New 3D Printer that can make everything from guns to live human tissue ? (illegal, weapons)
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Ok so my other half has been going on and on about this since he read about it a few days ago- he is amazed. Apparently there is something called a 3D printer and they only cost about $300 - $400 dollars BUT they have made guns and gun parts which is legal in US and they have actually made human tissue that could be used for skin, limbs, and even organs. Heres a few of the articles but if this is true imagine the possibilities here.
3D printing is a generic term that describes the process of laying down a semi-liquid material in precise 3D patterns and having it solidify in a specific shape. Most 3D printing is with polymers (plastics), but with different printers you can "print" anything from metals to fancy chocolates or even living tissue. The cheaper ones only work with small soft plastic parts. A living-tissue printer would cost a teensy bit more than $400.
Also, in order for a 3D gun to be legal, you still must comply with all Federal laws pertaining to firearm manufacture, including the mandate that all firearms must be detectable by airport screening devices (simply insert a chunk of metal).
Last edited by An Einnseanair; 06-17-2015 at 12:07 PM..
The hullaballoo is more over size and concealability. Yes, you can build a non-ID'd AR clone from an 80% lower, but it's still a full-size AR clone with lots of metal parts. People have been able to construct a polymer handgun before, but doing so required casting and machining skills and equipment.
The worry over the 3D printers is that any extremist yay-hoo with a few hundred dollars and an internet connection can print the parts for a totally non-detectable and fully concealable polymer handgun. It would be illegal, but when has that ever stopped anyone from killing someone they didn't like?
The hullaballoo is more over size and concealability. Yes, you can build a non-ID'd AR clone from an 80% lower, but it's still a full-size AR clone with lots of metal parts. People have been able to construct a polymer handgun before, but doing so required casting and machining skills and equipment.
The worry over the 3D printers is that any extremist yay-hoo with a few hundred dollars and an internet connection can print the parts for a totally non-detectable and fully concealable polymer handgun. It would be illegal, but when has that ever stopped anyone from killing someone they didn't like?
Assuming that you could build a completely non-metallic handgun, how is this problem different than CNC?
I think the stronger argument against home machining or 3d printing would be against modifications for full-auto, but that cow is long out of the barn.
Generally, I'd say that density is a harder problem from a concealment standpoint.
As I stated earlier, this is different from CNC because CNC machines are more expensive and require skill to program and operate. Building a gun with one would take time and training.
I have no machining experience, but I could easily purchase a 3D printer, download the plans, and build a non-detectable handgun in my basement in a matter of days. So could some extremists whacko who decides on the spur of the moment that the president needs to die.
I have a milling machine (prototrak type) and lathe in my garage that I do tons of gunsmithing on, it's my bread and butter for a little side income.
There is almost nothing I can not do in my garage already.
3D printers don't offer anything new they just cut out the middle man (a machinist or engineer.) But the majority of guys who want their guns modified are too lazy to learn the 3d modeling so they will go to a friend or a middle man anyway.
Or I can go to a "second amendment rights friendly" forum and have a full auto weapon by the end of the day for the right price.
In a convoluted way I think the OP is debating that 3D printers are bad because we can print gun parts but good because we can make life saving medical parts and now tissues.
As I stated earlier, this is different from CNC because CNC machines are more expensive and require skill to program and operate. Building a gun with one would take time and training.
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That strikes me as a difference that is no difference. Improvements in computerized control of stepper motors and (more importantly) lower cost will put machines that remove material into the same hands as those that buy machines that accrete it. Setup will become simpler over time.
Basically (and obviously), the ability of home hobbyists to fabricate is going to go up and up. I think that the 3d printing = bad guns is a false equivalence,although it makes for good newsprint. The genie is out of the bottle in any case.
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