[citation][nom]JustPosting88[/nom]Just another failure for the M-16 class of rifles ;-PSeriously though, while I hate M-16/AR rifles, who would buy a rifle with a "plastic" receiver? Or even try to print and build one? For $350.00 (or less) Anyone can purchase a decent AK and not have a failure after 6 shots. Good materials for firearms: Steel and wood. Bad materials for firearms: Aluminum and plastic. Just saying.[/citation]
it depends on the parts and the cost. anything thats meant to fire, that needs to be steel, anything that is cosmetic or sued to hold the gun, that can be plastic and aluminum. so long as it doesn't effect accuracy or durability, it would be perfect parts to make lighter than using wood.
[citation][nom]gtvr[/nom]It's the light grey part in the picture at top. An AR15 has an "upper receiver" that connects to the barrel, holds some other parts, and a "lower reciever" that houses the trigger assembly & pistol grip. It is actually considered the firearm for legal purposes.[/citation]
ok i know very little about guns, so basically the lower receiver is the trigger area and the upper is where the bullet is chambered and comes out.
when they say printed a gun, they really mean just these two parts, you still need all the others to be normal barrels and such?
if my understanding is correct, what is the big deal? if you are a good enough artist, you could probably do the exact same thing with manual skills.
[citation][nom]ddpruitt[/nom]Actually this is the type of issue people uneducated in firearms will scream foul about. I can easily manufacture several types of dangerous devices from stuff I have laying around. If I go to Home Depot the sky's the limit. To correctly create a firearm still requires considerable skill, regardless of whether or not your using a 3D printer. Someone with this level of skill could easily use a lathe or drill press to create a firearm, these are readily available. There isn't an issue with people using these to make firearms because people who can afford to do so and have the skill can easily obtain a firearm some other way.[/citation]
i wouldnt even say skill there, because all you really need to do on a lathe is know how to run it, which isn't hard, and the specifications on the part, which if they are 3d printable, isn't the hardest thing to find either.
[citation][nom]Teramedia[/nom]And this is also why the 3D printer alone is not a replicator. Now if you printed a 3D negative of a part (basically, a mold), and then used that mold with the right material to cast parts, you can make much more interesting stuff. I doubt the 3D plastic can withstand high temperatures, though, so you might actually need to print a "positive" plastic mold for making a "negative" ceramic mold. Print the plastic mold, fill it with some liquid that dries as a ceramic, and then use that ceramic mold to cast metal parts. You lose a lot of precision in the mold process, so this probably wouldn't work for high-precision parts such as bearings, axles, slides or gears.[/citation]
now correct me if im wrong here. but clay is soft an malleable when wet, than when dry it gets harder and more hard to mold, but still not all that difficult, but you fire it... well there you go, its now hard enough to make into knives that don't lose edges.
apply this to plastic, im not doubting that there is a plastic that once you make it its soft enough you could chew it, but the moment it gets heated up and cools down, it would sooner shatter your teeth than chew able again.
will it be better than metal... probably not, but would it be a good enough replacement for most home needs and probalby fairly heat resistant, i think yes.
if you stop looking at this only as a will this be usefull in my every day life, and looking at it as more of a fun project maker, you really start to see the fun and use in a 3d printer lies right now.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram