Could a 'Printable Gun' Change the World?

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
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May 9, 2000
Messages
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Ah, the wonders of 3-D printing. Defense Distribution is putting together a project to develop a downloadable CAD design that would produce a functional .22 caliber handgun from a 3-D printer. What could possibly go wrong with that plan? :eek:
 
I went to siggraph this year for the 3d industry and "rapid prototyping" is the new hottness. The things they're able to print is simply amazing. Although I'm not sure how the plastic would hold up to the hot gas exhaust from a round. Maybe a one time use kinda weapon.
 
For one time us OR some/most of the parts will be plastic while the parts that actually fire the round would be metal.
 
Didn't we see this on 'In the Line of Fire'? Ok, ok... John Malkovich used modeling plastic instead of a 3D printer.
 
I like the meaning he's trying to portray. We live in a world where borders and treaties are these imaginary things that is used to control people. Once you can make your own weapons, then all that control is meaningless. They obviously don't have a working gun, but they're not too far away from producing one through a 3D printer.

At some point, 3D printers are going to change the way we handle currency and information. It's going to get to a point where 3D printers could cripple companies and governments all around the world.
 
You can make a very crappy 12 shot gun with random scrap metal and a few cheap tools that will far outperform a crappy printed .22.
 
The core idea behind the project is both intriguing and I guarantee will be seen as a threat to the establishment, expect total hell from it, as with all true ground breaking innovation that threatens the system.
 
yesssssss D4rkn3ssss aproves it... hissssss! err.. fukin'a D4rkn3ss aproves it! disposable suppressed .22s for everyone first! we could try other things later... ;)
 
Now if they could just do that with the FN FiveSeven, I'd be a happy camper.
 
I think the 3D printing is getting misunderstood, it's not intended to manufacture functional things. Nor I do believe the plastic filling in 3D printer would be strong enough to fire a bullet and don't be burned and destroyed in same time.
 
Ashbringer said:
I like the meaning he's trying to portray. We live in a world where borders and treaties are these imaginary things that is used to control people. Once you can make your own weapons, then all that control is meaningless.
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nothing like your random person quietly talking about violent overthrowing of governments, because we have guns now!

Obi_Kwiet said:
You can make a very crappy 12 shot gun with random scrap metal and a few cheap tools that will far outperform a crappy printed .22.
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why even go that far make a easy potato gun fill with it scarp metal and nails and something to help keep a seal
 
Acer_Sheep said:
I think the 3D printing is getting misunderstood, it's not intended to manufacture functional things. Nor I do believe the plastic filling in 3D printer would be strong enough to fire a bullet and don't be burned and destroyed in same time.
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you couldn't be more wrong, tell that to Boeing who is using them to print airplane parts. Hell we're pretty close to making most of house with one. They've come a long way and will only get better.
 
m_isom said:
Didn't we see this on 'In the Line of Fire'? Ok, ok... John Malkovich used modeling plastic instead of a 3D printer.
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Either way,it points out the big problem this could pose. A gun that can beat security metal detectors? Not really the most brilliant idea,is it?
 
This won't have any more plastic than guns already on the market. Just like the AR that was done, plastic receivers are old news. It will still need a metal barrel, striker and trigger mechanism. There are already Federal guidelines on producing your own firearm so this is simply another method. But the general public lacks even a basic comprehension of how a firearm works let alone firearm laws so I'm sure the scary headlines will grow.
 
Ashbringer said:
I like the meaning he's trying to portray. We live in a world where borders and treaties are these imaginary things that is used to control people. Once you can make your own weapons, then all that control is meaningless. They obviously don't have a working gun, but they're not too far away from producing one through a 3D printer.

At some point, 3D printers are going to change the way we handle currency and information. It's going to get to a point where 3D printers could cripple companies and governments all around the world.
Click to expand...

Take your tinfoil hat off. Nothing stops a person from making their own gun from far more common and less expensive products. We dont see it much in North America because we can own guns both here and in Canada. But if you go to other places like India peopel will make ghetto guns not much different than a musket. And for everything else there will be adjustments. Lets say you think that people can print money, well I got news people have been doing that without 3D printers for a long time. People all the make products, and that means any person can do it with a little resourceful thinking. 3D printers will just be another efficiency gain that is great for humans.
 
So HardOCP is publishing student manifestos as "technology news"? (read carefully, that's all it is).

I've built electronics that was housed in custom designed and printed plastic: the plastic was roughly as strong as the stuff they make plastic utensils out of, and couldn't handle heat at all. There are plenty of strategies to lay down matter (I think there is a makerbot variant that spits out chocolate or hard candy), yet our trusty heroes claim "any 3d printer" will make this gun.

Basically, it is just another student manifesto: this one a legal student who apparently considers reality to such a special case it need not be considered.
 
rudy said:
Take your tinfoil hat off. Nothing stops a person from making their own gun from far more common and less expensive products. We dont see it much in North America because we can own guns both here and in Canada. But if you go to other places like India peopel will make ghetto guns not much different than a musket. And for everything else there will be adjustments. Lets say you think that people can print money, well I got news people have been doing that without 3D printers for a long time. People all the make products, and that means any person can do it with a little resourceful thinking. 3D printers will just be another efficiency gain that is great for humans.
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The difference is that people who know how to make guns have a special work shop for it. Here you only need a 3D printer. RepRap was mentioned a lot in the video, and is a 3D printer anyone can build at home for cheap.

Obviously you couldn't get a gun just from a hunk of plastic. The RepRap can make itself, but it needs metal and electronics to finish it. The same will likely be the case with making guns. The needed parts can be acquired at Homedepot. Chances are the majority of components will be made of plastic, but the rest will be springs and metal tubes. You can get bullets from Walmart.

Acer_Sheep said:
I think the 3D printing is getting misunderstood, it's not intended to manufacture functional things. Nor I do believe the plastic filling in 3D printer would be strong enough to fire a bullet and don't be burned and destroyed in same time.
Click to expand...

The guy did talk about the need for higher quality plastics. So no, there isn't a working 3D printed gun yet. If you've ever tried plastic welding, you would know that a lot of plastics melt easily with the heat of a soldering gun. Very few plastics are resistant to high heat. Probably because nobody would ever waste their time trying to use plastic for something that can be done with metal.

3D printers will be used to make parts which you would need to assemble to get a working product. It wouldn't be for nothing much else besides making statues otherwise.
 
Ashbringer said:
I like the meaning he's trying to portray. We live in a world where borders and treaties are these imaginary things that is used to control people. Once you can make your own weapons, then all that control is meaningless. They obviously don't have a working gun, but they're not too far away from producing one through a 3D printer.

At some point, 3D printers are going to change the way we handle currency and information. It's going to get to a point where 3D printers could cripple companies and governments all around the world.
Click to expand...

People make their own guns now any competent machine shop can do it. 3D printing will not eliminate the need for precision machined parts such as barrels.
 
Max Mike said:
People make their own guns now any competent machine shop can do it. 3D printing will not eliminate the need for precision machined parts such as barrels.
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You don't even need precision barrels.

Just about anyone that paid attention in shop class should be able to produce a simple shotgun, as the barrel doesn't even need rifling so any reasonably straight pipe will do.
 
A 3D printed .22 is not going to change the world. A gun is nothing without ammunition, and you can't print that. Considering the price of the 3D printers, thugs can get the real thing cheaper on the black market. This is nothing.
 
tech-savvy revolutionaries who see the availability of a "printable gun" as potentially upending power structures across the globe.
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And how do they supposed they're going to print the rounds .. obviously if guns are so controlled by the government that you have to resort to printing one, surely the ammo is controlled too.
 
doesn't seem very doable for most consumer grade 3d printers. The tolerances would have to be incredibly accurate to be a safe gun to use IMO. However, 3D printers do now exist that can print metal that are capable of that sort of precision.

Check this out. It's a TED talk covering 3D printing and really opened my eyes to how necessary the technology is going forward. It allows things to be manufactured that was never possible before due to current casting techniques and cost constraints.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lisa_harouni_a_primer_on_3d_printing.html

Once this technology completely matures, they're going to be replicators.
 
As a business located within the United States, this is possibly illegal. Kyocera stated their ceramic knives contain trace amounts of metal shavings to be poured into moldings, so they can be detected by metal detectors. This was a requirement by the federal government. Supplying civilians (and criminals) with the tools necessary to create a weapon that does not comply to US regulations is effectively aiding in criminal activity and could be seen as an act of terrorism.

Yes, criminals could obtain a real handgun for far less, but a handgun that can be quickly reproduced & melted down after being discharged could become a very useful tool to larger criminal organizations. Along with it being able to pass air port security. Which a ceramic Glock supposedly can, yet I've never seen solid proof that a modern Glock can beat airport security. Just the stupid old internet claiming it can and we all know the internet is never wrong. pfft
 
derp said:
As a business located within the United States, this is possibly illegal. Kyocera stated their ceramic knives contain trace amounts of metal shavings to be poured into moldings, so they can be detected by metal detectors. This was a requirement by the federal government. Supplying civilians (and criminals) with the tools necessary to create a weapon that does not comply to US regulations is effectively aiding in criminal activity and could be seen as an act of terrorism.

Yes, criminals could obtain a real handgun for far less, but a handgun that can be quickly reproduced & melted down after being discharged could become a very useful tool to larger criminal organizations. Along with it being able to pass air port security. Which a ceramic Glock supposedly can, yet I've never seen solid proof that a modern Glock can beat airport security. Just the stupid old internet claiming it can and we all know the internet is never wrong. pfft
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I wouldn't worry about the legal ramifications, as much as making it easier for nut jobs to get them. I seriously doubt you could ever make an all plastic gun. Mostly plastic with a metal barrel yes.
 
Ashbringer said:
The difference is that people who know how to make guns have a special work shop for it. Here you only need a 3D printer. RepRap was mentioned a lot in the video, and is a 3D printer anyone can build at home for cheap.

Obviously you couldn't get a gun just from a hunk of plastic. The RepRap can make itself, but it needs metal and electronics to finish it. The same will likely be the case with making guns. The needed parts can be acquired at Homedepot. Chances are the majority of components will be made of plastic, but the rest will be springs and metal tubes. You can get bullets from Walmart.



The guy did talk about the need for higher quality plastics. So no, there isn't a working 3D printed gun yet. If you've ever tried plastic welding, you would know that a lot of plastics melt easily with the heat of a soldering gun. Very few plastics are resistant to high heat. Probably because nobody would ever waste their time trying to use plastic for something that can be done with metal.

3D printers will be used to make parts which you would need to assemble to get a working product. It wouldn't be for nothing much else besides making statues otherwise.
Click to expand...

You or I can make a gun right now with some metal pipe and a couple of springs and bolts from home depot. That's it. No special shop needed unless you call a hack saw a special shop. As of right now and for a quite a few years its going to cost you alot more to buy the printer. The point is it doesnt matter, and mass production with specialized tools will almost always be more efficient than a dynamic tool at low volume. There is nothing to worry or care about. 3D printers will just afford more people the option to get highly custom products, in fact it will create a whole new industry and set of jobs around the printers.
 
Keep in mind is that things like this are very long-term.

In 30 years we might have:
- wide, cheap, self-replicating availability of 3d printing tech
- next gen plastics/composites, much stronger than what is available today, at prices likely similar to today's carbon fiber, kevlar, Dyneema, etc, or cheaper.
- next gen encryption/privacy tech

If these three happen, any and all forms of gun control will effectively be useless. Anyone will be able to just anonymously download and 3D print whatever weapon they want. At any time, in any country.
 
michael.pa2 said:
Either way,it points out the big problem this could pose. A gun that can beat security metal detectors? Not really the most brilliant idea,is it?
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Since civilians have had access to composite weapons for a very long time now I'm sure the methods of detecting those types of weapons have also been available and in use for equally as long.
 
Security Guard : What's in the bag sir.
Terrorist : Nothing sir it's just printer.
Security Guard : You shouldn't have put it on your carry on, it's mighty heavy.
Terrorist : Sadly, I had to so i can get my work done on flight.
 
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