3D-printed Firearms

[sheit]

Hello,

I've just started writing what you could call a dissertation (although much less extensive than a usual one) about 3D-printed Firearms and their implications on primarily but not only gun control.
When I chose this topic over a year ago, all that had really been developed (or that I had heard about anyway) was the Defense Distributed stuff (namely the Liberator and the AR-15 Lower Reciever).
Now, however, there seems to be quite a bit more. So far, I've seen some allegedly partially 3D-printed SKS firing test, an article about some Japanese guy who got arrested for owning 5 different 3D-printed Firearms,
at least two of which could fire lethal ammunition (aka work, if I understood it correctly) and I've seen some 3D-printed revolver that is named after the Japanese guy.

What are all these new weapons, where did they come from, where can I find some concrete information on them? I seemingly can't even find out who developed most of them.

So, can someone who has researched this more thoroughly than I have, or even someone who just happens to have stumbled upon some information (anyone who knows anything on this topic really) post as much information as possible?
It would help me out a great deal (no, seriously, my graduation is pretty much dependant on this). Thanks in advance.

Edit:
In case it wasn't clear enough from the post above: I have no interest in developing or printing any sort of weaponry, I don't even need the blueprints, I am just writing a dissertation!

[-willy-]

Careful on what you print. You do realiize that by publishing intent to create the government can start taking an interest in whether they can come seize your property because you want to violate federal laws. No I dont know what federal laws. Yet the last American that I heard of creating a fire arm lost his printers and computers. From what you have written you are expressing intent of making something that has been deemed illegal. The reason that you dont see it anywhere online is because of it being illegal. I suggest you avoid doing anything other than magazines or receiver stocks. Otherwise we will be reading about you as well in the news.

Just my 2 pennies.

[nicanor76]

He's writing ABOUT 3d printed firearms, not making.

[sheit]

Careful on what you print. You do realiize that by publishing intent to create the government can start taking an interest in whether they can come seize your property because you want to violate federal laws. No I dont know what federal laws. Yet the last American that I heard of creating a fire arm lost his printers and computers. From what you have written you are expressing intent of making something that has been deemed illegal. The reason that you dont see it anywhere online is because of it being illegal. I suggest you avoid doing anything other than magazines or receiver stocks. Otherwise we will be reading about you as well in the news.

Just my 2 pennies.

As should be made very clear by the edit I've just added to the original post, I have no intention of developing or printing firearms, I am just writing a dissertation about them.

[-willy-]

Thankyou for clarifying that point. I too will print parts of a gun yet if some one is hiring me to make the firing end I will be calling the FBI to let them know what a customer wants me to do. I have no desire to bend the law, parts and pieces of hard to find items are great. Otherwise no.

As to what has become of the subect matter, from what I understand, when people got arrested. Some legislation was put in effect, what that legislation was I cant say (as I dont have that information either). There was a vid that PBS did that was on Netflix about the fellow whom turned a blind eye to the possibility of prosecution. It was near the end of the narration of the show that had the info as to why little info will be found online about printable fire arms.

Good luck on your dissertation.

-willy-

[outofstep]

Hello,

I've just started writing what you could call a dissertation (although much less extensive than a usual one) about 3D-printed Firearms and their implications on primarily but not only gun control.
When I chose this topic over a year ago, all that had really been developed (or that I had heard about anyway) was the Defense Distributed stuff (namely the Liberator and the AR-15 Lower Reciever).
Now, however, there seems to be quite a bit more. So far, I've seen some allegedly partially 3D-printed SKS firing test, an article about some Japanese guy who got arrested for owning 5 different 3D-printed Firearms,
at least two of which could fire lethal ammunition (aka work, if I understood it correctly) and I've seen some 3D-printed revolver that is named after the Japanese guy.

What are all these new weapons, where did they come from, where can I find some concrete information on them? I seemingly can't even find out who developed most of them.

So, can someone who has researched this more thoroughly than I have, or even someone who just happens to have stumbled upon some information (anyone who knows anything on this topic really) post as much information as possible?
It would help me out a great deal (no, seriously, my graduation is pretty much dependant on this). Thanks in advance.

Edit:
In case it wasn't clear enough from the post above: I have no interest in developing or printing any sort of weaponry, I don't even need the blueprints, I am just writing a dissertation!

It sounds like you dont know anything about firearms or additive manufacturing, yet you're going to try and write a dissertation about both? You might want to choose a different topic. I don’t say that to be a dick, but quality research typically doesn’t start out with multiple fields you are ignorant in. As an electrical engineer, my graduate thesis wasn’t about thermal load transfers during metallic alloy forging…

However, let me at least start you off, if you want to continue. Especially seeing as this topic is “the new hotness,” and that every article it I’ve ever read gets it wrong. When infact it is much todo about nothing.

First off, in almost every US state there is absolutely ZERO illegal about manufacturing a firearm for personal use. There might be local laws infringing upon this (aka DC), but basically everywhere else it has been legal since the founding of the nation. So, I will speak in generalities because I have no clue what your local laws are.

The biggest stipulations are complying with the Gun Control Act of ‘68 and the National Firearms Act of ‘34. In short, you cant manufacture a short barreled rifle/shotgun or sound suppressor without first getting an “NFA stamp” after an FBI background check and you cant manufacture a new machine gun. After 1986 new machine guns could not be submitted for approval by individuals. Provided your state allows for it, machine guns are perfectly legal to own provided you get all the paperwork and clear the FBI checks.

For example, I can go down to Ace hardware (or lowes or home depot, etc) and spend 10 bucks on a 2x4, steel piping and fittings and create a gun. Provided it complies with the above, that is perfectly legal and has always been legal to do. Or if you have a CNC you could have simply milled a firearms receiver (the part that houses the barrel, trigger group, etc) out of a chunk of aluminum, steel, or a hard polymer. CNCs have been doing this for literally decades…

So right off the bat; manufacturing, assuming compliance with the law, has been around since basically the invention of the gun. It’s also as simple as 10 bucks and 30 minutes at Home Depot. Hell, most people already have enough stuff laying around their house to make multiple legal firearms.

Now that you have a background on how simple it is to make a gun and that it’s ALWAYS been legal to do so, lets move onto additive manufacturing.

Quite simply, it’s the reverse of subtractive manufacturing. It does the opposite of that CNC mill. There is the misconception that you can download a file and the printer magically pops out a part. That’s as true as the CNC magically making a part from a chunk of aluminum. It’s really a trade, the amount of work that goes into making and being able to print quality parts. However with the plastic printers, even when printing with nylons, they are much more limited than CNCs. Even with 100% infill, printers are looking at about ~40-60% of the strength had that same material been injection molded.

This means that the only viable plastic firearms parts are low pressure/strength parts. If you’ve done any research at all yet, you would know that a lot of these “full” printed guns use metal barrel/chamber inserts or a printed super thick to withstand the chamber pressure. Elsewise they very quickly fatigue and fail.

The elephant in the room. The media likes to push the “big scary” aspect of this. Does anyone seriously think the rocket surgeon sticking up liquor stores is going to invest thousands in a 3d printer, spend the vast amount of time it takes to use it right, just to make a single shot firearm? Or will they spend 10 bucks at home depot and make a zipgun? It’s fear mongering and that’s all it is. A new technology, that will be super disruptive to manufacturing, that the government doesn’t have its claws in yet. Big business knows the “ban something that people could use at home to print replacement parts” wont fly. So the tactic is “let’s scare the shit out of them,” that way they can regulate and tax it. It’s about control, not safety. It's about taxation, not danger.

[nicanor76]

outofstep, not sure what's your issue is. The guy never claimed he's an expert on anything nor claiming any sides of the argument; he's just asking for resources for his paperwork.

[richardphat]

Maybe to start up, you should gather and understand what's with all the hype and overrating about the 3D printing. Pretty sure most of us who has dealt with standard FDM, SLA know the big drawback and bottleneck what stuff we can print and what we can't. Let alone the SLS and polyjet technology which is still in the industrial and I doubt you will find as many information as SLA and FDM. (<- You'll see the typical acronym in 3D printing world). P

You can understand why typical gun just can't be printed, and needs to be design specifically for 3D printing technology in order to achieve the best result.

Further, many people have been talking about 3D printing and most of them still have no clue. Even in an engineering school (Polytechnic school of Montreal), students just had no freaking clue what 3D printing is and when to use it. Yet, when they aren't well informed about the technology, they just send unprintable or poor design model.

Last tip, don't think 3D printing as "printing", think about a "fabrication process". Because as a fabrication process, it can clearly tell you what is the limitation , unlike printing which is more mythical and doesn't explain much.


Anyways, it's 3:35AM here, I don't want to write too much absurdity. Happens when I write too much at night.

[outofstep]

outofstep, not sure what's your issue is. The guy never claimed he's an expert on anything nor claiming any sides of the argument; he's just asking for resources for his paperwork.

I dont have an issue. If you read my reply, I just dropped alot of info for him to use.

Are you upset because I used the word ignorant? Look up it's actual meaning, its not a "bad word" or an insult. Hence my IMMEDIATE example of saying me writing about a mechanical engineering issue would be from a place of ignorance. OP said he's working on a dissertation, not some simple paper. Those are worlds apart. Dissertations are typically written for your PhD. If dude is actually writing a dissertation, but doesn't know the 1st thing about either of the topics... he's not on the right track.

If that got you upset, you need to re-calibrate your dander meter.

[-willy-]

One of the major problems with creating something in plastic (talking hypotheticaly) to shoot a bullet is the strength of the material, friction and heat.
Strength: A gun normally uses steel. Steel has a interesting characteristic that the more pounding it gets (in this case an explosion from the round being fired) will increase its strength. Compared to cast iron the more you hit it, the more brittle. So with plastic you have to print some thing that is around 2 inches in diameter to resist a (approximate) .38 calibre from fracturing the barrel.
Friction: Each time the bullet is fired the barrel will deform from the friction of the bullet. Plastic when rubbed with a fast moving (bullet) will start to gaul. Gauling is the plastic that was in the barrel will start to stick to the bullet. A person would be lucky if the round doesnt jam on the third firing.
Heat: We use heat to melt the plastic. Yet firing the bullet has an explosion (hopefully contained). If the bullet did leave the barrrel getting the casing to be removed from the breech would be the next problem. That casing can melt into the breech rendering the print useless.

Granted this bit of theorizing is assuming the person printed in PLA or ABS. I wont speculate on what it would stake to make it better as I dont want to build a gun in plastic. I prefer a chunk of steel that I can fill with some black powder and wadding to make a bang as opposed to moving a projectile. The use of a printer to create a weapon to rob a bank is pointless, as a zip gun can be done at a local home depot for a couple of dollars in 5 minutes. Where as to print something it would take hours maybe even days (depending on complexity). A zip gun is basically a steel pipe, with a crude handle, and something that will impact the back of the casing to create ignition. Not very effective and range is very limited.

The next point is why bother? Yes some one has proved it could be done. Yet a criminal on the streets knows that there are usually a gang some where that will fence a firearm that will be far more effective than any thing printed. Private sales from some ones home is probably the easiest way for some one to get a weapon. Generally some one whom shows a polite interest in a weapon wont arouse suspicion at the time of sale. These weapons are far superior in quality and reliability than anything in plastic.