World's first 3D printed metal gun

[irishScott]

It's cool and all just because. But who cares.. This isn't your run of the mill 3d printer and I'm pretty sure for 850 grand I can get a lot more then just a 1911 lol.

Because technology never gets smaller and cheaper over time...

Granted in this case it might be a decade or three before its available to the average consumer, assuming all goes well, but it's coming.

Much to the chagrin of the powers that be, technology is conferring ever more power to the individual.

 

[Engineer]

No care for (or against) the gun but working in the machining industry my entire life, I can see where these 3D printers could revolutionize machine building (and already has to an extent as I'm seeing parts made by suppliers via 3D printer much, much cheaper than machining and much faster too - plastic). Straight from the SolidWorks model to the printer would be awesome (but would put people out of work though).

 

[xj0hnx]

I remember watching a video of some guy in the mountains of Afghanistan I think it was, some old black smith up there that was making guns based on the same 1911. He was able to make something like 8 a day. So honestly.. not impressed. Guns be easy to make.

I think I know what you are talking about, but I remember it being Puerto Rico, and it was a Vice video. I have been trying to find it, but it is no where to be found. Here is one on the Pakistani gun market talking about the Khyber Pass, and the regional gun trade.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FinRqCocwGE

 

[DucatiMonster696]

3d printing is the future. Not because of gun printing but due to all the other stuff you'd be able to print at the local level. Its going to change and in many respects revolutionize certain industries and businesses and cause headaches for others, including government. In other words, imagine owning a 3d printer that can reliably print out replacement parts for almost anything you physically own and for which parts have been digitally converted into a 3d schematic and uploaded onto a computer, tablet, etc linked to a 3d printing machine? That's going to throw a curveball into the disposable culture and nature of certain goods in society that one would normally throw out or have to pay a premium for to repair or create hard to find parts for right now.


Edit: E.g., Hell it would be a boon for small towns and villages in remote areas, let us say in Alaska for example. In those remote areas the only things they would really require is just raw material and schematics to keep some machines and vehicles they need going to survive working during the winter months, and so certain replacement parts that would normally take days, weeks or months to get out there would be able to be printed on site at the local 3d printing shop/shed instead of having to wait to the end of summer or make a hazardous journey to the nearest large town or city during a wintery day to find what they need, if they have it in stock at all.

 

[Zodiark1593]

I remember watching a video of some guy in the mountains of Afghanistan I think it was, some old black smith up there that was making guns based on the same 1911. He was able to make something like 8 a day. So honestly.. not impressed. Guns be easy to make.

We're definitely not at cheap metal 3D printers yet, but even today, a cheap 3D printer would make the creation of firearm peripherals like Magazines and Suppressors very easy. I can probably make a schematic for a 30 round Magazine fairly easily, the only non-plastic part being the spring. I've seen a 3D printer put out a perfectly interlocking gearset, so I can probably get a 100 round drum printed out if I ever wanted to.

 

[Darwin333]

It's cool because I like machines like that, but it doesn't matter. Your average joe isn't gonna have one of these machines.

Sorry I didn't realize I had to spell that out for you. Next time I'll make sure to break it down Barney style for you.

Anyone know what the first 3d printer cost? Reading a very brief overview of how the printer works, I can't think of why the costs wouldn't drop dramatically over time, like most other technology.

 

[trenchfoot]

Yeh, I guess the folks with foresight have already extrapolated how to position themselves in the way of exploiting this technology.

Not to mention who, but I can see where these printers can be force equalizers/multipliers, what with these printers being able to surmount tech problems that were previously too costly or too complex to resolve otherwise.

Being a retired toolmaker myself, I envy the kids who are coming up behind me in the trade, looking at how they can avail themselves of cheap personal CNC centers and personal 3D printers to prototype with and just have fun messing around with.

I know I'd just love to have both in my garage.....hmmmmm. How do I explain it to the wifee though?

edit - Like any other emerging tech, it can be used for good and bad. Looks like licensing these bad boys in the future are inevitable.

 

[Darwin333]

We're definitely not at cheap metal 3D printers yet, but even today, a cheap 3D printer would make the creation of firearm peripherals like Magazines and Suppressors very easy. I can probably make a schematic for a 30 round Magazine fairly easily, the only non-plastic part being the spring. I've seen a 3D printer put out a perfectly interlocking gearset, so I can probably get a 100 round drum printed out if I ever wanted to.

Already being done

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/...ings-us-ever-closer-to-a-fully-3d-printed-gun

 

[desertdweller]

I think I know what you are talking about, but I remember it being Puerto Rico, and it was a Vice video. I have been trying to find it, but it is no where to be found. Here is one on the Pakistani gun market talking about the Khyber Pass, and the regional gun trade.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FinRqCocwGE

Here is a vid from the Philippines. People making guns in their back yards. Doesn't show a whole lot, but, the point is that they aren't that hard to make.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fna9WEO6BjE

 

[FelixDeCat]

You do know this is man's early attempts at replication technology, right? Next thing you know we will be replicating pot roast and potatoes for evening dinner.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replicator_(Star_Trek)

Theory

A replicator works by rearranging subatomic particles, which are abundant everywhere in the universe, to form molecules and arrange those molecules to form the object. For example, to create a pork chop, the replicator would first form atoms of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, etc., then arrange them into amino acids, proteins, and cells, and assemble the particles into the form of a pork chop.

This process requires the destructive conversion of bulk matter into energy and its subsequent reformation into a pre-scanned matter pattern. In principle, this is similar to the transporter, but on a smaller scale. However, unlike transporters, which duplicate matter at the quantum level, replicators must be capable of a large number of different materials on demand. If patterns were to be stored at the quantum level, an impossible amount of data storage (or a set of original copies of the materials) would be required. To resolve this, patterns are stored in memory at the molecular level.

One day they may even help us breath in space:

On Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, it was established that as long as there is an energy source to power life support, replication is used to provide breathable air on ships and starbases (and to disassemble the carbon dioxide exhaled by the crew), thus providing a seemingly endless supply of oxygen and eliminating the need to carry air tanks.

Unfortunately, weapon production is banned by the Federation (unless authorized):

Starfleet's safety protocols prevent unauthorized replication of dangerous objects, such as weapons and poisonous substances.[3]

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

3d printing is the future. Not because of gun printing but due to all the other stuff you'd be able to print at the local level. Its going to change and in many respects revolutionize certain industries and businesses and cause headaches for others, including government. In other words, imagine owning a 3d printer that can reliably print out replacement parts for almost anything you physically own and for which parts have been digitally converted into a 3d schematic and uploaded onto a computer, tablet, etc linked to a 3d printing machine? That's going to throw a curveball into the disposable culture and nature of certain goods in society that one would normally throw out or have to pay a premium for to repair or create hard to find parts for right now.


Edit: E.g., Hell it would be a boon for small towns and villages in remote areas, let us say in Alaska for example. In those remote areas the only things they would really require is just raw material and schematics to keep some machines and vehicles they need going to survive working during the winter months, and so certain replacement parts that would normally take days, weeks or months to get out there would be able to be printed on site at the local 3d printing shop/shed instead of having to wait to the end of summer or make a hazardous journey to the nearest large town or city during a wintery day to find what they need, if they have it in stock at all.

Three words.
Intellectual property & lawyers.

 

[DucatiMonster696]

Three words.
Intellectual property & lawyers.

Those are the people who are going to have headaches and nightmares, along with their bought and paid for friends in government. The more they try to squeeze to control the more of a underground situation they end up creating, especially in places like Asia, Africa, South America, etc where knock offs and pirated IP is EVERYWHERE even without 3d printing machines or the files to replicate whatever is to be copied.

 

[Zodiark1593]

Three words.
Intellectual property & lawyers.

I'd like to see them try.

 

[Fa11acy]

damn thats awesome

 

[DrPizza]

Already being done

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/...ings-us-ever-closer-to-a-fully-3d-printed-gun

You do know the difference between metal and plastic, right?


As far as DMLS technology becoming "affordable" for the individual, I doubt it. The laser in the machine is a 200 watt laser - I sincerely doubt it's going to ever become affordable to the average consumer - the price will never drop low enough to make it a "common" household item, any more than a CNC machine, lathe, industrial drill press, etc. Additionally, anyone who CAN afford such equipment can more easily afford to purchase these guns outright.

Further, as I pointed out in the other 3D thread, even the cheaper plastic 3D printers - they will never be more common than other larger tools like lathes. While you can dream about how useful they are (and they are in many circumstances), but to the typical consumer, they're not useful at all.

 

[xj0hnx]

edit - Like any other emerging tech, it can be used for good and bad. Looks like licensing these bad boys in the future are inevitable.

Why does it seem like this is the first jump in the progressive liberals mind? If it can be used to do something they don't approve of, license it(tax it, or ban it)!!!

Here is a vid from the Philippines. People making guns in their back yards. Doesn't show a whole lot, but, the point is that they aren't that hard to make.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fna9WEO6BjE

Yip, that's the video I was thinking of, Philippines, not Puerto Rico. Thanks

 

[TreVader]

Ah, the "need" question. A better question would be why feel the need to dictate what I need while I'm not hurting anybody. People don't "need" to hunt, but I don't hear you bitching about hunting rifles. Either show some philosophical consistency or own up to your irrational fear.

In any case, I hope to amass quite the collection (or as the gun control advocates call it, an "arsenal") of military-pattern guns in the course of my life and I assure you none of them will be killing anyone who isn't actively trying to kill me. Why? Because guns are fun. Apparently that makes me an idiot.

Yeah and when your schitzo kid murders 33 classmates for fun wtf are you gonna say? That you should have the right to endanger the lives of everyone around you because you enjoy it?


Actually, there are many people who depend on moose and elk meat to supplement their normal diet, but a pretend-soldier like yourself who likes to make himself feel better about your other inadequacies by carrying around a firearm you don't need wouldn't know that, would you?

 

[irishScott]

Yeah and when your schitzo kid murders 33 classmates for fun wtf are you gonna say? That you should have the right to endanger the lives of everyone around you because you enjoy it?


Actually, there are many people who depend on moose and elk meat to supplement their normal diet, but a pretend-soldier like yourself who likes to make himself feel better about your other inadequacies by carrying around a firearm you don't need wouldn't know that, would you?

Funny, I have thousands of rounds down range (many of which I ordered *gasp* on the internet) and none of them have hit anything but paper targets. And if my future kid is schitzo he/she sure as hell won't be getting his/her hands on my guns, that's what the safe is for.

It is funny to see you get your panties in a twist over inanimate objects though. You should have dinner at my place. I'll put a loaded gun in the center of the table, pointed in a safe direction of course, and watch you flinch like a startled deer all night.

As for moose and elk hunters, if they're poor enough to require an alternate food source then they could easily get food stamps. There is no "need" to hunt in the US, no one dies for want of food here.

And here's a funny thing to consider. I have a concealed carry permit, and I carry where legal. Now that you know that I can guarantee, at least for the next few hours, you're going to be thinking about that gun in my pocket more than I am.

Get over your fear of inanimate objects. I recommend finding a range that does rentals and taking an intro to shooting course. Should be around $130 is my experience, including the rental, class and ammo.

 

[Zodiark1593]

Yeah and when your schitzo kid murders 33 classmates for fun wtf are you gonna say? That you should have the right to endanger the lives of everyone around you because you enjoy it?

Since when does owning any number of firearms automatically constitute endangering the lives of everyone around you?

 

[xj0hnx]

Since when does owning any number of firearms automatically constitute endangering the lives of everyone around you?

Since TreVader is an ignorant moron that like most other progressive liberals irrationally fears firearms, on top of disarming law abiding citizens being one of their top priorities.

 

[Darwin333]

You do know the difference between metal and plastic, right?

You do know how to read the specific post that I was replying to, right?


As far as DMLS technology becoming "affordable" for the individual, I doubt it. The laser in the machine is a 200 watt laser - I sincerely doubt it's going to ever become affordable to the average consumer - the price will never drop low enough to make it a "common" household item, any more than a CNC machine, lathe, industrial drill press, etc. Additionally, anyone who CAN afford such equipment can more easily afford to purchase these guns outright. [/quote]

I obviously can't predict the future but one of your examples, CNC machines, is a perfect example of what was once a hugely expensive industry only device eventually becoming cheap enough for a hobbyist to purchase. Hell they even run ads for certain types in the back of magazines like PopSci.

Further, as I pointed out in the other 3D thread, even the cheaper plastic 3D printers - they will never be more common than other larger tools like lathes. While you can dream about how useful they are (and they are in many circumstances), but to the typical consumer, they're not useful at all.

I wasn't dreaming about anything. As far as 3d printing goes I am far more excited about the larger industrial applications than I am about any sort of home/hobby use. Even read an article about a huge specialized "house building" machine that works a lot like 3d printers. The article stated it could build the entire frame of the house (a hollow material that has concrete pumped into it), including the interior walls, in a day or two. It didn't do any interior work or finishing but it was still a really cool idea that, at least claimed in the article, would bring concrete houses down to costs comparable with traditional stick built homes.

 

[Darwin333]

Yeah and when your schitzo kid murders 33 classmates for fun wtf are you gonna say? That you should have the right to endanger the lives of everyone around you because you enjoy it?


Actually, there are many people who depend on moose and elk meat to supplement their normal diet, but a pretend-soldier like yourself who likes to make himself feel better about your other inadequacies by carrying around a firearm you don't need wouldn't know that, would you?

What if the same schitzo kid gets a hold of a few 5 gallon cans of gas and a book of matches? Does that make you wet your pants too?

 

[HumblePie]

OMG the average person can make their own guns easily, cheaply, and it is LEGAL??!?!?!

Seriously how is this really even news? Guns aren't all that hard to make at all if you have a few metal cutting and polishing tools. They can even be all hand tools and do the job, because guns were once all made with hand tools. Sure machines make the process easier and faster, but they aren't needed.

Also, guns don't need to be made strictly from metal either. One can use practically any rigid material that can handle some pressure. People have made guns almost entirely from laminated paper. Sure the gun doesn't last for many shots, but it's not all that hard to do. It's also very easy to take a gun made from laminated paper into any "secure" area that is trying to screen out firearms.

 

[Doppel]

OMG the average person can make their own guns easily, cheaply, and it is LEGAL??!?!?!

Seriously how is this really even news? Guns aren't all that hard to make at all if you have a few metal cutting and polishing tools. They can even be all hand tools and do the job, because guns were once all made with hand tools. Sure machines make the process easier and faster, but they aren't needed.

People keep talking about these hand made guns. Can somebody show me one that doesn't look like shit? And by hand made I mean you go from simple metal stock and end up with a reliable semi-auto, not something that looks like this:

I bet there are very nice hand made guns out there. And I bet they weren't so simple as loading some models on a PC, the stock in the printer, and pressing "Print".

Your description of machines pretty much covers every machine on the planet. Cars can be hand made, too, but they aren't needed. Still, manufacturing them on a line ends up with a better product and enough for everybody.

 

[TreVader]

Funny, I have thousands of rounds down range (many of which I ordered *gasp* on the internet) and none of them have hit anything but paper targets. And if my future kid is schitzo he/she sure as hell won't be getting his/her hands on my guns, that's what the safe is for.

It is funny to see you get your panties in a twist over inanimate objects though. You should have dinner at my place. I'll put a loaded gun in the center of the table, pointed in a safe direction of course, and watch you flinch like a startled deer all night.

As for moose and elk hunters, if they're poor enough to require an alternate food source then they could easily get food stamps. There is no "need" to hunt in the US, no one dies for want of food here.

And here's a funny thing to consider. I have a concealed carry permit, and I carry where legal. Now that you know that I can guarantee, at least for the next few hours, you're going to be thinking about that gun in my pocket more than I am.

Get over your fear of inanimate objects. I recommend finding a range that does rentals and taking an intro to shooting course. Should be around $130 is my experience, including the rental, class and ammo.

lmao ur right, the likelihood of you having anyone to have a kid with is very low. Foolish of me to think that. You don't have a CC permit you probably don't even own a gun!

All this bravado over the internet, you must be a navy seal