. its hardly terrifying. one of the comments made be chuckle "basically any nut job with cash can print a gun. That's just great, what the USA really needs." yeah, or they could just buy one from a gun shop.

and currently its expensive too, so its main niche is in prototyping or toys/novelties at the moment. brilliant tech though.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

and currently its expensive too, so its main niche is in prototyping or toys/novelties at the moment. brilliant tech though.

True, but we all know how fast technology moves once it starts to hit mainstream. It's in its' infancy, but the potential is amazing.

 

[Gazwag]

Watch the video above - and keep in mind that's a cheap, consumer model!

Its probably better with sound so I'll have a watch later

 

[Gary Leeds]

I have seen example printers that have different colour plastic strip fed into them so you can print in 3d and in colour but wait until they combine inkjet colour printing with the 3d side. It would totally change the toy and model industry business model over night. Lost a few hotels from your monopoly set? Print some new ones. Want a new carriage for your sons (or your own) model railway? Just buy the plans from Hornby and print it off. Knelt on your star subbuteo striker? print a new one and have it spray painted in any kit you want.

 

[Monkey Man]

There was an article in this week's Observer which talked about a scientist in Scotland who believes we're close to being able to "print" drugs. Obvious criminal potential there though he's more keen to talk about the benefit this could bring to poorer countries, which would benefit from the cost savings, and convenience, of receiving essential medicines by computer.

 

[Curious Orange]

3D printing is nowhere near the point of being able mass produce anything with a quality finish, the layers tend to cause a grain in the finished object which may not be desirable in the finished article. Great for prototyping though.

 

[W.C.]

Yep, in 10 years or less, we could all have one of these in our gardens:

everytime

 

[GingerBeerMan]

I like this comment:

How to make millions:
1. Buy a 3D printer
2. Print more printers
3. Ebay
Problem?

Lol. Amazing stuff, we could literally print anything, imagine gun control in this country it would be impossible.

 

[kano]

Cory Doctorow Printcrime

Worth 5 mins of your time in my humble opinion

 

[Seagull on the wing]

OMG...Here's me a silver surfer desperately trying to keep up with modern technology...then along comes this mean machine.....My Dad could never get his head around the first video recorder for TV programmes,sat on top of the TV and recorded for about half hour max....(The recorder,not my Dad smartarse)
Clever me thought there is no way I'm going to be left behind with technology..up until the smart phones came out I was OK,then stupid science has to advance at an alarming rate....OK ,I surrender to all the young smart people out there....will carry on till my breed dies out....enjoy all the science that comes your way,handle it with care. When I think having lived through WW2 and the space race started in 1957 I thought...great I have seen the start...now I'm just a dinosaur...another sticky bun anyone?

 

[beorhthelm]

There was an article in this week's Observer which talked about a scientist in Scotland who believes we're close to being able to "print" drugs.

eh? how would that work, i mean you'd need the chemicals already so why "print" them?

 

[raymondbriggs]

eh? how would that work, i mean you'd need the chemicals already so why "print" them?

Bearing mind most of the pill you take is filler (sugars,Glorified chalk,coating) and the active ingredient being such a small % of the weight.
It would make perfect sense to supply the active component in a suspension printable on edible paper.
works perfectly well for LSD.
Think of the cost saving in transporting only the essential ingredients in drugs.

as for 3D printing-these machines are for prototypes and design proving in non durable plastics but they are similar in concept to the machines that build up the layers in silicon chips.
That technology has been around since the 60's and involves the deposition of metals in layers onto a hard base and building up a 3D usable product,so the future does look bright in this field

 

[Billy the Fish]

Wait till the technology allows the machines to replicate themselves.

And then when Skynet becomes self aware we're all f***ed - I've seen it on telly

 

[Wozza]

3D printers to be installed in Staples stores. BREAKING: Staples to Use Mcor IRIS in CopyCenters - Fabbaloo Blog - Fabbaloo - Daily News on 3D Printing

Bet they won't let you print a gun, mind...

 

[skipper734]

Incredible stuff, my friends a Desgin teacher at some posh school and they have one of these, truley fantastic the things it can do.

According to Jnr. Skipper his is one of the the only schools in the Country with one of these. He used it to manufacture his GCSE design project. Maybe they know each other, he goes to King Edwards in Southampton?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

3D printing is crazy, isn't it?

The whole idea of electronically sending an item to anyone, anywhere in the world, and 'printing' that solid object it in your home or office? Mental.

Imagine if you could print a working gun.

Oh, no need to imagine: The Worlds First 3D-Printed Gun

This technology is moving FAST.

I think I'll wait until the colour 3-D printer comes out.

 

[skipper734]

This appears to be the only piece printed. molded, made.

 

[omgitsjames]

This appears to be the only piece printed. molded, made.


View attachment 37179

that's because that part (the lower receiver) is the only part of an AR15 rifle that is legally considered a gun (where the serial number is located). you can buy/sell any other component online, face to face, etc. without having to go through a licensed dealer and doing a background check. The lower receiver for an AR15 is also one of the few parts that you can afford to make in plastic.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Yep, in 10 years or less, we could all have one of these in our gardens:

Classic. That made me laugh.