3D printed gun refined to fire off 600+ rounds

[Tinykong]

Now lets see it build the whole gun including the barrel and trigger mechanism. The only thing this really shows is that someone could potentially make cheap copies of the lower receiver which is the restricted part of the AR-15 and obtain all the other parts without or limited restriction.

This movement to 3D printing could instil a panic among politicians that could then place more restrictions on other parts of guns. The shift to 3D printing could also have a notable impact on the market where people are replicating existing products and for the parts that cannot be replicated there would be companies who take advantage of this.

10 years from now the technology might exist to make all the parts with the click of a button, look where this technology was just a few years ago.

[Laize]

I never said printers in homes wouldn't happen. I have one sitting next to me currently. I said the day when we are all printing off guns at the click of a mouse wouldn't happen, due to simple economics. Unless, of course, you make it economically viable by eliminating the current industry.

Again, you're basing the future on what's available now. Materials engineers and software engineers make their livings by creating better materials for less money as well as more user friendly software.

It will happen. It's not even a question in the mind of anyone who keeps their finger on the pulse of futurists.

[cwalster]

Again, I think you are confusing what I am saying. I am saying that by the time you buy a printer, set it up, buy your metal powder, etc, you could have just bought a gun, legally or illegally. If you want to do production work, buy a CNC mill, its the better tool for the job and requires about the same skill set. Other than people who are after the sheer enjoyment of creating the item, there are better alternatives. Therefore, widespread printing of guns will not be an issue. Proof? Milling machines have been around for a long time, and they can produce weapons. I don't hear much talk about guns being produced on them to get around restrictions, nor restricting the machines themselves.

[Laize]

Again, I think you are confusing what I am saying. I am saying that by the time you buy a printer, set it up, buy your metal powder, etc, you could have just bought a gun, legally or illegally. If you want to do production work, buy a CNC mill, its the better tool for the job and requires about the same skill set. Other than people who are after the sheer enjoyment of creating the item, there are better alternatives. Therefore, widespread printing of guns will not be an issue. Proof? Milling machines have been around for a long time, and they can produce weapons. I don't hear much talk about guns being produced on them to get around restrictions, nor restricting the machines themselves.

Again. You're missing the point.

Yes, you can just buy a gun. Today.

You can't buy an automatic weapon, though.

Who knows what the future holds? Maybe someday you can't buy semiautomatic weapons?

In-home printing will be immune to law enforcement without severe infringements of rights.

[Deleted]

Dude, it was the lower receiver only. No trigger, springs, safety, grip, stock, detentes, upper receiver, bolt, barrel or whatever. It's like saying you made a car door with a print, now you can make the engine block. Not going to work. The lower has practically no stress from firing on it. It houses the firing mechanism, holds the mag, grip, stock and buffer tube assembly.

Indeed, it is a chunk of plastic or metal only. The real dangerous parts will require a bit more skill to manufacture.

[MMKing]

Despite the problems. Science is always good

[artemishunter1]

Despite the problems. Science is always good

nope. Neutral at best. Things like Nuclear Bomb is only evil, while immunization can only be good. So, neutral

[Lollis]

nope. Neutral at best. Things like Nuclear Bomb is only evil, while immunization can only be good. So, neutral

The 'good' that has come from science outweigh the 'evil' by a long long way.

[Tuskcat]

nope. Neutral at best. Things like Nuclear Bomb is only evil, while immunization can only be good. So, neutral

nuclear power is not good?

[Deleted]

nuclear power is not good?

As he said, Science is neutral, how you use it determines whether something is good or not. In Artemiushunter1's post he mentions Immunization as good, yet this has lead to the development of bioweapons and other terrible things, anything good can be twisted for bad, and vice versa.

[goobernoob]

the lower receiver group on the AR-15 includes the hammer, seer, trigger and selector/safety, did they manage to print the entire group or just the frame?

[Deleted]

I wonder how big of a problem this will be, once people have access to 3D printers in their homes.

Again. You're missing the point.

Yes, you can just buy a gun. Today.

You can't buy an automatic weapon, though.

Who knows what the future holds? Maybe someday you can't buy semiautomatic weapons?

In-home printing will be immune to law enforcement without severe infringements of rights.

I agree.

[Deleted]

the lower receiver group on the AR-15 includes the hammer, seer, trigger and selector/safety, did they manage to print the entire group or just the frame?

Just the frame. No working or moving parts.

[Anakso]

Every time I hear about these 3D Printer stories and the things they've been building with them I just can't help thing...this is the future. We're in the future, and it is good.

As others have pointed out though once this is cheaper and a household item, law will have a hard time keeping up with it's technology. Just like it has with the internet.

There is also the question I have, on how much will we be able to print in the future. Say for example we wanted a $100 pair of designer Jeans. Could we simple use the raw materials to mill our selves a pair that look the same but for a fraction of the price? Or other things like that, creating extremely expensive pieces of furniture for a tiny fee.

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

Just the frame. No working or moving parts.

So they made a box with the 3D printer? Not exactly a break-through then.

There is also the question I have, on how much will we be able to print in the future. Say for example we wanted a $100 pair of designer Jeans. Could we simple use the raw materials to mill our selves a pair that look the same but for a fraction of the price? Or other things like that, creating extremely expensive pieces of furniture for a tiny fee.

You can't make clothes with a 3D printer. It works by taking dust (resin, plastic or metal) and fusing it together with a laser. Unless you want very stiff and brittle jeans made of plastic, that isn't going to happen.

[Kraenen]

Every time I hear about these 3D Printer stories and the things they've been building with them I just can't help thing...this is the future. We're in the future, and it is good.

As others have pointed out though once this is cheaper and a household item, law will have a hard time keeping up with it's technology. Just like it has with the internet.

There is also the question I have, on how much will we be able to print in the future. Say for example we wanted a $100 pair of designer Jeans. Could we simple use the raw materials to mill our selves a pair that look the same but for a fraction of the price? Or other things like that, creating extremely expensive pieces of furniture for a tiny fee.

Why do you think it's good?

[cwalster]

All 3D printing technologies (by definition) are either based on layering a substrate such as paper, or melting a powder or filament into a shape. Most printable materials are things that can be melted, rubbers, plastics, or metals. Things that can be extruded, such as concrete, also work. As such, materials such as cotton can't really be printed into pants the same way we weave them into fabric. You could make pants that are the same shape and flexibility, but you would need to "glue" the cotton together, which may be a slightly different feel.

Metals such as steel are unlikely to become widespread due to the energy required to melt them. I'm not saying impossible, but to weld an iron powder to a point where it will fuse requires getting it well above 2000 degrees, and no materials science can change that. There is a lot of research going into low temperature metals, such as lead based alloys which would be usable in printing, however there is always a trade off, many times in the strength category. Even then, due to the process involved, you get strength roughly on par with a casting. It generally doesn't fully fuse into a solid block of metal. Most applications, that's fine, but when you truly need the strength, its a large liability.

The industry that should be quaking in fear is the electronics industry. There's already people producing simple circuits on these machines. Its only a matter of time before someone figures out how to either add pick-and-place capability or actually print the components themselves. Other items that are usually produced by molding currently are easily replicated.

[Svifnymr]

So they made a box with the 3D printer? Not exactly a break-through then.

The USA considers the frame/ receiver to be the gun, so an AR15 is legally that box.
This is an unfinished receiver you can buy that is not considered a gun;


Then you have to finish it by milling/drilling the rest to make this;


Or I guess the 3d printer can just print the final step now.

The intricate/difficult stuff would be the barrel and fire control stuff I'd say, and that you can just buy over the counter/through the mail.

[Heathy]

i guess its still better to just buy a properly made gun, 2 problems i see here, first what happens after its fired its 'suggested' amount, does it explode in your hand?
secondly i thought these 3d printers were essentially compacting powdered metals, so is there really anything stopping it from exploding at any time?

meh if i wanted a gun i don't think i'd take the risk with one of these.

[Anakso]

Why do you think it's good?

For the many things we'll be able to 3D Print.
The two best things I've seen so far is human parts (They 3D Printed an ear a while ago) and Houses. Specifically being able to build houses ready to sustain human life without having to send humans there to do it, for example on the moon, mars etc. They successfully printed a house a while ago that was mostly functioning (plumbing and stuff) but it was spherical. It is apparently much quicker to do it spherical than with edges.

Plus the ability to simply 3D Print something you want would be pretty nice.