A minor correction, 3D printed guns are fairly reliable nowadays when made in a way such that all pressure bearing parts are made with metal/factory made regular parts
All guns degrade after being fired, but modern production firearms are just plastic wrapped around metal tubes. 3D printed guns have always worked on the same principle but it takes time to develop them to the same safety standards.
Not if they’re made correctly, with good materials like nylon-cf, correct print settings, and good post processing. It’s a process that takes a day or two and requires a small amount knowledge and skill.
A handgun made like that will function for thousands of rounds.
You just 3d print the lower reciever, most modern handguns use injection molded plastic for this part, and a good 3d printer (and operator) can get a pretty decent result.
But its not just the ‘pressure bearing’ parts that cannot easily be 3d printed.
Almost everything else still has to be either purchased or very, very carefully assembled by hand with skill and machining tools.
Here’s a Glock 40:
Its basically a pretty bad idea (impossible with springs) to try to replace any of the metal parts with 3d printed plastic, many more parts than the barrel and slide are made of metal, and many of those parts could easily fail, even after mag worth of ammo or less, and completely brick the weapon.
People who make or sell 3d printed weapons still have to include a parts kit (or shopping list) with the stuff you can’t 3d print… with the exception of weapons that fire basically .22 or smaller cartidges, and those ones that actually are all 3d printed plastic are not going to survive very many shots.
A minor correction, 3D printed guns are fairly reliable nowadays when made in a way such that all pressure bearing parts are made with metal/factory made regular parts
Yeah was gonna comment this. There are totally functional 9mm machine pistols with everything made from printed and standard hardware store parts.
some rifles too, saw a YouTube video of one and it was pretty cool.
Yeah chiming in here to agree, 3D printed guns are now nearly identical in performance to other polymer based guns (like Glocks for instance).
they don’t degrade after being fired?
All guns degrade after being fired, but modern production firearms are just plastic wrapped around metal tubes. 3D printed guns have always worked on the same principle but it takes time to develop them to the same safety standards.
Not if they’re made correctly, with good materials like nylon-cf, correct print settings, and good post processing. It’s a process that takes a day or two and requires a small amount knowledge and skill.
A handgun made like that will function for thousands of rounds.
thanks, I had no idea.
I think it was also clarified that the gun was a Glock with 3d printed lower, which is basically a normal Glock with different plastic.
You just 3d print the lower reciever, most modern handguns use injection molded plastic for this part, and a good 3d printer (and operator) can get a pretty decent result.
But its not just the ‘pressure bearing’ parts that cannot easily be 3d printed.
Almost everything else still has to be either purchased or very, very carefully assembled by hand with skill and machining tools.
Here’s a Glock 40:
Its basically a pretty bad idea (impossible with springs) to try to replace any of the metal parts with 3d printed plastic, many more parts than the barrel and slide are made of metal, and many of those parts could easily fail, even after mag worth of ammo or less, and completely brick the weapon.
People who make or sell 3d printed weapons still have to include a parts kit (or shopping list) with the stuff you can’t 3d print… with the exception of weapons that fire basically .22 or smaller cartidges, and those ones that actually are all 3d printed plastic are not going to survive very many shots.