How to build a big gun with a 3D printer
Should probably have titled this one, "Smart kid kills the world" because this kid seems a little crazy to me. But that aside I've been trying to visualize how this 3D printer thing works. I've seen dozens of stories about how they're using this technology to build everything from spare body parts to automatic weaponry. Now thanks to Roger Ebert at least I understand, "How to print out a firearm in the comfort of your own home."
Calling it printing is somewhat deceiving. It's more like you design it in 3D and then build the model from the specs with a fairly simple machine. They're using plastic in this video. Not sure how that would work with metal. Would think you need a much different setup to build that. And I'm still mystified on how they would build body parts. I mean what do they use for the human tissue in the construction? Nonetheless, rather astounding technology.
Calling it printing is somewhat deceiving. It's more like you design it in 3D and then build the model from the specs with a fairly simple machine. They're using plastic in this video. Not sure how that would work with metal. Would think you need a much different setup to build that. And I'm still mystified on how they would build body parts. I mean what do they use for the human tissue in the construction? Nonetheless, rather astounding technology.
Labels: Gun Laws, science, technology
posted by Libby Spencer at 5:32 PM
6 Comments:
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I deleted some far too long winded comments here, but suffice it to say, this is a bit of puffery. Getting a license for automatic weapons is difficult and expensive and owning one without that license is massively illegal even if you build one -- something you can do with ordinary metal shop equipment.
Printing a plastic lower receiver doesn't mean you're printing a gun, only a part.
This is not much better than all the Zombie Apocalypse nonsense out there and perhaps it was meant to be distributed next monday.
That's what was confusing me. All the headlines I've seen have said they were printing guns. According to the video, that lower piece he was building is what makes it an automatic. Or maybe it's a semi-automatic -- what do I know. But in the demo, the guy was squeezing off a lot of shots in a row.
I'm actually more interested in how they build the body parts.
Meaning of course, human body parts, not more parts for guns.
Printing out a whole new body might be an interesting idea.
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