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Surprising Tools of Modern Gunmaking: Plastic and a 3-D Printer (NYT)
New York Times ^ | January 29, 2013 | By HENRY FOUNTAIN

Posted on 01/29/2013 5:01:19 PM PST by Brad from Tennessee

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To: tbw2

3-D printing is here to stay. 3-D printing in metal is a rapidly evolving industry. Whether or not 3-D printing of weapons parts is restricted by law the science will remain intact somewhere.

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/143552-3d-printing-with-metal-the-final-frontier-of-additive-manufacturing


21 posted on 01/30/2013 12:55:22 PM PST by Brad from Tennessee (A politician can't give you anything he hasn't first stolen from you.)
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To: zagger

If the part that the ATF considers a gun can be easily made in the home - then the other collection of parts can be purchased without any paperwork.

The lower receiver is the “gun,” according to ATF.


22 posted on 01/30/2013 1:04:38 PM PST by Triple (Socialism denies people the right to the fruits of their labor, and is as abhorrent as slavery)
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To: zagger

There are machines that can print stainless, Inconel and Ti alloys with excellent material properties. Granted, these machines are waaay out of the individual’s price range, but still, the technology is there.


23 posted on 01/30/2013 1:20:20 PM PST by Jack of all Trades (Hold your face to the light, even though for the moment you do not see.)
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To: Minutemen

“Print me a sausage & pepperoni pizza with everything on it!!”

Yeah! And print me a beer while you are at it!


24 posted on 01/30/2013 3:32:21 PM PST by zagger
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To: Covenantor

I can tell you that the old SLA parts were made up by adding very thin layers one upon another creating the solid part. That is why these parts all appeared to have a rough 125-250 RMS machined finish on them, unless they were polished by another process.

As far as lifespan, a fragile engine would be of no use to anyone.

A fragile firearm that could be shot some without breaking or blowing up could be useful as a “throwdown”.


25 posted on 01/30/2013 7:35:25 PM PST by MikeSteelBe (Austrian Hitler was, as the Halfrican Hitler does.)
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To: Jack of all Trades

“There are machines that can print stainless, Inconel and Ti alloys with excellent material properties.”

Wouldn’t the metal grain alignment of a hammer forged barrel still be superior to a printed one?

I guess they could make some printed 4140 or 4150 barrels and do some c.u.p. testing on them.


26 posted on 01/30/2013 7:56:12 PM PST by MikeSteelBe (Austrian Hitler was, as the Halfrican Hitler does.)
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To: MikeSteelBe; willyd

Thank you guys for the replies.

Seems I’m guilty of not keeping up with the 3D tech. Based my question on a remembered report published in Smithsonian or Nat’l Geo when liquid polymers were being used. The photo of lemon-lime tank lingered in my mind, hence the reference to the ‘soup’. Seems to be a dry process not that far removed from Xerox copier tech.

As far as being suitable for such high temp/high stress constructs they do have a ways to go. But imagine all the little light duty parts that can be re-manufactured at home rather than sending stuff to the dump. I can also see customizing new parts for performance, ease of use, or just to make it look better to my eye.

New vistas yet to be revealed.

Mike, as far as high strength steel parts you’re probably aware of the CAD/CNC controlled cutting tables that allow for a variety of cutting heads. I was looking into purchasing such several years ago in conjunction with CNC mills. Laminated plate components such as the adjustable wrenches are now within reach of the small shop, home or commercial. Assembling a revolver frame from such is not a complex operation. And finally after half a century of acquiring tools and time spent in arch metals I can say that no one machine will do every thing. Nice to think of such, but like the multi-mate tools one subordinates the needs of the project to the tools at hand, not always the best or optimum approach.

Anyway, thanks for the response and the goad to do my own homework.


27 posted on 01/31/2013 3:47:22 AM PST by Covenantor ("Men are ruled...by liars who refuse them news, and by fools who cannot govern." Chesterton)
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To: MikeSteelBe

I’m not a metallurgist (my area is automation), but I would imagine there would be differences in the grain structure and properties. I don’t know if those differences would preclude there use in high pressure applications like barrels, or if those differences could be mitigated by some type of post processing. Still - it is possible to print fully dense metal parts, and that’s a start.


28 posted on 01/31/2013 6:21:43 AM PST by Jack of all Trades (Hold your face to the light, even though for the moment you do not see.)
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To: Brad from Tennessee

What is a good way to invest in the 3-D printing developers?


29 posted on 01/31/2013 3:31:19 PM PST by tbw2
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To: tbw2
3-D Systems Inc. (DDD) is a publicly traded company. Their stock is down about 10 percent this week. Some people might see this as an opportunity.

http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130124-908716.html?mod=crnews

http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130116-906195.html?mod=crnews

http://www.dailyfinance.com/quote/nyse/3d-systems/ddd

30 posted on 01/31/2013 3:47:23 PM PST by Brad from Tennessee (A politician can't give you anything he hasn't first stolen from you.)
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To: Brad from Tennessee

Thank you.


31 posted on 01/31/2013 6:53:36 PM PST by tbw2
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