“The whole
concept of using a laser sintering process to 3D Print a metal gun revolves
around proving the reliability, accuracy, and usability of 3D Metal Printing as
functional prototypes and end use products. It’s a common misconception that
laser sintering isn’t accurate or strong enough, and we’re working to change
people’s perspective.”
Solid Concepts’ Vice President of Additive
Manufacturing Kent Firestone, commenting on their printing of the First 3D
Metal Printed Handgun
Cody Williams,
founder of Defense Distributed and maker of the First 3D Printable Plastic Gun
that had a successful test firing on Sunday May 5th 2013 as
explained in my blog
article entitled “Defense
Distributed's Cody Wilson's 3D Plastic Gun, the Liberator - 3D Printer Arms
Race heralds the coming of IKEA DIY Design for Consumer Electronics”, may
have started a trend towards 3D Printing of Guns.
This as Solid
Concepts, a professional 3D-printing services company based in Austin, Texas,
has made the world's first 3D Printed Metal Handgun based on the Browning 1911
Firearm as stated in “LOOK
WHAT I BUILT, MA! TEXAS FIRM MAKES WORLD’S FIRST 3D-PRINTED METAL GUN”,
published November 8, 2013 By Konrad Krawczyk, DigitalTrends and “Uh-oh,
this 3D-printed metal handgun actually works”, published November 7, 2013
6:12 PM PST by Dara Kerr, CNET News.
Their 3D
printing process is far more advanced than the Makerbot 3D Replicator Printer as
stated in my blog
article entitled “MakerBot 3D Replicator
Printer debuts at CES 2012 - Evanescence Brings Star Trek to Life”. But
it’s more of an indication that 3D Printing, one of my Future Predictions in my
blog article
entitled “Tech Predictions of 2013 - 3D Printing
and smaller smartphones”, is beginning to make an impact with what the
development indicates: it’s possible to print replacement parts for products.
World’s first 3D Metal Printed Handgun – Replacements
parts printable on demand in the Future
This development
is very exciting to me personally. Solid Concepts utilized a manufacturing
process known as DMLS (Direct Metal Laser Sintering), used for the prototyping
of metal parts for the aerospace and medical industries. Precision in making
Gun parts that work is key.
DMLS is perfectly
suited towards the creation of this working Browning 1911 that fired 50 test
rounds thus far. Also this is totally legal, as Solid Concepts has a Federal
Firearms License to quote Solid Concepts Vice President of Additive
Manufacturing Kent Firestone in a pitch to boost his firearm Part Replacement
service: “We're proving this is possible, the technology is at a place now
where we can manufacture a gun with 3D Metal Printing. And we're doing this
legally. In fact, as far as we know, we're the only 3D Printing Service
Provider with a Federal Firearms License. Now, if a qualifying customer needs a
unique gun part in five days, we can deliver”.
However, before
you get any crazy ideas about Islamic militants and Jihadists in Afghanistan or
even American Militia groups starting a private War by printing AK-47's using
this process, think again, to quote Solid Concepts Representative Alyssa
Parkinson: “The industrial printer we used costs more than my college tuition
(and I went to a private university).And the engineers who run our machines are
top of the line; they are experts who know what they’re doing and understand 3D
Printing better than anyone in this business.”
Also, it’s not
plastic. So you can’t go printing this even if you had the wherewithal to purchase
a DMLS Printer as it won’t make it through an airport scanner. But it proves
once and for all that 3D Printing can be used for more than just Hollywood
Props as noted in my Geezam article
entitled “3D Printers, the next big Revolution in
Printing, heralds the coming of Quantum Teleportation”. It can also be used
make precision real-life replacements parts, for everything from Hip Join
replacements to even missing mechanical parts for your Toaster oven or Blender
you’re trying to fix in the future.
]
But for now the
coolness of watching this thing being manufactured and test fired is sure to
make many proponents and Design Engineers of 3D Printing cheer for this
development, as 3D Printing is Animation and Graphic Design Brought to life.
No comments:
Post a Comment