The world’s first 3D-printed gun

[Ought Six]

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/1...3d-printed-gun





Plastic AR lower made on a 3D printer used to make a .22LR AR pistol. This is the future arriving in the now.

[Mackie]

Only the plastics were printed?
I thought it was a DMLS piece.

[Ought Six]

There are already 3D printers that work in metal. However, I think it will be a long time before we have a 3D printer that can make barrels, bolts, firing pins and hammers with the correct metallurgy. Those parts are hardened, and duplicating that in a 3D printing process will be quite the engineering challenge. But that is where we are headed. We may even see new and superior materials to hardened steel for those parts.

[Mackie]

IIRC turbine blades are already possible in mass production. But they have to become more precise for gun parts.

[Ought Six]

IIRC turbine blades are already possible in mass production. But they have to become more precise for gun parts.

Turbine blades require tighter tolerances and greater strength than gun parts, if you are talking about jet engine turbine blades. They are also usually made of titanium, a notoriously difficult metal to deal with. I did not know that level of 3D printer technology was already available. If that can be done, then there is no barrier to making all gun parts using that process.

Do you have any further info on that? Any links would be appreciated.

[snowflakes]

Turbine blades require tighter tolerances and greater strength than gun parts, if you are talking about jet engine turbine blades. They are also usually made of titanium, a notoriously difficult metal to deal with. I did not know that level of 3D printer technology was already available. If that can be done, then there is no barrier to making all gun parts using that process.

Do you have any further info on that? Any links would be appreciated.

x2 Turbine blades are in the extreme end of tight tolerances and are usually made from nickel based superalloy... I really doubt that there is 3D printer that can produce these blades as all info that I have come a cross states that 3D printers can't yet achieve same tolerances as machining.

[Cstafford]

When they make carbon fiber a printable material everything will be awesome.

[MeiJoa]

Turbine blade tips are repaired by laser sintering, however that is not very precise for barrels at least. Its possible right now ton completely print a gun but nowhere in the performance range of modern weapons. A low power shotgun should be possible.

Carbon fiber materials can not be printed, at least not the usual stuff as its a long filament fabric with polymeres. Nano tube reinforced plastic is another story...

A laser sintered part:

[dave81]

Wake me up when they can print out a 3-D version of Kate Upton.