Author Topic: 3D Printing  (Read 4724 times)

Offline Fredbare

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3D Printing
« on: October 04, 2012, 12:41:17 PM »
I wonder if this news item caught anyone else's eye.
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-19813382

John

Offline AussieJimG

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Re: 3D Printing
« Reply #1 on: October 04, 2012, 04:25:56 PM »
I didn't see it John, but it looks like another 9 days wonder. :coffee:

If we allowed ourselves to be frightened of everything like this, we would get nothing done.

Jim

Offline jgroom

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Re: 3D Printing
« Reply #2 on: October 04, 2012, 05:04:10 PM »
This has been mentioned in several articles here in the U.S.  There are actually .STL files on at least one of the major repositories to print a firearm.  The consensus of firearms experts is that while it its an interesting idea, there are much easier, cheaper, and safer ways to cobble up a gun.  I have a Rep-Rap and I'd never trust a plastic print to contain the force of discharging a cartridge.  And yes there has been a bit of hand-wringing about the articles, but I don't expect the idea will amount to much.  :loco:

Cheers

Jeff

Offline shipto

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Re: 3D Printing
« Reply #3 on: October 05, 2012, 04:05:41 PM »
my thoughts exactly you could fire a bullet with a pipe and a hammer (not exactly safely mind you) If they tried to ban everything that could possibly fire a projectile we would be pretty screwed.
The bbc always pounce on gun scare stories.
Turns out this life c**p is just one big distraction from death but a good one. For the love of god dont give yourself time to think.
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Offline Lew_Merrick_PE

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Re: 3D Printing
« Reply #4 on: October 06, 2012, 11:38:06 AM »
The thing people do not understand is that firearms are (mostly) steel.  It takes about $2400 worth of equipment to set-up a system that would allow you to manufacture firearms (not necessarily high quality one, but workable ones).  If I am going to manufacture illegal firearms, it is simpler to make fully-automatic ones than it is to manufacture semi-automatic ones -- look at the history of firearms and you will see that fully automatic firearms were developed more than two decades prior to semi-automatic ones (though I will admit that a highly reliable, reasonably accurate, fully-automatic firearm is much more of a technical challenge than highly reliable, reasonably accurate, semi-automatic firearms are to make).  Notebooks from people such as Garrand and Turpin are "findable" on the internet.

Modern cordite & BKNO3 propellants and azide-based primers are items that, were you to attempt to make them at home, you would be caught -- by your local fire department!  This is why commercial propellant and primer lines are design to limit the damage when they catch fire in production (having designed my fair share of such systems over the years).