Free Republic

A West Virginia carpenter by the name of Derwood has developed a small 3D printed semi-automatic 9mm weapon which only requires metal for the steel barrel, springs and bullets. Three years ago, the first 3D printed gun was fabricated, a simple weapon called "The Liberator," and since that time the weapons have been evolving. The United States Gun Control Act (GCA) of 1968 allows citizens to manufacture their own guns, as long as they do not sell or transfer them without first obtaining a federal license. "This gun has been a work in process for about a year now," Derwood...

If you've been keeping up with 3D printing news at all, you're probably pretty familiar with metal 3D printing by now. It's one of the fastest-growing sectors in the industry; just about every major 3D printer manufacturer is scrambling to keep up with the rapidly developing metal technology. Not only is it becoming less expensive and more accessible, but material capabilities keep expanding, with new metals and alloys being introduced on what seems like a weekly basis by certain companies. Even if you have only a basic knowledge of metal 3D printing, you probably know that it's done with powder...

With the internet age and its endless possibilities in the realms of publishing, communication, and collaboration, opportunities have never been so widely accessible for creators. But how has our new digital world affected the pathways to invention? In Inventology: How We Dream Up Things That Change the World, out today, journalist Pagan Kennedy offers a fresh take on how the digital era has upended the traditional pathways for creation. When Kennedy began writing about inventors for The New York Times, she soon "would marvel at how few of the people were professional inventors, designers, in corporate innovation labs." It led...

Bengaluru: At a time when scientists all over the world are struggling to develop artificial liver tissue, three Bengaluru scientists have actually developed such tissues that perform functions of the human liver. This breakthrough has not just brightened hopes for patients seeking liver tissues from live donors, but has also brought a potential alternative to artificial extracorporeal liver support (or liver dialysis) used in detoxification treatment for liver failure - a process similar to hemodialysis. The trio that achieved the breakthrough comprises Arun Chandru, Dr Abdullah Chand and Dr Sivarajan T - all senior scientists at Pandorum Technologies Pvt Ltd,...

In a matter of two days, history was made at Chicago's McCormick Place, as the world's first 3-D printed electric car -- named Strati, Italian for "layers"-- took its first test drive. "Less than 50 parts are in this car," said Jay Rogers from Local Motors.

For a company that has emphasized they are not entering the 3D printing arena, Samsung sure does like applying for patents. We’ve covered similar stories on Apple and their patent applications as well, with mum being the general and concise word on their particular end. Often, while we can see what these mega-companies have going on conceptually, all that’s left to do is speculate. But boy, everyone sure is giving us some good stuff to chew on lately. Last we checked, Samsung had been awarded a patent regarding multicolor ink for 3D printing, That 3D printer concept operates with several...

Possessing files that can be used to 3D print firearms will soon be illegal in New South Wales after new legislation, passed last week by state parliament, comes into effect. Among the provisions of the Firearms and Weapons Prohibition Legislation Amendment Bill 2015 is an amendment to the Weapons Prohibition Act 1998 stating that a person "must not possess a digital blueprint for the manufacture of a firearm on a 3D printer or on an electronic milling machine." The maximum penalty is 14 years' jail. The provision does not apply to any person with a licence to manufacture firearms or...

Shortage of organs for transplantation has been one of the most challenging endeavor that patients, families and health care providers face today. But now, a possible novel answer to organ shortage has arrived: 3D printing of substitute organs. Numerous measures have been implemented to widen the pool of organ donors all across the U.S. Interventions to address the problem of organ shortage include national programs to heighten deceased donor donation, paired donor exchanges and split organ donation, among many others. Actions to hasten public awareness, enhance efficiency of donation mechanism and standardize donation policies have resulted in remarkable rates of...

A Real Railgun Made By 3D Printing – Fires 560 MPH Plasma ProjectilesIf you think the image above looks frightening, you’re right. The crazy contraption pictured in the image is the first portable railgun, a futuristic projectile launcher associated most commonly with the military or NASA. The man in the image above isn’t in the military, and he’s not a NASA engineer. Instead, he’s a civilian who used some engineering smarts, some widely available parts and a 3D printer to create a functioning weapon that can fire graphite, aluminum, tungsten and even plasma projectiles at speeds of more than 560...

A homebuilt, portable railgun is claimed to have achieved projectile energies comparable to commonly available air rifles.In the picture above, the capacitors, which store the railgun electrical energy, have been painted white.  They are the large cylindrical objects at the front and bottom of the gun.. Here is a video of a test of the railgun.  The rail gun can be carried, contains its own power supply for a single shot, and expels a projectile fast enough to make a half inch dent in plywood.  It probably would have penetrated the plywood, if the plywood had not had a...

If you think the image above looks frightening, you’re right. The crazy contraption pictured in the image is the first portable railgun, a futuristic projectile launcher associated most commonly with the military or NASA. The man in the image above isn’t in the military, and he’s not a NASA engineer. Instead, he’s a civilian who used some engineering smarts, some widely available parts and a 3D printer to create a functioning weapon that can fire graphite, aluminum, tungsten and even plasma projectiles at speeds of more than 560 mph. And then there’s the best part: There are videos of this...

3D printing is proving to be a potential game changer for a wide variety of fields. One group in particular that could benefit is the medical community, thanks to a recent development by scientists that could make it easier to print organs from living tissue. How? By printing structures inside of special gel that provides support during the build process. New Scientist reports that researchers from the University of Florida in Gainesville came to the breakthrough method while searching for a way to enable the printing of items that cannot support their own weight. The technique prints objects inside a...

Forget 3D-printed food and 3D-printed cars. A hotel owner in the Philippines is 3D-printing an entire hotel suite, and unlike other 3D-printed buildings done before, this one will be completely and entirely operational, which means, if you're thinking of vacationing in the country soon, you'll be able to book a night at the 3D-printed suite. The Lewis Grand Hotel in Angeles City, Pampanga in the Philippines will soon have the very first 3D-printed hotel suite in the world. The idea to 3D print an entire room was proposed to hotel owner Lewis Yakich, materials science engineer and home builder from...

As the vital relationship between 3D printing and medical science continues to flourish, potentially life-altering developments continue to be made. A national team of researchers has developed a first-of-its-kind, 3D-printed guide that helps regrow both the sensory and motor functions of complex nerves after injury. The groundbreaking research, undertaken in Minnesota, has the potential to help more than 200,000 people annually who experience nerve injuries or disease. Nerve regeneration is a complex process. Because of this complexity, regrowth of nerves after injury or disease is very rare, according to the Mayo Clinic. Nerve damage is often permanent. While the peripheral...

Researchers were able to build the printer with off-the-shelf commodity parts for $7K.MIT researchers, using off-the-shelf components, have built a 3D printer capable of building with 10 photopolymer materials at once. And the school's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) said the researchers were able to build the printer for less than $7,000. That compares to systems that print with just three materials at one time and can cost $250,000. The MultiFab 3D printer works by mixing together microscopic droplets of photopolymers that are then extruded through inkjet printheads similar to those in office printers. The printing process is...

One day 3D printers will be able to churn out working electronics and fully-functional machines, instead of just plastic parts. And that day is now slightly closer with MIT CSAIL’s MultiFab 3D printer that can use ten different materials to build working devices in a single print run. For 3D printers to fully realize their Star Trek ‘replicator’ potential they can’t just be one part of the manufacturing process, they need to do it all. The holy grail of 3D printing is to one day let anyone recreate any device with a simple button press. We want to be able...

ZHUHAI, China, Aug. 12, 2015 /PR Newswire/ -- Zhuhai CTC Electronic Co., Ltd, a leading 3D printer manufacturer in China, announced the debut of its latest multi-functional 3D printer, the Formaker, on the world's biggest crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, kicking off a 30-day crowdfunding campaign. The Formaker, priced at US$999 on the crowdfunding platform, deploys a modular design and integrates four powerful functionalities: high-precision 3D printing, CNC engraving, laser cutting and PCB etching, making the printer one of the most compelling and dedicated multi-functional desktop devices available in the market. Weighing in at 26 lbs., the Formaker features a robust metal...

While several companies have developed 3D printing materials and processes with similar properties capable of simulating silicone, so far 3D printing with actual silicone materials hasn’t been possible. However, 100 year old chemical manufacturing giant WACKER CHEMIE revealed in their recently released Q2 Report that their WACKER SILICONES division has developed new technology making it possible to use silicone 3D printing materials with additive manufacturing technology. The new technology was developed alongside German product development company Ingenieure GmbH, and will have applications in markets as diverse as the medical industry, automotive parts, contact lenses and consumer products. The reason that...

ItÂ’s been close to six months since we initially covered the Covington, Kentucky-based company Plus-Mfg and their unique take on metal 3D printing. Whereas other companies use lasers to sinter or melt metal powders one layer at a time, Plus-Mfg takes a different approach, combining old technology with new. Unveiling their +1000k 3D printer in March of this year at Automate 2015 in Chicago, Plus-Mfg impressed many within the crowd. The +1000k uses inert gas shielded arc welding technology to rapidly print using multiple metal materials, one layer at a time. When compared to other technologies such as direct metal...

(VIDEO-AT-LINK) A California automotive start-up is hoping their prototype supercar will redefine car manufacturing. The sleek race car dubbed 'Blade' didn't come off an assembly line - but out of a 3D printer. Kevin Czinger of Divergent Microfactories has spent most of his career in the automotive industry. One day he realized that no matter how fuel-efficient or how few tailpipe emissions the modern car has, the business of car manufacturing is destroying the environment. "3D printing of metal radically changes that. By looking at 3D printing not for that overall structure but to create individual modular structures that can...