Defense Distributed Is The Greatest

[ICantSpellDawg]

I think they've mastered the AR lower receiver.
Video of testers firing 600 rounds through a printed polymer lower receiver.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Video of testers firing printed 30 round magazines on selected-fire to show the resilience.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

...On a printer that will likely be in each of our homes within the next 5-10 years.

Feel free to donate money to urge them on in their noble effort and buy your own AR today if you can find one and still live in a free state. Build on, Wayne

Here is Dvorak's Tempo Di Valse, in case you were wondering

[Crazed Rabbit]

This is the beginning of the end of gun control.

CR

[Fragony]

I took this for an april's fools joke, how is this actually possible?

[Greyblades]

Ok, you can make guns, can you make viable bullets, percussion caps and propellant from these? Otherwise it's just models.

[Idaho]

I don't understand. Is it saying you can print the whole gun, or just a few parts of it? How do you make the barrel?

Doubt it would make much difference in the UK, as it's very hard to get bullets, and I doubt you can print those.

[Husar]

You can just buy a standard issue copper pipe for plumbing and use it as the barrel, maybe put some vaseline inside to reduce the stress on the somewhat weaker copper material. Or buy a standard issue household hardened steel printer, which will soon be available. If the plastic printers can also print carbon materials or nanotube barrels then the government can finally be overthrown as well.

The future is bright, mostly from the gunfire and explosions.

[Fragony]

I don't understand. Is it saying you can print the whole gun, or just a few parts of it? How do you make the barrel?

Doubt it would make much difference in the UK, as it's very hard to get bullets, and I doubt you can print those.

It's very easy really, you can just order them from Belgium

[Idaho]

Ok. So I have printed my stock, magazine and trigger. I've ordered my barrel from Belgium and smuggled in my bullets from Russia. Will I finally be safe from the king of England?

[gaelic cowboy]

bah big deal some company decides to print a piece of 19th century tech.



The real innovators are talking about printing everything from toys, musical instruments, clothes and jet engines.
This is going to be big and just like in the music industry has the potential to turn manufacturing upside down.

The exporting of manufactured goods will essentially evaporate overnight once it becomes widely available.

[Greyblades]

Wow. Imagine the computer parts you could make with this stuff.

[gaelic cowboy]

Wow. Imagine the computer parts you could make with this stuff.

The parts might be big at first but you could print hundreds of chips and essentially create a super computer.

You could print a house or a car if you like, maybe you fancy building a corporate jet or a spaceshuttle. The only limit is the size of the printer and the material for the printer itself.

But even that can be overcome with some clever CAD design (or download someone elses)

Major corporations we think are monolithic will go bust as they wont be able to monetise the new system.

[ICantSpellDawg]

3d printing is that big thing that we've been wondering about. It will destroy the economy of China... and probably the rest of the world. But the possibilities are endless, guns, household parts, car parts, computer parts, etc.

As far as bullets go, getting smokeless powder will be tricky. You can print the casing in polymer and will be able to print the projectile, but the only powder that you will be able to get no matter what is black powder, which will render an AR15 completely ineffective due to the soot - the primer will be easy enough, but you won't have an effective modern weapon. This is the next problem, but I'd imagine that printable rail guns or some other magnetic accelerator arent too far behind.

[HopAlongBunny]

Pretty wild stuff :)

I remember listening to a lady who was touting the ability to have your feet scanned, and print custom-fit shoes on the spot. The savings in labour, transportation and inventory management would be huge.

Too bad for the schlobs out-of-work...

[Sir Moody]

3d printing is that big thing that we've been wondering about. It will destroy the economy of China... and probably the rest of the world. But the possibilities are endless, guns, household parts, car parts, computer parts, etc.

As far as bullets go, getting smokeless powder will be tricky. You can print the casing in polymer and will be able to print the projectile, but the only powder that you will be able to get no matter what is black powder, which will render an AR15 completely ineffective due to the soot - the primer will be easy enough, but you won't have an effective modern weapon. This is the next problem, but I'd imagine that printable rail guns or some other magnetic accelerator aren't too far behind.

While Gauss guns would be the holy grail of this sort of technology they just are not feasible for hand held weapons without radical changes in our ability to generate power - to get the same velocity as a standard firearm you need a massive amount of energy to generate a large enough magnetic field - right now the best we can a manage for a hand held gun would be similar in velocity to a air gun - and would have a fire rate similar to a crossbow

personally I find that comforting because they are really easy to make...

The technology is far better suited to static or mounted emplacements where larger generators (and longer barrels) can be employed

I believe DARPA has a coilgun department so maybe they will crack it someday

[Hooahguy]

Feinstein is gonna have a heart attack when she sees this.

[Greyblades]

Too bad for the schlobs out-of-work...

Hey maybe we'll finally go all star trek; abandon all concept of employment, only doing required professions out of general boredom instead of financial incentive and become directionless hippies like Gene Roddenberry dreamed :P
I don't think too many would be out of work, at least in the service based western economies, most of the things this would replace are already almost completely automated and currently this seems too inefficient to replace the output of Asian sweatshops. As with all things: convenience wins out, unless the build time is reduced to a matter of minutes I don't see this replacing the average persons shopping trips any time soon.

[gaelic cowboy]

Feinstein is gonna have a heart attack when she sees this.

Never mind Feinstein every company ceo, bankster, investor vampire squid and pension fund will run in fear from this.
3d printing has far bigger implications than your puny attempts at gun laws, there is an entire social and economic order about to be turfed out.

[gaelic cowboy]

Hey maybe we'll finally go all star trek and become directionless hippies :
I don't think too many would be out of work, at least in the service based western economies, most of the things this would replace are already almost completely automated and this seems really inefficient for bulk manufacturing. As with all things: convenience wins out, unless the build time is reduced to a matter of minutes I don't see this replacing the average persons shopping trips any time soon.

if only but i am afraid it will be very disruptive and unfortunately millions of people worldwide will lose there jobs.

The exporting of goods could and probably will end in the majority of cases, people will get stuff printed locally and delivered by post.

It will be impossible to police intelectual property effectively so companies will have to switch to providing services or go bust.

[Hooahguy]

Never mind Feinstein every company ceo, bankster, investor vampire squid and pension fund will run in fear from this.
3d printing has far bigger implications than your puny attempts at gun laws, there is an entire social and economic order about to be turfed out.

True, though only when 3D printers become more available.

[ICantSpellDawg]

Right. The internet is the coolest thing in the history of the world to date. Home 3d printing is high on that list as well

[HopAlongBunny]

I just think of how short the logistics chain becomes and the huge number of jobs that go "bye bye". Cheap only matters if you have a job/money.

[gaelic cowboy]

I just think of how short the logistics chain becomes and the huge number of jobs that go "bye bye". Cheap only matters if you have a job/money.

There are massive social implications that will have real world economic implications, if you can print a BMW or a Mercedes how does a person advertise there high status.

I am guessing certain mass market luxury brands will disappear as people display high status through bespoke design.

[Idaho]

Those with the control of raw materials, land and energy reserves will have what they want. The rest of us will be whoring to pay for some gunge for the replicator tank so we can get shoes for the kids. A bit like now really.

[gaelic cowboy]

Those with the control of raw materials, land and energy reserves will have what they want. The rest of us will be whoring to pay for some gunge for the replicator tank so we can get shoes for the kids. A bit like now really.

Indeed that is a given.

[Husar]

As long as I can print myself a crossbow, I'll be happy. I assume the wood and sinew are not a problem, I'll just put a block of wood and a pig into the printer.

This is nice technology but I wouldn't expect the revolution just yet, it's going to cost a lot and the metal printer probably uses quite a bit of electric energy as well, so if every household had one we'd have to turn all the lights of to be able to use them...
Unless we plan to put a NPP into every town.

[HoreTore]

I think it's cute how gun control is linked to 3D-printing.

Of all the useless things to care about.....

[Idaho]

I love the name "Defence Distributed". I wonder how long it takes before someone defends the crap out of some school kids with one of these?

[Idaho]

I think it's cute how gun control is linked to 3D-printing.

Of all the useless things to care about.....

American libertarians are nut jobs, but they have money and an interest in science and innovation, so they are preferable to American religious nut jobs.

[HoreTore]

I love the name "Defence Distributed". I wonder how long it takes before someone defends the crap out of some school kids with one of these?

Well, if you had mental capabilities well below any normal person, your answer to that would be "then we'll arm them teachers with dem paper guns hurr durr"...

American libertarians are nut jobs, but they have money and an interest in science and innovation, so they are preferable to American religious nut jobs.

I've been all giddy over the prospect of 3d-printing for the last 5 years or so. The possibilities are beyond counting. To then see it used like this.... I feel abused.

[HoreTore]

As usual, the Europeans fail to understand a key part of our culture. Its okay, we forgive you for it. That's why generation after generation left your continent for this one in the first place.

"Your" culture....?

Last I checked, roughly half of your population was in favour of stricter gun control. How did you manage to mentally spirit away 150 million people? Are they lesser Americans, or what?

If you want to call something "your culture", it would seem that "bitching, whining and generally disagreeing on the level of gun availability" is your culture.