How long does it take to 3d print a gun

V&A · The Liberator – The World's First 3 D Printed Handgun

Technologies often develop faster than the laws that govern them. When libertarians (those that uphold liberty as a core principle) in Texas exploited 3D printing technology to make their own gun – and especially when they started sharing the files to make it – it unleashed a panic about unregulated design. It was also the day that 3D printing lost its innocence.

The Liberator, 3D printed hand gun, Cody Wilson/Defense Distributed, May 2013, Texas, US. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Cody Wilson, a former law student from Austin, Texas founded Defense Distributed in 2012, to defend the civil liberty of popular access to arms. On 6 May 2013, Wilson took a crucial step in his crusade for popular access to guns when, on a private shooting range in Austin and in the presence of BBC3, he fired the world's first 3D printed gun. The next day, he released the design drawings of the gun online, open source. In the first two days of their release, 100,000 people across the world downloaded the drawings. The invention of this so-called wiki weapon sparked intense debate. It transforms the way we think about new manufacturing technologies and the unregulated sharing of designs online.

The Liberator, first fired 3D printed prototype hand gun, Cody Wilson/Defense Distributed, May 2013, Texas US. Museum no. CD.40:1-3-2014. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Wilson's motivation is a sincere, but very literal and libertarian interpretation of the US Constitution's Second Amendment: the right to bear arms. The ultimate moral and legal authority of that document, for Wilson, justified his actions. He christened the gun 'The Liberator'. Wilson says of his work that he "never thought of it in terms of design" – the design and distribution of the Liberator is for him a political act.

The Liberator is made of fifteen parts of ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) plastic, printed individually on an industrial grade Stratasys Dimension SST 3D printer. The printing process takes around 20 hours, and the pieces can then be assembled to make a fully functioning firearm with the addition of a single metal component: a standard nail for the ring pin.

The Liberator, 3D printed hand gun, designed by Cody Wilson/Defence Distributed, manufactured by Digits2Widgets, 2013, US. Museum no. CD.1:1 to 16-2013. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

The Liberator STL files were made freely available on Wilson's own search engine for 3D-printable models, DEFCAD. In Wilson's view the Liberator, in its robustness, strength, and refinement, showcases "everything that is great about 3D printing in this one design; the great tour of what is possible in 3D printing".

On 8 May 2013, Wilson and Defense Distributed were ordered by the US Government to remove a number of files from DEFCAD. The Department of State began investigating whether Wilson had willfully violated the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). These regulations implement the provisions of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA). According to a letter issued by the State Department, by allowing the download of the design files for the Liberator, Wilson could have been contravening US export regulations by "transferring technical data to a foreign person, whether in the United States or abroad".

DEFCAD was ordered to cease hosting and distributing the STL files for the Liberator and a number of other designs. Wilson was not breaking any laws in the production of the firearms themselves. Wilson is fully licensed to manufacture both Title One (rifles, shotguns and handguns) and Title Two weapons (improvised weapons and machine guns). But suspicion revolved around Defense Distributed operating a not-for-profit exchange of information – one of the problems was that Wilson was not seeking to monetise the Liberator.

The potential punishment enforced by ITAR for each violation of the AECA is a ten-year prison sentence. If only 0.1 percent of the 100,000 downloads were to non-US citizens, Wilson was looking at spending the rest of his life in prison. The gun he designed has come to exemplify what Wilson calls an 'empty space in the law'.

The V&A has acquired three Liberators as part of it's Rapid Response Collection: one in its component parts, one assembled, and one that had been fired by Wilson. We have also acquired the CAD files and some 3D printed AK47 and AR15 lower receivers and magazines that show the development of Wilson's thinking from making replacement parts for existing semi-automatic rifles, to the development of the Liberator itself.

This article is an edited extract from '3D Printing an Empty Space in the Law' by Louise Shannon, and was originally published in Volume 38: The Shape of Law, January 2014.

Background image: The Liberator, 3D printed hand gun, designed by Cody Wilson/Defence Distributed, manufactured by Digits2Widgets, 2013, US. Museum no. CD.1:1 to 16-2013. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

I 3D-Printed a Glock to See How Far Homemade Weapons Have Come

ST. AUGUSTINE, Florida — The fully-automatic “Scorpion” submachine gun can burn through a 30-round clip of 9mm ammo in a matter of seconds with one steady pull of the trigger. It looks, feels, and shoots just like a factory-made gun—except part of this one came off a 3D printer.

According to the Scorpion’s maker, the material used to 3D-print the frame (the heart of the gun, where the metal barrel and other parts all come together) is actually “on par or stronger” than the off-the-shelf equivalent. I’d never fired a full-auto weapon before—let alone one made partly of plastic—and when I took aim and squeezed the trigger, the Scorpion unleashed a wild spray of bullets that missed my target and thumped into a mound of dirt behind the firing range.

The Scorpion was one of many jaw-dropping weapons on display in late June at a Florida event dubbed the “Gun Maker’s Match,” the first-ever shooting competition exclusively for home-assembled firearms. Except for the machine gun, which requires a special federal license, these are a species of “ghost gun,” meaning there are no serial numbers and thus no easy way for authorities to track down the owner or manufacturer.

The shooting contest was put on by a non-profit called Guns For Everyone National, with help from the digital gun building collective Are We Cool Yet? or AWCY, which has been pushing the envelope of what’s possible with 3D-printed arms.

To meet these gunmakers and get a true sense of what 3D-printed guns are capable of these days, I decided to enter the shooting contest in Florida—and build my own ghost gun.

Although the technology has radically evolved in recent years, the best-known 3D-printed gun is still The Liberator, the first one ever created, in 2013. A single-shot, snub-nose pistol, The Liberator resembled a postmodern “Saturday night special,” something just as likely to blow your hand off as fire an actual bullet. These days, beyond the Scorpion, AWCY has created and released plans for a 3D-printed “battle rifle” and under-barrel flare guns that are just a few millimeters away from the military’s “RAMBO” model 3D-printed grenade launcher.

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The most common and controversial ghost guns cost a few hundred dollars online and come “80 percent” finished in a box with all the necessary tools. The sudden proliferation of these cheap, mail-order ghost guns has prompted alarm among law enforcement nationwide. Nearly 24,000 “privately made firearms” were recovered at crime scenes from 2016 to 2020, according to a recently leaked Department of Justice report, and the number of cases where felons and other “prohibited persons” were found with such guns doubled in a single year.

Ghost guns have also turned up in the hands of white supremacists and far-right extremists. A self-proclaimed Boogaloo Boi pleaded guilty last month to possession of 3D-printed machine gun parts and a homemade silencer. The DOJ report, issued June 22 and verified by The Trace, warned of individuals with “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist ideologies” sharing 3D-printed machine gun files.

To meet these gunmakers and get a true sense of what 3D-printed guns are capable of these days, I decided to enter the shooting contest in Florida—and build my own ghost gun.

Only ten states plus Washington, DC, have local laws that attempt to regulate ghost guns. They are virtually unregulated federally, but the Biden administration has proposed new rules that would require serial numbers on certain unfinished parts and restrict mail-order kits, which the president singled out in an April speech at the White House.

“The buyers aren’t required to pass a background check to buy the kit to make the gun,” President Joe Biden said. “Consequently, anyone from a criminal to a terrorist can buy this kit and, in as little as 30 minutes, put together a weapon.”

But building a 3D-printed gun from scratch, as I learned, takes a lot longer than half an hour. And while there’s evidence of extremists and criminals seeking to exploit the untraceability of ghost guns, there is also a nerdy group of designers and tinkerers who insist they are strictly abiding by gun laws and enjoying a “very loud” hobby.

Shopping for the Ghost Gun

Having never owned a 3D-printer or a gun, I started as a blank slate. Rob Pincus, a personal defense instructor and gun rights advocate, agreed to lend expertise and a 3D-printer. He warned the printing and building process would take at least two days, which he said contradicts the notion that it’s easy for people who want to misuse guns to simply 3D-print one.

“You have to want to do it this way,” Pincus said. “I don't know who the person is that falls into the weird zone where they don't want to buy a gun, they can't buy a gun, but they really want a gun and this is the path of least resistance, as opposed to finding somebody to buy a gun for them or buying a gun illegally out of somebody's trunk somewhere.”

My initial aim was to build AWCY’s Scorpion, which can be legally 3D-printed and assembled in semi-auto (one bullet per trigger squeeze) in most places. But Pincus dashed my Scorpion dreams.

For one thing, it takes multiple days of 3D-printing to make one, which was time I didn’t have before the match. There’s also a shortage of ghost gun parts on the internet—in part due to a recent buying spree amid the Biden’s administration efforts to tighten the laws.

Without metal parts, the Scorpion would not work. While 3D-printed plastic is strong enough to serve as the frame of the gun, it won’t hold up as a barrel or bolt. It would also be illegal, since federal law requires guns to have at least one metal component.

The author's 3D-printed Glock 19 9mm pistol with the words "Ghost Gun" on the grip. (Photo by Keegan Hamilton / VICE News)

“You need the metal parts,” Pincus told me. “Technically, could you build one out of all plastic? Yes. Is it going to be reliable and awesome? Probably not.”

I ultimately settled on the Glock 19, as its essential parts were readily available online. The barrel, slide, trigger assembly, and other metal bits cost around $320, shipped directly to the gun range in Florida hosting the match, along with a $23 spool of PLA+ filament. That plus a standard 3D-printer and a couple boxes of 9mm ammo was almost all I needed.

Printing the Gun

The Glock design, along with plans for hundreds of other guns, is accessible through a website called DEFCAD. It’s hosted by a company called Defense Distributed, led by Cody Wilson, inventor of the first 3D-printed gun. The files can be found elsewhere online, but Wilson’s site makes the repository easy to browse in a store-like user interface, and users must pay a $50 annual membership for access.

For years, the U.S. government tried to limit sharing of 3D-printed gun blueprints through the State Department’s powers over international arms exports. Wilson fought back on First Amendment grounds, and in April the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling that indefinitely lifted restrictions on publishing 3D-printed gun blueprints.

When I asked Wilson if U.S. authorities could ever hope to totally block the files from being shared online, he replied: “The government should invent a time machine and kill me seven years ago. It's far too late now. The equipment—the 3D printing, it's so cheap. You can make anything. You can design anything.”

For years, the U. S. government tried to limit sharing of 3D-printed gun blueprints through the State Department’s powers over international arms exports.

Wilson is a polarizing figure in the gun world. In 2018, he was arrested and accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl he met through SugarDaddyMeet.com. He pleaded guilty to injuring a child, a third-degree felony, and received seven years of probation. In addition to hosting 3D-gun files, Wilson also sells a machine called The Ghost Gunner, which helps convert unfinished parts into AR-15s and other guns.

“The files are literally everywhere in a perfect fluid explosion on the internet,” Wilson said. “It's not supposed to be legal, and yet we found a way to make it legal.”

To get the files from Wilson’s site, I had to verify my identity and sign up for a membership, bringing the total gun budget to just under $400, still cheaper than a brand-new Glock. But when my frame came off the printer (a 16-hour process), there were a few glaring differences. For one, mine did not have a serial number; instead it had the words “Ghost Gun” literally printed on the handle. It was also rough around the edges, not yet ready for the metal parts to be inserted.

It took another four hours and change to sand down the plastic using metal filing tools, a drill, and an electric Dremel grinder. Pincus patiently guided me as I stumbled through the process, which was harder than it seemed on the instructional videos I’d seen on YouTube. The finished product was white on the bottom (my “Ghost Gun”-emblazoned frame) and black on top, with a factory-made barrel and slide. Pincus assured me it was safe to test fire.

Shooting the Ghost Glock

On the shooting range, the plastic ghost Glock felt heavy in my hand. There are videos of 3D-printed guns splintering into pieces during test fires, and I was a little nervous as Pincus coached me on posture and grip. I squeezed the trigger and the first round pinged off a metal target 15 yards away. The gun worked, but not perfectly. All the grinding to make the metal parts fit together caused a jamming issue. More work with the Dremel tool helped, and after several more test fires, Pincus deemed the gun ready for competition.

The match in Florida drew around 50 entrants, almost exclusively white and male, with a couple dressed in full-camo. The mood was more carnival than militia gathering, with everyone gawking at each other’s guns and some online-only friends meeting face to face for the first time. There were multiple contest categories, ranging from kit guns to weapons entirely 3D-printed with homemade metal components. Contestants were judged on a combination of speed and accuracy, maneuvering through courses and shooting at stationary targets.

“This is really what we want to be the first of many celebrations of what I call a freedom hobby,” Pincus said, addressing the crowd. “For some of us, it's, ‘Hey, I want to make my own gun. I don’t want the government involved. ’ For some of us, it's ‘I want a custom gun that has my logo or my name or my grip angle or whatever’... for other people, it's, ‘I want to create designs that never existed before and share them with all of Earth.’”

Leading the push to create wholly unique 3D-gun designs is Darren “Derwood” Booth, a chain-smoking West Virginian who told me he likes living in a rural area because he can step out his front door and test-fire new designs whenever he pleases. His latest work is called the King Cobra, which is virtually indistinguishable to the untrained eye from a factory-made assault weapon. A 9mm “pistol caliber carbine” like the Scorpion, the King Cobra is totally original and homemade, emblazoned with a skull and lightning-bolts symbol Derwood borrowed from Quentin Tarantino’s film “Death Proof.”

Rob Pincus (right) and Xander Guetzloe, a moderator of the group Are We Cool Yet?, address the crowd at the "Gun Maker's Match" shooting competition in Florida in June 2021. (Photo by Keegan Hamilton / VICE News)

Derwood posts his files online for anyone to download or modify, and says he does not profit from his work. “I haven’t ever made a dime off of it,” he told me. “I've invested thousands just in the hobby, but no, I haven't made a red cent.”

Derwood’s designs are showing up all over the world, including in countries where 3D-printing now threatens to undermine strict gun control laws. His work was the basis for another “pistol caliber carbine” called the FGC-9 (short for Fuck Gun Control 9mm), wielded last year by an anonymous masked man in a documentary about the rise of 3D-printed guns in Europe.

“I’m not so happy with that,” Derwood said. “Because, hey, they have laws over there. Obey your local laws. I’m not encouraging anybody to do anything illegal.”

Art That Can Kill

Some plastic gunsmiths argue their work is shielded not only by the right to bear arms but also the First Amendment’s right to freedom of expression, since their guns are works of art. The group AWCY, which organized the Florida shooting contest, handed out stickers with the silhouette of their 9mm Scorpion and the motto “Art is not meant to be contained. ”

Xander Guetzloe, a moderator for AWCY, brought a Scorpion to the Florida match that he modified to make it look like the barrel spits fire from a dragon’s mouth.

“Art is in the eye of the beholder, right? This is just a way of expressing ourselves,” Guetzloe said. “It's freedom of expression in a much louder way.”

Guetzloe estimated that AWCY has about 500 members, with 200 actively working on gun design projects in the group’s online forum. The members, he said, include “lawyers, technical writers, plumbers, electricians, just a little bit of everybody,” each lending their own expertise.

AWCY’s aesthetic is vaguely hipster and intentionally low-brow, with guns modified to look extra phallic or with Nerf-style neon colors. They tease new 3D-gun file releases on a well-curated Instagram feed, often finding inspiration in classic weapons that have cult followings. Guetzloe, who has a day job in IT, worked on creating a 3D-printed CETME, a “battle rifle” that’s seen combat in conflicts around the world.

“Art is in the eye of the beholder, right? This is just a way of expressing ourselves,” Guetzloe said. “It's freedom of expression in a much louder way.”

When I pointed out that most art isn’t also a deadly weapon, Guetzloe replied, “It could be used for harm. But I feel like most people that are going to do that are going to go out and steal one. The amount of effort that you put into these, you're not going to do that just to go and do someone harm.”

Even after 22 hours of work, my gun didn’t work properly. At the competition, it jammed repeatedly, and I was unable to finish round one of the contest. Pincus suggested swapping on a Glock-brand slide and barrel, which he had on hand. The factory part plus a little bit of gun oil made all the difference.

I loaded a clip into the gun and racked the new slide, which smoothly locked into place. Taking aim at a target, I squeezed off a few rounds in a row. The spent shell casings popped out of the chamber and were instantly replaced by fresh bullets; my semi-automatic gun finally worked semi-automatically. To test what it could do, I unloaded the rest of the clip rapid-fire—boom-boom-boom-boom. There were no jams. It worked (almost) like a real Glock.

Law Enforcement Isn’t Thrilled With 3D Guns

Making a fully-functioning semi-auto handgun from plastic and a few metal parts, it turns out, is totally legal (at least in Florida), but there are other applications for 3D-printing beyond guns that are troubling for law enforcement. Federal gun laws are enforced by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and it’s the explosives aspect of the agency’s mission that is increasingly overlapping with 3D-printing.

John “J.D.” Underwood, the special agent in charge of the ATF’s National Center for Explosives Training and Research, told me that 3D-printed land mines are already a possibility. He showed me a 3D-printed “bomblet,” which could be attached to a drone and dropped from the sky. Such devices, he said, have already been used against U.S. troops in the Middle East.

“Nobody or anything's stopping somebody from making this in the United States today,” Underwood said, holding up the miniature plastic bomb in his hand.

When I asked Guetzloe, the AWCY moderator, about the group’s 37mm launcher, he told me the sole purpose is for firing signal flares. But the under-barrel tube version looks very similar to the military equivalent, a 40mm grenade launcher adapted by the Army for 3D-printing in order to save taxpayers money by lowering production costs.

Underwood was impressed with the designs on display at the Florida shooting match, and he stressed that the ATF has no problem with law-abiding gunmakers using 3D-printers.

“As long as they're used for their intended purposes by people that legally can have firearms, I don't have an issue with that,” he said. “It's when people use those firearms for criminal purposes, that's when it becomes a problem. ”

Last December, ATF agents raided the offices of Nevada-based Polymer80, the largest ghost gun company and seller of a popular “Buy Build Shoot” kit. No charges were filed and no employees were arrested, and the company continues to advertise pistol kits, though all the options are currently out of stock.

Polymer80 also faces civil lawsuits, most recently from two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies who sued the company for selling an “untraceable home-assembled” Glock kit that was later used by a gunman who seriously wounded them in a Compton shooting. The deputies allege the company “purposefully sold their products without markings to make it difficult for law enforcement to trace the firearm.”

“Untraceable ghost guns are now the emerging guns of choice across the nation.”

The gun control group Everytown Law is also suing Polymer80 and other ghost gun makers. One case, which also involves the city of Los Angeles, accuses the company of creating a public nuisance and violating California’s business code. According to the LAPD’s chief, 700 ghost guns seized in the city last year were made from Polymer80 parts, including more than 300 in South LA, where homicides have been on the rise.

“Untraceable ghost guns are now the emerging guns of choice across the nation,” LA City Attorney Mike Feuer said when announcing the lawsuit in February. “Nobody who could buy a serialized gun and pass a background check would ever need a ghost gun. Yet we allege Polymer80 has made it easy for anyone, including felons, to buy and build weapons that pose a major public safety threat.”

A Polymer80 spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.

The company’s website states there is “a strict policy against selling 80% lower receivers to persons known to us to be convicted felons or otherwise prohibited persons.”

It also says building a gun from a kit provides customers with “a fun learning experience and a greater sense of pride in their completed firearm.”

Melting the Ghost Gun

I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was slightly proud (and more than a little terrified) of my ghost Glock. I somehow ended up taking third place in the 3D-printed pistol category. Just like me, some of my competitors seemed to spend more time behind a computer screen than at the firing range. I was told some shooting clubs prohibit ghost guns or 3D-printed guns, making it difficult to find a place for target practice. And reliability was clearly an issue, as many people—even the most advanced builders—suffered malfunctions and jams. The guns may look badass, but they don’t yet quite stack up evenly to the real thing.

But as 3D-printing technology improves, making a 100% DIY ghost gun will become easier and easier. Even if there's a ban on “80 percent” kits, anyone with access to a printer, a few hundred dollars, and some free time will still be able to crank out a semi-auto pistol, one with no paper trail to identify the owner. In the eyes of Pincus and others at the shooting match, this is actually a good thing.

“I know this is counterintuitive for a lot of people, but the more people who have guns, the more normal gun ownership is, the more responsible the community will be and also the more educated the community will be in judging responsibility,” Pincus said. “I don't think everybody should have a gun. I think everybody who wants to be a responsible gun owner should have that option.”

Since I live in California, one of the states that regulates ghost guns like other firearms, I would need to register my gun with local authorities. Such laws, however, have done little to contain ghost guns. Last week, the city of San Francisco sued three companies that sell do-it-yourself ghost gun kits, alleging they target buyers who are banned from owning guns and want to evade background checks.

“Ghost guns are a massive problem in San Francisco—they are becoming increasingly involved in murders, attempted murders, and assaults with firearms,” said San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin. “We know that the rise in gun violence is connected to the proliferation of, and easy access to, guns that are untraceable, guns that are easier to obtain by people who would be otherwise prohibited by law from getting them.”

I have no interest in owning a handgun—let alone one with “Ghost Gun” on the handle—so I decided to melt down the frame and return the gun to its original form: molten plastic.

Miguel Fernández-Flores contributed reporting.

Once again about the use of 3D technologies

3D Printer in the Construction Industry

A group of engineers from the British University of Loughborough, working under the direction of Dr. Sungwu Lim, managed to create a unique cement composition that allows printing products of any shape: convex, cornerstone, curved, cubic.

Researchers abandoned the use of laser sintering technology and digital light processing. Instead, they returned to the origins of 3D printing with a slightly modified fusing technology.

Advanced cement formula is extruded, which greatly simplifies construction work, as it eliminates the need for formwork. Ready-made concrete figures are easy to adjust and finish.

The experiments of British engineers did not go unnoticed. Their idea aroused the keen interest of scientists from the University of Southern California. They suggested using huge 3D printing machines directly on construction sites.

At the moment, a project called Contour Crafting has been sent to the US Patent Office, on the basis of which it is planned to assemble a huge printer that can print complete houses: not only load-bearing walls, but also wiring along with plumbing.

Jewelry Sphere

The main advantages of jewelry 3D printers are ultra-high printing precision and excellent surface quality. We emphasize once again that thanks to the technologies used, the printed three-dimensional models are exceptionally smooth and do not require additional processing or adjustment.

Now about a dozen specialized (CAD) programs have come to your aid, allowing you to virtually work out all the smallest details of a future gold or silver jewelry on a computer screen. And if we add the capabilities of modern 3D scanners, which are also available in our company, to the capabilities of CAD programs, then the work of a jeweler will be even more simplified.

Photo - a few examples of 3D printing models of future jewelry, pay attention to the complexity and detail of the elaboration of the smallest elements.

Automotive

Local Motors uses 3D printing to produce their Strati cars.

Local Motors hopes to start selling their car, called the Strati, next year. The car, which will be produced in small series, still has to pass crash tests and overcome a number of other obstacles before this happens. They report that the finished car, which receives the powertrain, suspension and other parts from Renault, will cost in the region of $18,000 - $30,000, including the production of printed parts, which cost more than $5,000.

But the use of 3D printers is not limited to designs or extravagant cars. Supercar Koenigsegg One:1 with 1,341 hp uses some 3-D printed parts, including a turbo assembly and a titanium exhaust tip, which take only three days to produce, but this reduces their weight by half a kilo. Race car designers Nissan Motor Corp. Delta-Wing uses 3-D printing to create brake radiators, air intakes and transmission side covers.

Among more mainstream production vehicles, the next generation of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class due in 2018 will feature 3-D printed interiors, including air vents and speaker grilles, British website AutoExpress told in August. chief designer of Mercedes.

Medicine

Prostheses - recently in medicine, prostheses made on 3d printers have become widespread, which take into account the individual characteristics of a person as much as possible and can be quite complex in design and withstand heavy loads;

Skull copy – using special scanners, it became possible to reproduce an exact copy of a human skull and use part of this copy as an implant;

Intervertebral discs - thanks to a 3D printer that works with materials containing stem cells, it is possible to restore damaged areas of the spine or even create new, artificial discs;

3D models and crowns - using 3D printing technologies, special 3D models are produced that help in surgery, and dental crowns are also made;

An operation has now been performed to implant a piece of the skull into the patient. This implant was made using a 3d printer, but before that, a model of the patient's skull was created thanks to a 3d scanner, which is also widely used. The advantage of this model is that it takes into account all the uniqueness of the structure and shape of the patient's skull, which means it fits him better. Such a model was made for two weeks after scanning, it was made up of 23 bones, which are part of the human skull. All even the smallest details are taken into account. Such implants are currently helping a large number of people who have suffered from traumatic brain injuries.

In addition to implants, 3D printing is also used to make prostheses for various parts of the human body. These prostheses take into account the individuality of the structure and the uniqueness of human needs, and therefore are very comfortable. In these prosthetic systems, microcavities are specially left, thanks to which the patient's own healthy tissue cells are able to move in them. Thus, faster adaptation to the prosthesis is carried out.

Aircraft industry

In 1995, the Northwest Polytechnic Institute of China (NPU) launched the Laser Additive Manufacturing (LAM) research program to develop metal 3D printing devices using titanium alloys, superalloys, and stainless steel.

At present, LAM developments are widely used in the design and manufacture of Chinese military aircraft, in particular, the J-15 carrier-based fighter, the J-16 fighter-bomber, the J-20 stealth fighter and the latest fifth-generation fighter J-31.

In addition to the military, 3D printers are also being used in China's civil aviation.

In 2013, in the laboratory of the already mentioned NPU institute, a 5-meter central wing spar was printed for the promising Comac C-919 passenger aircraft, which was supposed to enter commercial operation in 2016.

Thanks to the use of 3D technologies, it was possible to significantly reduce the weight of the spar - it weighs only 136 kg (a similar part obtained by forging - 1607 kg). At the same time, material savings amounted to 91.5%, and tests have shown that 3D printed parts behave at least as well as those obtained by traditional methods.

FOOD

According to most films, our future is scary and wonderful at the same time. What will we see? What do we do? What will we eat? Since microwaves are radiation to many of us, we are constantly inventing new ways of cooking. Now that the world has learned about 3D printing, it is only natural that this technology will be used for cooking and make this process easier, or at least more fancy. If you believe the Star Trek movie, then 3D printing will be the only way to cook food in 2,000 years. So let's go over the list of eleven different food printing machines to get an idea of the near future of food:

1. 3D Systems ChefJet Printer

The ChefJet 3D premiered at CES in January of this year. The 3D printer produces some of the most amazing 3D prints I've ever seen, and they taste just as good as they look. The ChefJet was originally developed by a small firm, Lab Sugar, founded by a married couple of architects, Kyle and Liz von Hasseln.

To satisfy their sweet tooth, 3D Systems acquired a start-up and rebranded the company, emphasizing that this 3D printer is the ideal tool for restaurateurs, professional chefs. It is also a must for consumers who want to 3D print goodies in beautiful and decorative shapes that are even a pity to eat. ChefJet comes in two versions - standard and professional, which allows you to print in color. What's more, ChefJet prints just about any flavor that a modern food lab can create.

According to 3D Systems, the ChefJet is scheduled to be released in "the second half of 2014" for less than $5,000, the only problem is that the second half of 2014 is almost over and the printer still hasn't hit store shelves. Unfortunately, 3D Systems revealed during its Q3 financial report that many of the printers scheduled for release this year never saw the light of day, so we won't see the ChefJet outside of shows and blogs until next year.

2. Natural Machines Foodini Printer

Although this list is not meant to be rated, Foodini ranks first alongside ChefJet in terms of how they attract public attention. With a marvelous marketing campaign and the ability to prepare savory meals, Natural Machines Foodini 3D Printer is the answer to the age-old question of healthy eating. Foodini users can cook with fresh ingredients, create a variety of pastas, and place them in reusable capsules, which are then printed in any 3D shape. By using freshly made pastas, there is an opportunity to opt for healthy, natural foods, as opposed to processed foods that are crammed with additives.

Natural Machines launched a Kickstarter campaign back in March of this year, but the goal was not met. And it's pretty amazing, as Potato Saladearned got 554928% of its Kickstarter goal. Being confident in their idea, Natural Machines does not give up. Instead, they are completing their funding phase and planning to mass-produce their printers in the second half of 2015 for a retail price of around $1,000. I would like to point out that Foodini does not cook the food it prints, so you need to either print the food that is already edible or cook it. after printing.

3. f3d 3d printer designed by smart students from England

is able to use up to five different extruders, and prepares his food prints using a 1400W halogen oven. The students were able to print out three different ingredients—dough, tomato sauce, and cheese—and make one dish: a tiny pizza. The total cost of the components is about $1900.

4. SMRC Food Printer for NASA

What associations do most people have when they hear the word NASA? Food. NASA has been making strides in food science ever since they sent the Tang drink into orbit in 1962 with the Friendship 7 spacecraft. Texas, where Senior Mechanical Engineer Anyan Contractor is working on a food printer for astronauts bound for Mars. Using raw ingredients packaged in capsules, SMRC's food printer can combine different individual ingredients to 3D print a wider variety of food. The firm has already printed proof of its concept, a pizza that was ready in just 70 seconds after printing. The next step for the SMRC is to add nutrients to their meals so that one day, the Mars colonists will be provided with the vitamins and minerals they need to fight the space monsters.

5. Choc Creator Printer by Choc Edge

There are a number of companies on the market that 3D print chocolate. They can either print sweets for you or sell you their own 3D chocolate printers. Choc Creator by Choc Edge is one of the first chocolate 3D printers on the market. Designed by Dr. Liang Hao in 2012, Choc Creator can draw most of the 2D shapes you can think of individually or on cakes and cookies. And with some skill, you can create entire 3D layers. Choc Creator II is currently available for a discounted price of £3200.

6. Extruder for cakes and chocolate from ZMorph

As you already understood, buying a food 3D printer is not so easy. With the exception of the Choc Creator, commercial food 3D printers really aren't on the shelves yet. Thus, you have to either wait or make them yourself. You can also buy a "regular" desktop 3D printer and make it print with something edible. Some printer makers have already picked up on the idea, like ZMorph, who make a versatile 3D printer with interchangeable tools, including a pasta extruder that can 3D print chocolate and dough.

7. Structur3D's Discov3ry Extruder

If you already have a 3D printer but want to use it for food purposes, you should consider Structur3d's Discov3ry Extruder, which isn't really available online yet. store. Discov3ry is a versatile paste extruder. The campaign to fund it has already been successfully launched on Kickstarter. In no time, you will be able to meet all your printing needs with paste, namely chocolate, icing, or other viscous but less edible materials such as silicone and clay. If you don't feel like waiting, you can build your own versatile grazing extruder, following the example of designer Richard "RichRap" Horne.

8. Dovetailed Fruit 3D Printer

If you're picky enough that you don't want to eat pasta, then wait until Fruit 3D Printer comes out. Its creators have come up with a way to fill a sodium gel with flavors that mimic strawberries, after which the entire mixture is placed in a solution of calcium chloride to obtain a product that looks like raspberries. After an initial flurry of media coverage and prints that look more like jelly than real fruit, the firm is never heard from again. However, this is an innovative approach to the art of food printing.

9. TNO's 3D Everything Printer

TNO (or "Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek", I hope you haven't broken your tongue) has come a long way in the field of food printers. This Dutch research group has been working on 3D food printing since 2012 and treats the topic as a major technological breakthrough, not a kitchen fantasy.

TNO believes that these printers can help humanity print food according to the individual needs of each individual. Using historical and physiological data, the printer can prepare food that contains the right amount of nutrients, and at the same time uses flavors according to the user's mood, using alternative sources of nutrients: algae, beet leaves and even insects.

TNO is already partnering with Barilla 3D printing 15-20 pasta every two minutes. They have also teamed up with Chloé Rutzerveld and 3D printed biscuits made from dried fruits, vegetables, nuts and seaweed filled with yeast, bacteria and germinated seeds. Delicious!

10. Goop Printer by Biozoon

If you're under 60, chances are you won't see this printer any time soon. The German company Biozoon is developing mold printing from a nutrient mash specifically for elderly residents of a nursing home. With financial support from the EU, Biozoon plans to complete the 3D food printer by 2015. Using 48 nozzles, liquefied food and a thickening agent, this printer will recreate the shape and taste of something hard to swallow, like a chicken wing, but such a product will simply melt in the mouths of old people. Moreover, such food will be full of nutrients, so necessary to maintain their health.

11. The original food printer from Fab@Home

It is possible that the entire food printer industry began with Fab@Home. The fact is that the creators of this device, Hod Lipson and Evan Malone from Cornell University, just decided to experiment with the introduction of rapid prototyping to the masses at a low price, and the instructions were posted in the public domain. With this, their task was completed. Since 2010, their lab, along with local partners such as the French Culinary Institute, have been among the first to experiment with food extrusion: 3D baked livers with letters baked inside, spaceship-shaped scallops, chocolate, icing, cheese and more. . If it weren't for their creation, we might never have even seen 3D like this - non-printed cakes, chicken wing-shaped porridges, or small pizzas.

Weapons

For the first time the idea to print military weapons on a 3D printer appeared in the United States of America.

In May 2013, a video appeared on the Internet in which a man shoots from a printed mock-up of a Liberator pistol. It was 25-year-old Cody Wilson, head of Defense Distributed, which promotes the idea of universal availability of 3D weapons.

Using a 3D printer, they printed firearms and uploaded the files of their work to the World Wide Web. Defense Distributed employees have already made magazines that hold more cartridges for the AR-15s rifle and the legendary Kalashnikov assault rifle (AK-47 modification). Also on their account is the manufacture of the lower part of the receiver, in which the bolt of a self-loading rifle AR - 15 is placed. You can attach the barrel and magazine to it, having received a finished weapon without any problems. No authorization is required to purchase parts in the USA. Now work is underway on a 3D printout of the entire rifle. In doing so, Cody and his team dealt a major blow to the American gun control debate. The discussion began in December, after twenty children and six adults were killed by assassins at a junior high school in Connecticut. The vast majority of Americans rallied to support government reform. This is a thorough check that will make it difficult for criminals to obtain weapons. However, this did not prevent Mr. Wilson from obtaining a federal license to manufacture and sell firearms.

More serious developments in the field of printing firearms on a 3D printer are being carried out in Austin, Texas. The project is led by Eric Macler, coordinator at Solid Concepts, a 3D printing company.

Erik Machler

Ten industrial 3D printers are installed at the Austin plant. Solid Concepts received a federal license to manufacture weapons, and now, using direct metal laser sintering technology, produces the Browning 19 pistol.eleven". Making a pistol takes up to 35 hours. Depending on which printer and materials are used. More than 1,000 shots have already been fired from the first printed pistol, Solid Concepts, while the company has created a second version of the Browning 1911 model.

FASHION

Another famous designer has started experimenting with 3D printing technology. And the results are simply amazing. Katherine Wales started her career in the fashion industry over 15 years ago. She has trained and collaborated with some of the most eminent professionals in the profession, including Jasper Conran, Jean Charles de Castelbajac, Oswald Boateng, Emmanuel Ungaro and Saint Laurent. However, she worked independently on her latest collection. The collection was born thanks to the innovative achievements in the field of additive technologies of the London College of Fashion. She combined all the models into a collection called "DNA Project", thanks to which, among other things, the designer touched the world of 3D printing and transferred her ideas to the creation of accessories.

The DNA Project is not entirely unique. The collection is the result of a synergy of haute couture, technology and science. As a result of this interaction, incredible models were born that embody the features and structure of human chromosomes. The DNA Project is almost entirely made up of separate and identical balls and structural components (through the use of 3D printing technology) that can create a wide variety of shapes.

FURNITURE

A graduate of the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, Lillian van Daal was one of the first to develop a unique structure ideal for creating 3D printed furniture.

The designer took the cell structure of living organisms as a basis. A mixture of modern technology, creative genius, and the ability to visualize the finished result helped her create a Biomimicry soft chair printed with plastic filament. The finished product consists of a binding of soft and hard elements, thanks to which it provides a comfortable fit and stands out for its high strength and wear resistance compared to other furniture designs.

It is noteworthy that Lillian van Daal continues to work in this direction. The designer plans to replace polyamide with an environmentally friendly material to create truly safe furniture. It is possible that in the near future stands of the new Biomimicry brand will appear in furniture stores.

EDUCATION

The introduction of 3D printers into the school system is a progressive phenomenon. It contributes to the creation of new opportunities in the study and consolidation of many school subjects. For example, a teacher in a biology class can create a visual aid: some part of an animal skeleton, a human eye, and so on. Or prepare a model of a system of blocks for students for a physics lesson, details of various mechanisms.

ARCHITECTURE

Throughout twenty years of work in the field of computer-aided design, R. "Parta" Parthasarati meets a new client with the same question: "What problem can we solve for you?"
The usual answer is: "Accelerate time to market for our product."
With regard to architecture, Parthasarathy found that the two main causes of delays came down to a lack of theoretical study of the project and poor communication. Two years ago, he discovered 3D printing, a completely new technology that significantly reduces design time. It allows you to make an accurate three-dimensional physical model of the building and make it an important element in the work of every designer. Partha saw this as a great opportunity to improve understanding among all those involved in the project, increase efficiency and eliminate costly mistakes. Thus was born iKix, India's first architectural 3D printing service bureau.
Previously, all construction models were made by hand. Since this process is time consuming and expensive, architects only make the layout at the final stage of the project, just before the public presentation.
“iKix prints a 3D layout in an average of six to ten days, which is much faster than the month it takes to produce a similar layout by hand,” says Parta. “Let's say a 1,000-acre plot layout—including houses, schools, churches, golf courses, and more—we can build in six weeks versus five months of manual work. The time and cost savings become even more noticeable when plans change and the layout has to be adjusted on the fly.”
iKix uses the color Spectrum Z510 from Z Corp. The capabilities of this printer allow the architect and project manager to quickly obtain multiple copies of the layout - one each for the architect, client, general contractor, subcontractor and civil authorities. “A 3D printer is more than just a prototyping machine,” Parta says. – It really became one of the developer's tools. 3D printing is a breakthrough that I believe will determine the future of technical information exchange for the next two hundred years. Each project must be presented in 3D, and soon it will be so. I sincerely believe that all architects will work in 3D. iKix clients come here to implement more and more new projects in three-dimensional layouts. The benefits are undeniable."
Parta believes that infrastructure objects also need physical layouts. For example, when the authorities decided to build a highway interchange, it is necessary to plan traffic in all modes of its operation. The presence of a physical 3D model simplifies the solution of this problem.

MEDICATIONS

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of 3D printed medicines for the first time. Aprecia Pharmaceuticals has received permission to manufacture tablets using 3D printing. The drug is used to prevent seizures in adults and children with epilepsy.

The tablet, called Spritam, contains a large dose of an anti-epileptic drug that dissolves in a small amount of water, which the manufacturer says should help patients with swallowing problems.

However, the big news is that this is the first time a 3D printed drug has been approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), writes Business Insider.

Researchers are impressed with the potential of 3D drug printing. The technology makes it possible to create individual medicines with an accurate dosage for each patient.

3D printing can also be seen as an inexpensive way to produce drugs for developing countries. The main thing here is to prevent the production of illicit drugs, the recipe and chemical components of which can be obtained using the Internet.

It is worth noting that the FDA has long appreciated the benefits of 3D printing in medicine. The organization previously approved 3D printing of medical devices.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

Olaf Diegel, a talented designer who is crazy about 3D printing, presents to your attention his new creation - incredibly beautiful musical instruments. As you may have guessed, many components of the drum kit and synthesizer were recreated using a 3D printer.

“I thought that the consumable that was used in the printing process would greatly affect the sound. Fortunately, this did not happen. Of course, there are some differences, but there is no particular distortion,” says Digel.

Source

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weapon 3d printer, weapon 3d printer

Turch December 13th, 2014

3D printing and 3D prototyping are synonyms for the production of physical objects according to a three-dimensional layout made in any graphic editor. This allows you to create structures of any complexity and work out internal details that are impossible to perform on modern equipment.

Types of 3D prototyping technologies:

Extrusion is a method in which the material is first melted and then extruded in the desired proportions, determined by a given program.
Granulation is a method in which material particles are glued together or sintered under the influence of high temperature.
Laminating - applying thin layers of material on top of each other and then cutting out (as on a lathe).
Photopolymerization - the process of polymer curing when exposed to a laser beam.

Regardless of the application of any of the existing technologies, the basic principle remains the same. Application of material ball by ball in three planes (X, Y, Z axis). 3D printing can be used in any field, as it allows you to create an object from scratch. It is enough to load its virtual layout.

3D printing materials weapons

Since 3D printing technology has a very wide scope, the materials are also quite diverse:

Polylactide
Petroleum products (plastic, nylon).
Metal powder.
A mixture of plastic and wood (wood fiber).
Polycaprolaton.
Polypropylene.
Acrylic.
Gypsum and others.

Polylactide 900

Equipment for 3D printing of weapons

A machine that converts a virtual model, by the method of ball-and-stick application of material, into a real object is called a 3D printer. It can be used at home (desktop) and commercially (industrial). The cost varies from 1,000 to 1,000,000 US dollars. Also, for each technology, a separate model of the device is provided.

Weapons on a 3D printer

The idea to print military weapons on a 3D printer first appeared in the United States of America.

In May of this year, a video appeared on the Internet in which a man shoots from a printed model of a Liberator pistol. It was 25-year-old Cody Wilson, head of Defense Distributed, which promotes the idea of universal availability of 3D weapons.

Using a 3D printer, they printed firearms and uploaded the files of their work to the worldwide web. Defense Distributed employees have already made magazines that hold more cartridges for the AR-15s rifle and the legendary Kalashnikov assault rifle (AK-47 modification). Also on their account is the manufacture of the lower part of the receiver, in which the bolt of a self-loading rifle AR - 15 is placed. You can attach the barrel and magazine to it, having received a finished weapon without any problems. No authorization is required to purchase parts in the USA. Now work is underway on a 3D printout of the entire rifle. In doing so, Cody and his team dealt a major blow to the American gun control debate. The discussion began in December, after twenty children and six adults were killed by assassins at a junior high school in Connecticut. The vast majority of Americans rallied to support government reform. This is a thorough check that will make it difficult for criminals to obtain weapons. However, this did not prevent Mr. Wilson from obtaining a federal license to manufacture and sell firearms.

More serious developments in the field of printing firearms on a 3D printer are being carried out in Austin, Texas. The project is led by Eric Macler, coordinator at Solid Concepts, a 3D printing company.

Erik Machler

Ten industrial 3D printers are installed at the Austin plant. Solid Concepts received a federal license to manufacture weapons, and now, using direct metal laser sintering technology, produces the Browning 19 pistol.eleven". Making a pistol takes up to 35 hours. Depending on which printer and materials are used. More than 1,000 shots have already been fired from the first printed pistol, Solid Concepts, while the company has created a second version of the Browning 1911 model.

Solid Concepts is not going to mass-produce the gun because they can't sell it in a way that makes a profit. While many 3D printers cost around $1,000, Solid Concepts says hobbyists can't make the stainless steel gun they make. Since their machines cost between $600,000 and $1 million, industrial conditions are needed here. The devices consume more electricity than can be obtained in residential areas. In addition, the printers use inert gases that are not commercially available. So this is a technology for commercial production.

The first cases of arrests for making weapons on a 3D printer have already appeared. So, a Japanese citizen Yoshimo Imuro was detained by local law enforcement agencies for carrying military weapons, which he printed on a 3D printer. During a search of his home, 5 weapons were found, two of which were combat. The court sentenced Imuro to two years' imprisonment.
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