The Austin guys at Distributed Defense are working on a 3-D printed gun. However, they lack a real engineer on the team (one is an electrical engineer, they need a mechanical one) as well as someone who understands material science (so they don’t end up with a gun that melts or deforms during use).
There’s real potential with the technology, but the “print a 3-D gun” effort needs more engineers behind it before it could become a reality.
I just hope someone takes up that cause before the bill to make 3-D printing of guns illegal passes.
3D Printing of Magazines Used by Kel-Tec for Three Years
1/16/2013 9:05:47 PM • by marktwain • 10 replies
Gun Watch ^ | 17 January, 2012 | Dean Weingarten
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2978965/posts
3D printed magazines have been successfully used by Kel-Tec for three years, I discovered at the NSSF Shot Show in Las Vegas yesterday. I talked to Tobias Obermeit, Lead Design Engineer at Kel-Tec, one of the most innovative firearms manufacturers in the United States. Mr. Obermeit said that “Without 3D printing, the PMR-30 would not have been developed, especially the magazine.” Mr. Obermeit informed me that a prototype magazine would be printed and then be used for 100 to 150 rounds, when they would develop cracks. The magazine would then be discarded and another magazine printed.