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3D Printing of Guns at Home Making Gun Grabbers Nervous
http://thenewamerican.com/tech/computers/item/14393-3d-printing-of-guns-at-home-making-gun-grabbers-nervous ^ | Feb 1, 2013 | Bob Adelmann

Posted on 02/02/2013 8:44:42 AM PST by EXCH54FE

When the New York Times wrote of the improved technology of 3D printing this writer responded with a frivolous blog about it, scoring the concerns of anti-gun people about how the technology will allow everyone who wants one to have a gun without government oversight or knowledge. One of those in the anti-gun camp is Josh Horwitz, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, who said that 3D printing is “going to be a big concern. We don’t know how that’s going to come about and don’t know what technology.”

That technology is evolving before his very eyes. The RepRap Project aims to produce free and open source software for 3D printers, including software that allows the printer to produce its own parts. Two years ago RepRap allowed printers to create tiny plastic parts for small motors as well as circuit boards for computers. Today it allows hobbyists to build household items like fully-functional clocks, flashlights, iPad cases, watchbands … and receivers for rifles.

And it is this virtual explosion in technology that is making other gun controllers increasingly nervous, including Mark Gibbs, a contributor at Forbes, who wrote,

I’m in favor of tighter gun control and a ban on weapons that are unnecessarily powerful but I’m afraid that technology will soon make any legislation that limits the availability of any kinds of guns ineffective.

With the decrease in prices for 3D printers, and the improvement in the software to drive them, the capability to print weapons at home is coming into the reach of the average citizen. Gibbs warned,

Using either free or low cost computer aided drafting software you can create digital 3D models of pretty much anything you can think of and, with hardly any fuss, your 3D printer will render them as physical objects.

(Excerpt) Read more at thenewamerican.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: banglist; guncontrol; secondamendment
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To: davisfh

“I can assure you that, should you replicate .... load and fire it, you would require a trip to the hospital or morgue.”

Sintering metal powder with a laser could produce very strong material with a 3-d printer. It would be a specialized printer, but it is doable.


21 posted on 02/02/2013 9:32:41 AM PST by Born to Conserve
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To: EXCH54FE

ENOUGH! Quit posting idiotic articles about printing guns! Printing plastic parts is not printing a gun. And don’t tell me about printing metal parts - that process is beyond home based tinkerers and probably cannot create the critical gun parts either. Powder metallurgy has been around forever and I notice that it is NOT used to make gun parts subject to high pressures. If you want to make a gun, buy a decent milling machine and learn how to use it. Guns are not complicated but even at today’s prices and lack of availability they are much easier to buy than make from scratch. Since there are 300 million in circulation, whatever you want will be available (at some high price) in the US for the foreseeable future - legally or illegally.


22 posted on 02/02/2013 9:34:43 AM PST by zagger
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To: zagger

“Quit posting idiotic articles...”

Many can make a workable, “real” gun in their home shop — what is at issue is grandma pushing a button and out plops a gun. There are many jurisdiction who’s definition of “gun” includes some pretty flimsy air guns — these can now be printed by “grandma”. In Australia, you can break the law making a practical “gun” with a 3-d printer.

So quit posting posts telling people to quit posting articles ....


23 posted on 02/02/2013 9:41:05 AM PST by Born to Conserve
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Freepers, your Contributions make every difference!
Please keep ‘em coming! Thank you all very much!

24 posted on 02/02/2013 9:45:28 AM PST by RedMDer (HEY LIBS! GUN FREE ZONE T-SHIRTS AVAILABLE NOW. I DARE YA!)
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To: zagger

Yeah, I’d be a little leery of firing a lot of rounds out of even a sintered part. It’s just asking for trouble. Then again, if you’re looking for something that only needs to fire 5 rounds or so (3 for target group, 1 for actual shot, and one just in case the first misses).......I think that’s what has the wannabe’s panties in a bunch, more than being able to print out a machine gun.


25 posted on 02/02/2013 9:47:14 AM PST by Tench_Coxe
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To: zagger
I've got both lathe and milling machine, so I've got a clue.

I like seeing the 3-D printer articles because the rate of advancement in both the printers and materials technology is so fast today, compared to the last 20 years.

Also of interest is the social impact of this technology. This article is a prime example.

If the owner of the site doesn't want articles posted, he can (and does) yank them down.

/johnny

26 posted on 02/02/2013 9:53:58 AM PST by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

“Mandatory registration of all 3D printers.”

Communist countries have mandatory registration of copiers and printers for the same reason. We must likewise oppose such registration for the same reason: freedom.


27 posted on 02/02/2013 9:56:15 AM PST by ctdonath2 (End of debate. Your move.)
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To: bigbob
But right now, the state-of-the-3D-printing-art is a gun that blows up after 6 rounds

And what was the state of the art 2 years ago? This train is moving fast. ;)

/johnny

28 posted on 02/02/2013 9:56:33 AM PST by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: eyeamok
"The good SLA versions are about 3-5 grand, they use a resin instead of abs, That is what the guys that made the ar15 lowers used, not the ABS inkjet type, which are only $500"

You answered my question before I even asked - FReepers are the best! :-)

29 posted on 02/02/2013 10:03:47 AM PST by uncommonsense (Conservatives believe what they see; Liberals see what they believe.)
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To: uncommonsense

Prices should start to come down soon if they don’t OUTLAW them altogether, I am going to get one if they get below $2000, the ones I was looking at were about $3500.


30 posted on 02/02/2013 10:37:16 AM PST by eyeamok
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To: uncommonsense

“The good SLA versions

I had to chuckle a little on the SLA, Shades of Patty Hearst lol!


31 posted on 02/02/2013 10:43:26 AM PST by Conserev1 ("Still Clinging to my Bible and my Weapon")
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To: Born to Conserve

And if you think the nervous nellies are having conniptions about 3-D printers in plastic. . . . wait 10-15 years, and nanotech-assembler “printers” should start showing up.

And then Grandma CAN press a button and out comes a gun. . .


32 posted on 02/02/2013 10:52:47 AM PST by Salgak (Acme Lasers presents: The Energizer Border. I **DARE** you to cross it. . . .)
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To: OneWingedShark; All
From what I understand there are printers which can do metals — and if there aren’t, it’s achievable w/ (a) metal powder and (b) a laser.

This really requires another thread..

I am not enamored with this printing, did SLA files when it was cutting edge, and I know enough about Metallurgy, heat treating, plating, Normalizing etc to make me dangerous, I don't see it.....

But the for-mentioned thread for these below, and check out the other videos while on the page.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao319dj6kiM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A10XEZvkgbY

33 posted on 02/02/2013 10:54:14 AM PST by taildragger (( Tighten the 5 point harness and brace for Impact Freepers, ya know it's coming..... ))
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To: uncommonsense
I’ve got a dozen ideas for inventions that I could knock out quickly with a 3D printer. Note to self, find access to one...

If you are handy building things, the RepRap project may be for you. RepRaps are the cheapest, (but lowest print quality) of any 3D printer. They are built from scratch. They have a side goal of trying to be as fully self reproduceable as possible. This means that a RepRap printer is designed to be created from RepRap printed parts. A RepRap printer can build about 75% of the parts for the RepRap printers, only things like the electronics need to be bought. So once you have one RepRap, you can keep building others.

If you don't want to do that, there are several models less than $2000 now.

34 posted on 02/02/2013 11:01:21 AM PST by Vince Ferrer
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To: EXCH54FE
Dunno how viable this is, but...

I like the idea that libtards are afraid of it :)
35 posted on 02/02/2013 11:03:42 AM PST by 45semi (A police state is always preceded by a nanny state...)
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To: EXCH54FE

The author states he is in favor of gun control. That’s where I quit reading.


36 posted on 02/02/2013 12:19:30 PM PST by ozzymandus
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To: EXCH54FE

The Roland stuff is pretty much bottom of the line compared to other tech available today. My company has an MDX-40 that we use a lot, but it is only good for relatively small part in relatively soft materials. Useful as heck, though.

QU-BD has a 3D printer/mill that will do additive fabbing (deposition) and subtractive fabbing (standard milling) under development. Their target is to hit about $2700 for a unit that does both. The milling side is specced to handle stainless steels.

http://store.qu-bd.com/product.php?id_product=45


37 posted on 02/02/2013 12:23:47 PM PST by Wonder Warthog
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To: davisfh
"I can assure you that, should you replicate a gun in one of these new "printers" and attempted to load and fire it, you would require a trip to the hospital or morgue."

Won't last. 3D printing in metals is available today (though quite expensive), yielding products that are as strong or stronger than those machined "normally" (better control of grain size, and spot-customized heat treatment throughout the part, etc). Quite soon, guns and other devices made by 3D printing will perform better than standard machined.

38 posted on 02/02/2013 12:24:00 PM PST by Wonder Warthog
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To: EXCH54FE

I love the smell of burning gun printing trolls, they must be the same crowd as the ones who hate Sarah Palin and any Orly Taitz birther threads.

A printed gun WILL work, allowing for the material weakness you just make a beefier component until you can get a superior printing material. A printed gun does not have to be a .357 Python or a Glock, it only has to be a zip gun.
Even after only a period of weeks the AR lower project has advanced farther than predicted and will continue doing so.

The 3D printer has left the station, and you naysayer folks are standing there in the rain, cold, wet, dejected that you are not on it.


39 posted on 02/02/2013 2:00:56 PM PST by Eye of Unk (AR2 2013 is the American Revolution part 2 of 2013)
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To: bigbob
But right now, the state-of-the-3D-printing-art is a gun that blows up after 6 rounds

I have some "special projects" that would only require one shot.

40 posted on 02/02/2013 3:16:49 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum (TYRANNY: When the people fear the politicians. LIBERTY: When the politicians fear the people.)
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