3D-Printed Weapons & the Consequences

DesignNews ^ | 12/11/2012 | Cabe Atwell

[palmer]

At-home 3D printing is on the rise, and what was once just a lofty promise is now a reality. More and more hobbyists are acquiring affordable printers, such as the Makerbot Replicator 2 and the RapMan Universal 3D (single/dual head) printer, to manufacture just about everything from toys to working clocks.

Some hobbyists have used these printers for fast-prototyping items that are controversial -- or even deadly. It comes as no surprise that some would attempt to replicate weapons systems (or at least parts of them) in an effort to create a fully functional gun. It's not exactly clear who was the first to fabricate a firearm using a 3D printer, but one example that has garnered global attention is "Have Blue" who designed an AR-15 lower receiver (converted to fire .22 ammunition), using a CAD file in the SolidWorks file format that is openly available from CNC Gunsmithing.

...

[the_boy_who_got_lost]

“Hey check out this gun I just printed” lol

I wouldn’t want to shoot it unless I was in a “had to” situation.

This is a perfect gun for a criminal. Dispose of and print again as needed.

[muawiyah]

This technique will get only better ~ particularly as printers learn to 'build up' the hard parts with nano particle layering.

Bet you could even build your own superior iron hydride batters with these home systems in a year or two.

[muawiyah]

BATTERIES

[KC_Lion]

We have had homemade guns since the very bridging there guys.

And 3-D Printing too!

It's Called Casting!

[Candor7]

E-mail me the link to 3D printout plans for a fully automatic weapon when you have it.Unless by then the UN has taken over the internet so it can stop the spread of weapons , the likely real consequence to this evolution.

[muawiyah]

Actually, it's a perfect weapon for random distribution ~ (assuming all the rough edges of design are worked out and you get a totally printed version) ~ instead of laying down a mine field of minature explosive divices, you do an arial bombardment of enemy occupied territory with these ~ hundreds of thousands of them. Your resistance forces pop up.

So they only fire half a dozen or a dozen rounds ~ you make that up in volume!

Understand that this is only the beginning of the return to medieval home industry ~ eventually you'll think real hard about something and your computer driven replicator will make it for you.

[LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget]

superior iron hydride batters

That would put the fear of God into MLB pitchers.

[muawiyah]

while putting smiles on the faces of every dentist and orthodontist in the world!

B A T T E R I E S

[Candor7]

E-mail me the link to 3D printout plans for a fully automatic weapon when you have it.Unless by then the UN has taken over the internet so it can stop the spread of weapons , the likely real consequence to this evolution.

[muawiyah]

When sugar is not enough, try iron hydride batters ~ knock those puppies out!

[longtermmemmory]

I am thinking of history with ww II alies dropping those single shot palm fitting things. They were just stamped junk intended for a single event.

[expat1000]

What’s the barrel and receiver made of?

[Klaatu Barada Nikto]

<< What’s the barrel and receiver made of? >>

That’s what I want to know. You need steel for that and you can’t do it with a copy machine.

Some in Congress have their panties in a knot and want to renew the ban, that I believe is due to expire, on “invisible” (to X-Rays) guns that was passed when Glocks started becoming popular.

The geniuses in Congress figured that if the Glock frame was made from polymers the pound of steel that made up the slide and barrel would become invisible to X-Rays and could get past the airport screeners. I think Schumer was behind that one.

[Bogey78O]

Yup, the FP-45 Liberator. Designed for a few shots just to allow covert killing of soldiers so you could get a real weapon.

[Ratman83]

"After prototyping a small-scale model, he fabricated the full-size receiver and used it to fire 200 rounds without catastrophic failure."

200 rounds not bad for plastic.

[Malone LaVeigh]

3D test

[Teacher317]

Ban gunsmiths!!

[PapaBear3625]

<< What’s the barrel and receiver made of? >>

To the BATFE, a “firearm” is the piece that gets the serial number. So you only need to make the lower receiver. All the other parts (upper receiver, barrel, trigger group, springs) can be bought over the counter with no paperwork. (Although if “printing” lower receivers becomes popular, expect some legislation changing this).

[Eye of Unk]

My goal is to have a 3D printer in 2013.
And the latest Brownells cataloge.