Company That Made the First 3D Printed Metal Gun Is Selling Them For $11,900

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Company That Made the First 3D Printed Metal Gun Is Selling Them For $11,900

Posted by samzenpus on Friday December 20, 2013 @01:07AM from the print-and-shoot dept.

Lucas123 writes "Solid Concepts, which last month revealed the first fully-functional, metal 3D gun, announced today that they're putting 100 limited-edition models of the 1911 .45 caliber pistol on sale for $11,900 each. Solid Concept demonstrated the gun by initially firing 50 rounds through it. Since then, the company said it has fired nearly 2,000 rounds through the pistol without a single malfunction. Unlike the very first 3D printed gun — the single-shot, plastic Liberator — Solid Concepts says is not trying to promote the right to bear arms under the Second Amendment. Its purpose in printing the firearm was to demonstrate its ability to turn out precision, durable parts that could withstand the massive pressure created by firing a bullet. People who purchase one of the limited-edition guns will also have the chance to tour Solid Concept's Texas facility to see their gun being printed, and to join their lead additive manufacturing engineers on the range for the first test firing of their limited 1911 gun."

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Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by retroworks · 2013-12-20 01:09 · Score: 5, Funny

by 3d printed guns happens without the firing of a single shot.

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Gently reply
1. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by Charcharodon · 2013-12-20 01:32 · Score: 1
  
  In what way? By printing a gun from 1911? I'm thinking the patent on that ran out more than a few years ago, which just happens to be why the 1911 is so popular. Anyone can make their own version, even if it is an exact copy of the original.
2. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by gl4ss · 2013-12-20 01:37 · Score: 3
  
  yeah so you can get a machined version much cheaper.
  incidentally, you can by cnc machines and cnc lathes for making it for cheaper than the metal printer used for this.
  but they are making a good point about how it can be used for rapid prototyping of durable parts OR for making parts that can not be machine. I mean, how the fuck would you machine a honeycomb structure inside an object?? which is the real point why 3d printed car parts are going to be a big thing, because you can manufacture parts that have a different structure!
  
  --
  world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
3. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by TWiTfan · 2013-12-20 01:38 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  If someone tried to rob me with a plastic 3D printed gun, part of me would be tempted to resist just on the decent chance that they would blow their own hand off rather than shooting me.
  
  --
  The cow says "Moo." The dog says "Woof." The Timothy says "Thanks, valued customer. We appreciate your input."
4. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by TheloniousToady · 2013-12-20 01:41 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  I think the "highway robbery" in this case comes from charging $11,900 for a pistol. Then again, nobody is putting a gun to anybody's head to buy one.
  If they pistols don't sell, though, maybe they can figure out how to print 3D gold Krugerrands from lead. In fact, maybe that's why they've already got "lead additive manufacturing engineers".
5. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2013-12-20 02:00 · Score: 1
  
  Faking gold is tough: It's about twice as dense as lead; but is almost comically unlike tungsten or uranium (more or less your only options on density) in every other respect.
6. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 02:12 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  It isn't about the price of the printed gun, it is about exclusivity. This gun is a limited edition, and will be from the set of the first 100 metal guns ever made by using a printer. That is bound to give the gun some value that exceeds the sum of its parts.
7. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by jittles · 2013-12-20 02:17 · Score: 1
  
  In what way? By printing a gun from 1911? I'm thinking the patent on that ran out more than a few years ago, which just happens to be why the 1911 is so popular. Anyone can make their own version, even if it is an exact copy of the original.
  My guess is the cost of the 1911 itself. You can buy a top of the line 1911 for under $2k. So this 3D printed one for almost $12k should be the golden gun from a Bond movie.
8. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by CastrTroy · 2013-12-20 02:23 · Score: 1
  
  I've often wondered about this. Let's say you want a fake gold bar. You could start off with something that's the same density as gold (a cheaper metal alloy of the correct density), and then just coat it in a thin layer of actual gold. Sure there is going to be some real gold there, so it's not completely fake, but it has to be cheaper than making an entire gold brick. Sure they would find out if they every cut the brick in half, or melted it down, but you could be way out of town by the time that happened.
  
  --
  
  Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
9. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 02:23 · Score: 0
  
  on the decent chance that they would blow their own hand off
  Can that even happen?
  You can fire a bullet without a barrel. Just fixate the bullet somewhere and hit on the back of it with a nail.
  To be able to make the gun explode one would have to make it sturdy enough and too tight to make the barrel stop the bullet from exiting and the rest of the gun tight enough to not just release a gas jet in any other direction.
  So on one hand you will have to make the gun with to bad precision and too weak, otherwise the failure won't happen. On the other hand you have to make it with high precision and sturdy, otherwise the hazard won't occur.
10. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by TheCarp · 2013-12-20 02:43 · Score: 1
  
  Except Kurgerands are not pure gold coins, they are coins with an oz of gold in them, but that gold is alloyed to make it less soft and more worthy of use in circulation (as $1000+ coins jingle around in many pockets)
  I would think this gives you some more leeway when it comes to its properties, at least enough to fool many buyers.
  
  --
  "I opened my eyes, and everything went dark again"
11. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 02:43 · Score: 1, Informative
  
  You can fire a bullet without a barrel. Just fixate the bullet somewhere and hit on the back of it with a nail.
  No you can't. The casing will just explode.
12. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by CastrTroy · 2013-12-20 02:45 · Score: 2
  
  This is what they should really be spending their money and effort on. Printing 3D objects that can't be made in traditional methods. 3D Printing will never be better than traditional methods for items that can be done using traditional methods. And that's not just because we haven't given 3D printing enough time to catch up. It would be like a laser printer catching up with an offset printing press. Impossible. We should instead focus on getting 3D printers to print up objects that can't be produced by other methods.
  
  --
  
  Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
13. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by Scannerman · 2013-12-20 02:53 · Score: 1
  
  I You could start off with something that's the same density as gold (a cheaper metal alloy of the correct density), and then just coat it in a thin layer of actual gold. Sure there is going to be some real gold there, so it's not completely fake, but it has to be cheaper than making an entire gold brick. Sure they would find out if they every cut the brick in half, or melted it down, but you could be way out of town by the time that happened.
  Density is easy to measure, nothing is the same density as gold, and the metals that are heavier are really tough to alloy (or even more expensive). so you end up with a sandwich structure - that again is pretty easy to detect, I've worked with ultrasound on this, but there are a number of material properties you can easily measure so most fakes are really easy to detect.
  Most people who buy gold are well aware of the various tests - if not they would run out of money quick. They also tend not to buy from people who just walk in.
14. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by Karth · 2013-12-20 02:54 · Score: 2
  
  There's significant evidence that someone has been injecting tungsten filled "gold bars" into the world gold market. They're the correct weight, they displace the correct amount of water, the only way to tell is that the electrical resistance is something like .01% off. And cutting them in half, of course.
15. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 02:56 · Score: 0
  
  That's why pretty much everyone who buys bar gold/silver will drill a small hole through it in several places and then run chemical tests on the shavings. They do this as a condition of the purchase.
16. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 02:59 · Score: 0
  
  http://www.myfoxny.com/story/19578206/fake-gold-bars-turn-up-in-manhattan Already happening... For crying out loud, how long does it take to post a link...
17. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by Greyfox · 2013-12-20 03:08 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  I know what you're thinking. You're thinkiing "His gun's made of plastic! It's going to explode in his hand the moment he pulls the trigger!" Well to be honest, I'm not even sure myself. So the question you have to ask yourself is, do you feel lucky, punk? Well? DO YA?!
  
  --
  I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
18. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by Bob+the+Super+Hamste · 2013-12-20 03:08 · Score: 1
  
  It has already been done, mostly at the retail level. Stupid people will have a gold plated lead bar while the smarter ones will cast gold around tungsten. There was a story last about one turning up in New York city and I think there had been a number of other instances of it happening in Europe previously.
  
  --
  Time to offend someone
19. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 03:52 · Score: 0
  
  Once my uncle and I got robbed by two people, one of whom had a gun, but the gun looked so rusted it probably didn't work. When I noticed I was tempted to fight the guy, but the other was behind me robbing my uncle and I didn't want to risk him having a knife or something.
  When they were leaving they made as if to shoot us to scare us. They laughed as I flinched, but in reality I wasn't scared for myself, I was just expecting his hand to blow off.
  Oh well a cell phone and a gold necklace aren't worth risking your life over anyway.
20. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by Bill,+Shooter+of+Bul · 2013-12-20 04:05 · Score: 1
  
  I think the initial promise of 3d printing is having something that can produce prototypes or low numbers of items made cheaper.
  
  --
  Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
21. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by Talderas · 2013-12-20 04:19 · Score: 1
  
  Let me guess. You also believe that throwing live ammunition into a fire is extremely dangerous?
  The chamber of the gun is extremely important to the firing of the bullet. While you will ignite the powder inside the casing by striking it correctly, the pressures from the explosion will take the easiest path to escape which just happens to be through the brass casings. There's a chance for minor injuries but what you usually end up with is a peeled back casing and the slug sitting where the bullet was left. The chamber and barrel are needed to contain the explosive power and force it forward to project the bullet.
  
  --
  "Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork
22. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by DexterIsADog · 2013-12-20 04:36 · Score: 1
  
  Actual link to real facts below. "significant evidence" is one attempt in the past 10 years, detected by the dealer on receipt because of an obvious weight discrepancy? This must be some new definition of significant with which I am unfamiliar; trend identified by a single data point.
  
  http://www.perthmintbullion.com/us/blog/blog/12-03-26/Fake_Bars_-_The_Facts.aspx
23. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by rwise2112 · 2013-12-20 04:44 · Score: 0
  
  It isn't about the price of the printed gun, it is about exclusivity. This gun is a limited edition, and will be from the set of the first 100 metal guns ever made by using a printer. That is bound to give the gun some value that exceeds the sum of its parts.
  So does Solid Concept have good worker benefits?
  
  --
  
  "For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert"
24. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 04:49 · Score: 0
  
  I do. I definitely do. Do YOU ?
25. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by drinkypoo · 2013-12-20 05:04 · Score: 1
  
  I think that was the initial promise, but that's old hat now. Today we want to print final parts, preferably which require no additional finishing, let alone machining.
  It's not that it's not still cool to use 3d printing for prototyping, but now what we really want is to make stuff with it that you can't make any other way, or which would otherwise be cost-prohibitive.
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
26. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by mlts · 2013-12-20 05:23 · Score: 1
  
  About a year or two, this was rampant, as there were pictures of people who drilled a hole, had a grey core staring back at them in their 100 ounce gold bars. To boot, the bars were made by a very reliable mint, had assay certificates, and had no obvious marks, so the counterfeiters were very good.
27. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by tlhIngan · 2013-12-20 05:42 · Score: 1
  
  It isn't about the price of the printed gun, it is about exclusivity. This gun is a limited edition, and will be from the set of the first 100 metal guns ever made by using a printer. That is bound to give the gun some value that exceeds the sum of its parts.
  And yet, what's to stop someone from making a copy of the file and hitting print on their own set of printers?
  Yes, you get to be one of the first 100 to own a 3D printed gun. Too bad someone may extract the model file and be able to print up 100 more copies.
  You can almost bet once the first 100 go, they'll announce "3D Printed Gun! Unlimited Edition - $5000" or something. After all, anything popular goes from "limited edition" to "unlimited edition" soon enough.
28. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by Bill,+Shooter+of+Bul · 2013-12-20 06:04 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, that's kind of what I meant by " or low numbers of items made cheaper". The quantity of what you want to make often dicates the process. If its a super low quantity you often have to pay a prohibitavly high price per item.
  
  --
  Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
29. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by Hadlock · 2013-12-20 06:57 · Score: 1
  
  At the moment, statistically the odds are in their favor that it won't fail. Especially if it's only been fired 0 or 1 times. Not that you could ever get me to hold one, nor should you.
  
  --
  moox. for a new generation.
30. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by TheloniousToady · 2013-12-20 07:00 · Score: 1
  
  Who said anything about faking gold? I had assumed that the 3D printer folks would put into practice what we alchemists have known for centuries.
  (sorry, just another lame joke; those of you who didn't get it need not respond.)
31. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by mrchaotica · 2013-12-20 07:10 · Score: 1
  
  incidentally, you can by cnc machines and cnc lathes for making it for cheaper than the metal printer used for this.
  I'd like to see a subtractive-manufacturing machine that's FOSS in the same way that a RepRap is. Does such a thing exist?
  
  --
  "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
32. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 07:10 · Score: 0
  
  I gots ta know
33. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by idunham · 2013-12-20 08:05 · Score: 2
  
  I believe so, try here or here.
  The first one I linked can be used for both additive and subtractive processes.
34. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by SleazyRidr · 2013-12-20 08:19 · Score: 1
  
  Yes, that is kinda the point of making a 3d printed gun. Some people think that this will be a turning point in history, and that owning one of the first guns will be historically interesting. They might be right, they might be wrong, but no one is going to drop $12k on this thinking that there won't be any more of them.
  
  --
  Is 1563649 a prime number?
35. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 10:21 · Score: 0
  
  I'm certain that someone will make copies, but that isn't the point. These are real guns, made and sold under BATF rules... and as a result, they have serial numbers applied by the manufacturer, exist in a register created by the manufacturer, and most probably also have certificates of provenance proving they are from the first set of printed guns.
  They will have value because they are the first.
36. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by mirix · 2013-12-20 10:25 · Score: 1
  
  There are some open CNC routers out there, but they will have trouble with things much harder than wood or lucite or nylon. Which is still pretty useful, I've been meaning to rig something eventually, myself.
  To cut steel it really needs to be big and cast iron/steel, just too much flex otherwise. (not to mention you want a slow, heavy spindle, not a dremel..) So for that, you usually buy a ready-made ($500-1000) milling machine, and add stepper motors to make it CNC-able. Which still only gets you three axes, but...
  I imagine there are some open CNC water/laser/plasma cutting designs out there too. Or at least writeups by people that DIY'd it.
  
  --
  Sent from my PDP-11
37. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by shutdown+-p+now · 2013-12-20 10:42 · Score: 1
  
  Let me guess. You also believe that throwing live ammunition into a fire is extremely dangerous?
  It is, actually. When the casing erupts, there will often be quite a few fragments. They are unlikely to kill you, but they will hurt, and if one hits an eye, it is done for.
38. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by OutOnARock · 2013-12-20 10:59 · Score: 1
  
  and its...."you've gotta ask yourself a question: Do I feel lucky?....well, do ya.....punk"
39. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 12:27 · Score: 0
  
  No, the reason the 1911 is popular is because it is a fine pistol. In use as the primary sidearm of the US military for about 75 years, still the choice of some of the elite troops and a lot of SWAT teams.
  People going into combat do not choose their sidearm because the patent ran out.
40. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 12:37 · Score: 0
  
  No, you cannot "buy a top of the line 1911 for under $2k". For $2k you can get a good one, but a top of the line semi-custom will run from a bottom of about $2k to about $6k. When you talk about a "top of the line" 1911 you are talking pretty close to that $12k gun. Plus you usually have to put up half down and wait for years to get one. If you really have to have a top of the line 1911 fast, expect to pay up to 50% more and not get exactly what you wanted in terms of features.
  High end guns today require a lot of hand fitting by very skilled craftsmen.
41. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-22 06:18 · Score: 0
  
  I can hardly believe anyone got away with that! In fact I assume they somehow swapped in the fakes without them being examined directly. No way any experts examined one and didn`t spot it, no way.
  I can think of at least five non-destructive ways to spot a gold-covered tungsten brick, just with stuff lying around my house - think how hard tungsten is I bet you could tell just by dropping them on the floor.
42. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by Charcharodon · 2013-12-23 00:34 · Score: 1
  
  Will an offset printing press fit on my desk at home and print out what I want when I want(no matter where my "desk" happens to be located? No? Then it is useless to the common man. Sure the offset printing press can do it for 1/100 the price at 1000 times the speed, but that's only if I want what everybody else wants.
  That is not the promise of a laser printer, nor is it the promise of the 3D printer.
  I see the end game for 3d printers pretty much nulling most industry requirements for well just about everything. You need a tool you print it. You break the tool, you drop the broken parts into a grinder and print up the new one with minor improvements to keep it from breaking so easily next time. It doesn't matter that CNC machines are faster, you don't care because you don't need that giant industrial tail that delivers that nice big block of refined metal for the CNC machine to cut. All you need is the metal in some sort of powdered form and the 3D printer will do the rest.
43. Re:Ironically, the first Highway Robbery committed by Charcharodon · 2013-12-23 00:49 · Score: 1
  
  I wasn't bad mouthing the 1911. Since it is in the public domain the design has been refined repeatedly over the last 100+ years and there are literally hundres of manfactureres of them. Nobody can squash it claiming IP/patent rights. It'll be around another 100 years as the lead (or hyper velocity, explosive, titanium cased (enviro friendly), IR guided, anti-personnel round) tosser of choice.
Build-it-yourself by N3tRunner · 2013-12-20 01:11 · Score: 1

I look forward to our factory-free future, despite its many inherent dangers.
1. Re:Build-it-yourself by TWiTfan · 2013-12-20 01:39 · Score: 2
  
  Fortunately, you can still buy a factory-made .45 for a few hundred dollars. 3D printing has a long way to go.
  
  --
  The cow says "Moo." The dog says "Woof." The Timothy says "Thanks, valued customer. We appreciate your input."
2. Re:Build-it-yourself by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 02:26 · Score: 0
  
  Fortunately, you can still buy a factory-made .45 for a few hundred dollars. 3D printing has a long way to go.
  I think the point is not everywhere in the world....
  Now can they print ammunition.
3. Re:Build-it-yourself by CanHasDIY · 2013-12-20 03:51 · Score: 1
  
  Fortunately, you can still buy a factory-made .45 for a few hundred dollars. 3D printing has a long way to go.
  I think the point is not everywhere in the world....
  Now can they print ammunition.
  ... which is still going to be orders of magnitude cheaper and easier to do the good ol' fashioned way.
  
  --
  An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
4. Re:Build-it-yourself by parkinglot777 · 2013-12-20 04:00 · Score: 1
  
  "A long way to go" does not eliminate the issue that at some point in the future, it could become dangerous. Those who pro-gun will not see it as dangerous but rather benefit from it. Those who anti-gun may already have a panic attack. Those who are in the middle may concern about the issue depending on how far they are between pro and anti.
5. Re:Build-it-yourself by afidel · 2013-12-20 07:32 · Score: 1
  
  Ammo would be interesting, lead and brass casting are simple to do at small scale, the more difficult part would be smokeless powder which is a PITA to do and very dangerous. You could do black powder cartridges but that would rule out designs newer than about 1890.
  
  --
  There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
Fail by oic0 · 2013-12-20 01:15 · Score: 0

Well its cool and all that some company that wants to specialize in fabricating one off parts can use their machines to make a functioning gun, but this is hardly news worthy. The price of the machine that did it could probably buy an entire tractor trailer full of AK-47s.
1. Re:Fail by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 01:26 · Score: 0
  
  Exactly, industrial stereolithography such as this was there long before the 3D printing craze took off. The novelty of home 3D printers is that they are affordable to the common man. This machine isn't.
2. Re:Fail by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2013-12-20 02:03 · Score: 1
  
  In some of the world's lousier neighborhoods, it'd probably buy you the AKs and a supply of conscripted children to operate them, the serious metal printers are Not Cheap.
  
  (Also, company PR emphasizes that 'no machining' had to be done to the printed parts; which is impressive; but also allows room for assorted heat treatment, surface coating, and other things you do to metal without machine tools)
3. Re:Fail by drinkypoo · 2013-12-20 05:08 · Score: 2
  
  That's why they used stainless and inconel. The stainless is used for the big parts and the inconel where the magic happens. Inconel is used for stuff like turbine wheels, even down to automotive turbochargers, where they have to be able to handle small impacts (at umpty-ump thousand RPM, a little bit of grit is serious) and a broad variety of temperatures, and up again to parts of jet engines. Neither one requires anything fancy done to it when you're done if it's a fancy enough alloy. Inconel is hard to work with traditional methods like machining, so it's a natural fit for sintering.
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
The really exciting thing about this... by jcr · 2013-12-20 01:15 · Score: 5, Interesting

If you can print a gun, you can print many other kinds of machinery. The day may not be very far off when you can start with half a ton of aluminum and stainless steel powder, and print yourself a Ferrari with a V-12 engine.
-jcr

--
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
1. Re:The really exciting thing about this... by Nimey · 2013-12-20 01:29 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Expect new and exciting patent/copyright laws when that starts to become a reality.
  
  --
  Hail Eris, full of mischief...
  
  E pluribus sanguinem
2. Re:The really exciting thing about this... by rmdingler · 2013-12-20 01:35 · Score: 1
  
  This. As to the initial offering price tags: If only you can wait... The AMPEX-VRX 1000, the first commercially successful video tape recorder, sold for 50,000 dollars in 1956. I remember paying $89 for the movie Platoon on VHS in the 80's.
  
  --
  Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
  Ernest Hemingway
3. Re:The really exciting thing about this... by TWiTfan · 2013-12-20 01:43 · Score: 1
  
  It's an interesting proof of concept. But costs are going to have to come way down (perhaps with scale) for it to be very practical. 3D printing seems better suited to one-off parts rather than general manufacture. If you're going to build a million copies of something, it's probably always going to be cheaper just to build the traditional custom manufacturing equipment rather than using a general-purpose 3D printer.
  
  --
  The cow says "Moo." The dog says "Woof." The Timothy says "Thanks, valued customer. We appreciate your input."
4. Re:The really exciting thing about this... by HighOrbit · 2013-12-20 01:57 · Score: 1
  
  IIRC, that was the goal of RepRap: a machine that could replicate itself. That raises some Sci-Fi come true issues. To paraphase an old meme: Image a cluster of self replicating machines :)
  
  I see some safety issues related to the strength of the metals. I would be interested if somebody put the printed metal material through some metalurigal tests to see how strong it is versus traditionally cast/machined parts.
5. Re:The really exciting thing about this... by mishehu · 2013-12-20 02:01 · Score: 0
  
  While I don't doubt your statements, it's probably a little further off than you might think still. Consider this: this 1911 gun still costs between 10 and 20 times the normal cost for a 1911 manufactured using conventional methods these days. As the price difference shrinks, I suspect the cries for more draconian laws (not just patent or copyright) will get louder and louder.
6. Re:The really exciting thing about this... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 02:23 · Score: 0
  
  Early adoption is expensive? Who woulda thunk it?
  
  it's probably always going to be cheaper just to build the traditional custom manufacturing equipment rather than using a general-purpose 3D printer.
  
  It's always going to be cheaper to write a letter and let some guy on a horse carry it around instead of tying copper wires to dead trees and making a talking box on both ends.
  
  Your insights into this issue are truly great.
7. Re:The really exciting thing about this... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 02:28 · Score: 0
  
  How about $200 for A Christmas Story?
8. Re:The really exciting thing about this... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 02:34 · Score: 0
  
  Printing off an ebook costs nearly as much in toner and paper as just buying the damn thing. (Excluding high-cost specialty publications of course.) A fancy car is not entirely, but mainly about status. Print a knockoff and you lose that status. (It would still be fun to drive though.)
9. Re:The really exciting thing about this... by Opportunist · 2013-12-20 02:39 · Score: 1
  
  Considering how much of our cars today already is made of plastic and what ridiculous prices come attached to them, I think that time of some new and exciting patent laws ain't as far away as you might think. Because those parts CAN already be printed by consumer 3d printers.
  
  --
  We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
10. Re:The really exciting thing about this... by ColdWetDog · 2013-12-20 03:47 · Score: 1
  
  How are you going to print Naugahyde? Or rich Corinthian leather for that matter?
  
  --
  Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
11. Re:The really exciting thing about this... by ColdWetDog · 2013-12-20 03:51 · Score: 2
  
  I would be interested if somebody put the printed metal material through some metalurigal tests to see how strong it is versus traditionally cast/machined parts.
  They already did. They fired 2000+ rounds through the gun. Pretty good test. Now, the TFA doesn't mention if they used proof loads (larger amounts of powder used to test guns by giving one the assurance they can handle larger than expected pressures). But 2000 rounds is starting to get you into territory that suggests the gun is reasonably strong and safe.
  
  --
  Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
12. Re:The really exciting thing about this... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 03:55 · Score: 0
  
  Interestingly, if you read the summary, this is exactly what the company was setting out to prove with this demonstration.
13. Re:The really exciting thing about this... by Scannerman · 2013-12-20 04:00 · Score: 1
  
  If you can print a gun, you can print many other kinds of machinery. The day may not be very far off when you can start with half a ton of aluminum and stainless steel powder, and print yourself a Ferrari with a V-12 engine.
  -jcr
  Totally practical, you could do most of it now, (large parts are difficult) The trouble is it would cost a lot more than just going to a dealer and buying one.
  I've been using various plastic part additive manufacturing methods (mainly SLS / SLA) for a few years now. It works great when you want one of something or ten of something: A gun sized object may cost you a couple of hundred dollars a part, so Its much cheaper than spending $10-20,000 on the tooling, but when you have that tooling the cost falls to pennies.
  People (including some of my customers!) tend to look at a mass produced item and think that a comparable specialised piece of equipment should cost about the same. Its not so. Even a Ferrari is 'mass produced' from the manufacturing method point of view.
14. Re:The really exciting thing about this... by jcr · 2013-12-20 04:35 · Score: 1
  
  Well, there are medical researchers printing skin, so leather should be possible.
  -jcr
  
  --
  The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
15. Re:The really exciting thing about this... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 04:41 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  Back in the Top Gear UK series 2 http://www.topgear.com/uk/tv-show/series-2 circa 2003, there is a short spot where they showed a conversion kit for a Toyota MR2 to be changed into a Ferrari 355. The car kit looks stunning and in no way could you tell the donor car was a MR2.
  They go on to state that Ferrari put the shop out of business in less than a month. There are other replica car kits out there but they make such changes as to not infringe copyright, as in http://www.mr2kits.co.uk/kit-packages.html
  If it happened in 2003, it can happen today if not even more easily.
  Nathan
  captcha: satisfy
16. Re:The really exciting thing about this... by TWiTfan · 2013-12-20 04:45 · Score: 1
  
  3D printing isn't fundamentally different than traditional manufacturing, it's just another form of it. A general purpose 3D printer is more versatile than custom equipment--but also much slower, more expensive, and less consistent.
  And just because it's new and hip doesn't automatically make it the wave of the future. I bet there was a guy like you in the 50's who was making fun of everyone who didn't believe flying cars would ever become common, no doubt calling them luddites with no vision.
  
  --
  The cow says "Moo." The dog says "Woof." The Timothy says "Thanks, valued customer. We appreciate your input."
17. Re:The really exciting thing about this... by drinkypoo · 2013-12-20 05:02 · Score: 1
  
  I would be interested if somebody put the printed metal material through some metalurigal tests to see how strong it is versus traditionally cast/machined parts.
  If all else is equal, sintered metals are inferior to forged. They have a fine grain structure which is not only less resistant to deformation but is more likely to break instead of bending (and staying bent) when you pass the elastic limit.
  If their particular grade of Inconel is sufficiently more amazing than the usual materials used for the important parts then it could be quite good.
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
18. Re:The really exciting thing about this... by mcgrew · 2013-12-20 05:38 · Score: 1
  
  That price is arbitrary. It's that high because these guns are actually working, limited edition art pieces. They made guns to show how much stress the final product can withstand. I'd bet actual manufacturing costs (except the printing equipment) were far less than a gun bought from a gunsmith would cost.
  
  --
  Free Martian Whores!
19. Re:The really exciting thing about this... by HornWumpus · 2013-12-20 06:57 · Score: 1
  
  Ferrari makes more money licensing it's logo then they do making cars.
  By some definitions, they are just copyright trolls.
  
  --
  John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
20. Re:The really exciting thing about this... by HornWumpus · 2013-12-20 07:13 · Score: 1
  
  In their ongoing effort to mock Ferrari the guys at 'Hot Rod' magazine (the same guys that demonstrated that a Pontiac GTO is faster then a Ferrari GTO) bought the Enzo that a talentless comic (who's name escapes me) totaled a few years ago, fixed it and reported on the costs.
  The example that comes to mind is an red anodized aluminum washer, used to retain the headlights on an Enzo. 1 15mm washer from Ferarri: Price US$5000.
  
  --
  John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
21. Re:The really exciting thing about this... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 07:31 · Score: 0
  
  You'll shoot your eye out.
22. Re:The really exciting thing about this... by suutar · 2013-12-20 09:00 · Score: 1
  
  Patent laws won't need to change much; if your V12 is a copy of Ferrarri's V12 and they have a patent, it's applicable already. Copyright could be tricky, but given the precedent that fashion and (iirc) architecture don't have copyright protection (on the finished product; architectural drawings are copyrighted) a case could be made that the engine itself isn't copyrightable and reverse engineering it back to plans is legitimate. Then you just have to get an engine controller chip, whose firmware will definitely be copyrighted...
23. Re:The really exciting thing about this... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 09:09 · Score: 0
  
  They already are a reality, which is why there is no Ford Corolla
24. Re:The really exciting thing about this... by Wolfrider · 2013-12-23 00:37 · Score: 1
  
  --I think the quoted price (which you can buy a pretty good motorcycle for) would be more appealing if they actually applied some ARTWORK to these "art pieces" - i.e. Scrimshaw.
  
  --
  .
  == WolfriderV6 == I'm willing to admit that *I just might* be wrong... Are you??
Pretty sure it's not the first by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 01:15 · Score: 0

last month revealed the first fully-functional, metal 3D gun
I'm pretty sure it's not the first fully functional, metal 3D gun.
1. Re:Pretty sure it's not the first by TWiTfan · 2013-12-20 01:45 · Score: 2
  
  I'm still waiting on the first fully-functional 2D gun.
  
  --
  The cow says "Moo." The dog says "Woof." The Timothy says "Thanks, valued customer. We appreciate your input."
2. Re:Pretty sure it's not the first by retroworks · 2013-12-20 02:18 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Wait a little longer, and you can get a 4d printed gun awhile ago.
  
  --
  Gently reply
3. Re:Pretty sure it's not the first by Hognoxious · 2013-12-20 02:22 · Score: 1
  
  There's the WW2 Sten, for suitably "it'd hurt if you bashed someone with it" values of functional.
  
  --
  Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
4. Re:Pretty sure it's not the first by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 02:37 · Score: 0
  
  I want my 11D gun so I can shoot alternate versions of myself. There can only be one!
5. Re:Pretty sure it's not the first by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 02:43 · Score: 0
  
  Why to be limited to a Sten ? Print a B-17 instead!
6. Re:Pretty sure it's not the first by mjwalshe · 2013-12-20 09:14 · Score: 1
  
  and if you dropped it on the floor and it fired off a mag
A 1911 for how much ??? by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · 2013-12-20 01:15 · Score: 1

I look forward to buying the first 3D-printed AK47 for $15k. I mean, who the hell would want a normal $30 one: they're so last century...

--
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
1. Re:A 1911 for how much ??? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 01:22 · Score: 0
  
  I look forward to buying the first 3D-printed AK47 for $15k. I mean, who the hell would want a normal $30 one: they're so last century...
  Forget the gun, how about 3d printing bullets ?
2. Re:A 1911 for how much ??? by fl!ptop · 2013-12-20 02:53 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  I mean, who the hell would want a normal $30 one
  I own both a Springfield Arms 1911 and a Romanian AK (it's a 74, not a 47, meaning it takes 5.45x39 ammo instead of 7.62x39 like the 47 does). I paid $900 for my 1911 (brand new in the box) and I saw them at the last gun show I attended for up to $1500. I paid $1000 for the AK, 5 magazines and 1000 rounds of ammo. It is set up just like it would be in theater, and has hardly been used (muzzle wear and throat erosion are very low). The AK's I saw at the last gun show ranged from $650 up to $2000. Where are you getting them for $30?
  
  --
  When you recognize love in another and realize how precious it is, everything else seems so insignificant.
3. Re:A 1911 for how much ??? by redmid17 · 2013-12-20 03:06 · Score: 1
  
  Probably a third world, war-torn country if I had to guess
4. Re:A 1911 for how much ??? by hey! · 2013-12-20 03:45 · Score: 2
  
  The AK's I saw at the last gun show ranged from $650 up to $2000. Where are you getting them for $30?
  You live in rich country full of gun collectors who drive up the price for nice examples. In Africa, AK-47s can be had for around $300 [reference:http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2007/06/12/looking_for_a_deal_on_ak_47s_go_to_africa#sthash.IpUFO50V.dpbs].
  It's also possible that at certain situations (e.g., after a proxy war) markets in very poor countries may be flooded with very cheap weapons, with ak-47s selling for as little as $6 [reference http://archive.is/5gesc%5D. However this is obviously not a sustainable price; it only reflects a glut on the local market. Also, these aren't places you'd want to live, despite the occasional gun purchase bargain.
  
  --
  Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
5. Re:A 1911 for how much ??? by CanHasDIY · 2013-12-20 03:57 · Score: 1
  
  The AK's I saw at the last gun show ranged from $650 up to $2000. Where are you getting them for $30?
  Crazy Achmed's Firearm and Shovel Emporium
  
  --
  An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
6. Re:A 1911 for how much ??? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 05:12 · Score: 0
  
  I doubt you can find a working AK for $30. If you can, there's a gun buy-back arbitrage* opportunity there. Most gun buy-back programs give you at least $100. Recent ones here get you $200 for "assault weapons" which the AK certainly falls into.
  Just for grins and giggles I went looking around for sub $100 crap pistols a while ago. None to be found. Look at those google results, a lot of what looks like a sub $100 gun is an air pistol or a model and they won't take it.
  *not true arbitrage because the transaction is unlikely to be simultaneous.
7. Re:A 1911 for how much ??? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 10:10 · Score: 0
  
  It is set up just like it would be in theater....
  
  Is that you, James Homes?
8. Re:A 1911 for how much ??? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 22:05 · Score: 0
  
  " I paid $1000 for the AK, 5 magazines and 1000 rounds of ammo. It is set up just like it would be in theater,"
  I'm pretty sure in theaters they use ar-15s with 100 round clips.
9. Re:A 1911 for how much ??? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-22 09:15 · Score: 0
  
  I'm pretty sure in theaters they use ar-15s with 100 round clips.
  It's a good thing that nutbag did use the stupid 100-round clips - probably saved a few lives when it jammed due to notoriously low reliability. If he had used standard reliable 30-round or even the quite reliable 40-round clips, there would have been more victims.
  - T
seriously by marcello_dl · 2013-12-20 01:18 · Score: 1

even in real robberies there is no need to shoot every time, I guess... danger number one is mishandling IMHO.
Anyway, right to print arms FTW (for the wealthy)

--
---- MISSING MISCELLANEOUS DATA SEGMENT --- [sigdash] trolololol
1. Re:seriously by TheCarp · 2013-12-20 02:26 · Score: 2
  
  I seem to remember reading claims that a large number of guns used in robberies are actually not even loaded; and thus are little more than props. Without bullets it is no more of a weapon than a rock (which is still a formidable weapon... quite an expensive, precision crafted rock)
  
  --
  "I opened my eyes, and everything went dark again"
2. Re:seriously by DexterIsADog · 2013-12-20 04:28 · Score: 1
  
  Even unloaded, a gun is much more a weapon than is a rock. The sight of a gun-waving robber will induce people to do all sorts of things a rock-waving robber would not. Imagine the irony of serving a life sentence for felony murder because you brandished an empty gun, and the responding police opened fire, negligently killing a bystander. You then own that murder.
3. Re:seriously by LoRdTAW · 2013-12-20 05:02 · Score: 1
  
  The gun is there to threaten the victim with death if they do not comply. Sometimes the crook happens to be carrying a gun.
  Many times criminals who shoot someone during a robbery shoot because they are scared. The victim makes a quick unexpected move and the criminal panics and fires. That or the criminal did not expect someone to be at the place of robbery such as a home break-in where they thought the house was empty.
  I was watching that show, First 48. They had an episode where a guy broke into the cab of a semi truck not expecting someone to be in there sleeping. They caught the suspect and he confessed. The truck driver woke up, yelled and the crook was startled and fired killing the driver. Another episode had a guy who was arguing with his friend in a car when he thought his friend was going to pull a gun on him and he preemptively shot him in defence. Turns out there was no gun, he was just paranoid (shoot first, a symptom of ghetto life where everyone might have a gun and will use it for little to no reason).
4. Re:seriously by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 05:34 · Score: 0
  
  There are even "armed" robberies that don't involve a gun at all. You remember the old pistol-in-the-pocket gambit, right?
5. Re:seriously by Jarik+C-Bol · 2013-12-20 08:30 · Score: 1
  
  Hell, in this state, robbing a store with even a toy gun counts as armed robbery. Imagine going to prison for pointing a plastic kids toy at a McDonalds clerk and demanding the cash in the drawer. This is a thing that happened here.
  
  --
  I've decided to Diversify my Holdings. I've divided my cash between my left and right pockets, instead of all in one.
6. Re:seriously by mjwalshe · 2013-12-20 09:08 · Score: 1
  
  Ask Goliath about rocks as weapons.
7. Re:seriously by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 14:03 · Score: 0
  
  Ask Santa about the finer points of flying since we're both suggesting made up bullshit.
as the killing stops we begin to heal & feel a by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 01:19 · Score: 0

print out some 3d spirit bugs. free the innocent stem cells. read the teepeeleaks etchings or watch the movie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqUvhDG7x2E
Custom bullets ? by advid.net · 2013-12-20 01:46 · Score: 1

Forget the gun, how about 3d printing bullets ?
Customized bullets with the name of the victim ? Or the reason the victim was shot at ?
That's not for me, I'll stick with jewelry and fitness accessories printing... :-)
1. Re:Custom bullets ? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 02:19 · Score: 0
  
  Forget the gun, how about 3d printing bullets ?
  Customized bullets with the name of the victim ? Or the reason the victim was shot at ?
  That's not for me, I'll stick with jewelry and fitness accessories printing... :-)
  Everyone is going gun-ho over the 3d printed guns. But guns without ammunition are useless.
  I think the 3d printing of ammunition is much more dangerous than some 11000$ kalashnikov knockoff replica.
2. Re:Custom bullets ? by CastrTroy · 2013-12-20 02:37 · Score: 1
  
  Or, you know, you could just use a regular bullet, and engrave the message on it. No need for a 3D printer.
  
  --
  
  Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
3. Re:Custom bullets ? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 03:41 · Score: 0
  
  Sure, if you REALLY want to risk engraving shit on to live rounds.
4. Re:Custom bullets ? by CanHasDIY · 2013-12-20 03:55 · Score: 1
  
  Sure, if you REALLY want to risk engraving shit on to live rounds.
  Done it a million times.
  Don't be such a chickenshit.
  
  --
  An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
5. Re:Custom bullets ? by wed128 · 2013-12-20 05:15 · Score: 1
  
  I think the 3d printing of ammunition is much more dangerous than some 11000$ kalashnikov knockoff replica.
  Why? casting bullets from lead and stuffing them into (used) shell casings is insanely cheap and easy. it will be a LONG time before 3d printing can improve on a process we've been using for a century to create ammunition.
  You can make bullets really cheap, at home, right now. It's marginally dangerous if you don't know what you're doing, but no more so then printing ammunition would be.
  Here's some links to get you started! good luck!
  http://www.midwayusa.com/find?dimensionids=5671
  http://www.buffaloarms.com/products.aspx?CAT=3764
  http://www.wideners.com/itemview.cfm?dir=210%7C212%7C235
6. Re: Custom bullets ? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 05:28 · Score: 0
  
  You obviously know nothing about ammunition.
7. Re:Custom bullets ? by RatherBeAnonymous · 2013-12-20 05:42 · Score: 1
  
  Home ammunition production is a solved problem. Take your pick http://www.midwayusa.com/find?dimensionids=11521
8. Re:Custom bullets ? by Shagg · 2013-12-20 07:12 · Score: 2
  
  How about a customized bullet with your own name on it. You know how they say "somewhere out there is a bullet with your name on it"?
  Wouldn't you feel a lot safer if you owned that bullet?
  
  --
  Unix is user friendly, it's just selective about who its friends are.
9. Re: Custom bullets ? by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 18:01 · Score: 0
  
  You obviously know even less. Ever fire a machine gun? Ever handle depleted uranium rounds? Ever handle anything but low caliber handgun rounds?
  Didn't think so.
if they say ummm and or and over & over by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 01:52 · Score: 0

they are lying
Call For New Legislation: by Hartree · 2013-12-20 02:06 · Score: 2, Funny

We must immediately restrict the availability of this 3D printing technology to prevent $11,900 cheap knockoff copies of firearms from flooding the streets!
I cannot wait to see... by ctrl-alt-canc · 2013-12-20 02:07 · Score: 1

...the first fully functionant 3D replica of the Trinity device. When a celebrative limited edition working model will be available ?
For that price by wisnoskij · 2013-12-20 02:26 · Score: 1

Just buy yourself a 3D printer and print your own crappy guns.

--
Troll is not a replacement for I disagree.
1. Re:For that price by CanHasDIY · 2013-12-20 03:58 · Score: 1
  
  Just buy yourself a CNC mill and print your own real guns.
  FTFY.
  
  --
  An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
2. Re:For that price by wed128 · 2013-12-20 05:17 · Score: 1
  
  Technically, milling is not the same as printing, but yes, good point.
3. Re:For that price by Valdrax · 2013-12-20 05:27 · Score: 1
  
  Just how much do you think a direct metal laser sintering printer costs?
  
  --
  If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
4. Re:For that price by CanHasDIY · 2013-12-20 05:30 · Score: 1
  
  Technically, milling is not the same as printing, but yes, good point.
  Is and isn't.
  Isn't the same, because milling is subtractive, and 3D printing is additive.
  Is the same, because either way you're taking a digital file and sending it to a machine that creates a physical object from said file.
  
  --
  An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
5. Re:For that price by Shagg · 2013-12-20 07:18 · Score: 1
  
  Isn't the same, because milling is subtractive, and 3D printing is additive.
  So a CNC mill is a 3D eraser.
  
  --
  Unix is user friendly, it's just selective about who its friends are.
6. Re:For that price by lister+king+of+smeg · 2013-12-20 07:48 · Score: 1
  
  Just how much do you think a direct metal laser sintering printer costs?
  Well a rip rap cost according to google shopping search anywhere form $150 parts to over a $1000 fully assembled and about two weeks ago a 3d metal printer based on rep rap was developed it cost about 1000 pounds or 1600 dollars to make according to the slashdot summery. Now the cost of the printers would be a one time investment after that each gun only costs as much as the electricity and powdered metal, and abs plastic (for things like grips such). so really not all that much when it comes right down to it considering.
  
  --
  ---Saying gnome 3 is better than windows 8 not so much a compliment as it is damning with light praise.
7. Re:For that price by CanHasDIY · 2013-12-20 07:49 · Score: 1
  
  Isn't the same, because milling is subtractive, and 3D printing is additive.
  So a CNC mill is a 3D eraser.
  Oh, I like that.
  Well played.
  
  --
  An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Complete rip off. by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 02:28 · Score: 0

For that kind of money you can have a REAL 1911 from 1911. And its value will do nothing but go up. Not be some one off novelty worth squat like any other knockoff copy in 5 years.
this is excellent news by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 02:35 · Score: 0

and will provide power to the people against the tyranny of bad govt - everyone should be armed and carrying at all times
1. Re:this is excellent news by pr0fessor · 2013-12-20 03:16 · Score: 1
  
  I just had to renew my drivers license the girl in her mid 20s in front of me in line was there to take the driving test it was her 4th attempt and the clerk reminded her that if she failed she would have to start over she said she knows she has started over more than once... that means she failed the driving test at least 11 times.
  Six years ago when I renewed my license there was a guy taking the written test for a second time that day {It's an open book test and the book has one page for every question in the same order as on the test.}
  Are your certain you want everyone carrying a loaded gun at all times?
2. Re:this is excellent news by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 03:29 · Score: 0
  
  What? Stupid people don't deserve to be allowed to defend themselves?
3. Re:this is excellent news by operagost · 2013-12-20 03:30 · Score: 1
  
  Einstein never learned to drive. He thought it was too complicated to bother.
  Some people are just bad at driving. They might be brilliant mathematicians, engineers, or physicians.
  
  --
  
  Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
4. Re:this is excellent news by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 04:29 · Score: 0
  
  Not being able to drive and not passing the driving test are two different things. I've passed the driving test, easy-peasy, with flying colors, so I'm technically allowed to drive. Nonetheless, I don't drive, because doing to properly is a difficult, dangerous, and highly skilled task that I don't have the requisite experience and training for (not that I wouldn't be able to learn eventually; my PhD in nuclear physics indicates a modest level of learning ability).
  Passing the test doesn't say much (and cars are a lot simpler to operate today than in Einstein's time); certainly no indication that one is remotely qualified to drive --- much less on a road populated with all the other drivers who barely scraped by the test. If you can't drive, that may be because driving is hard for humans. If you can't pass the test, that's because you're significantly mentally handicapped (and shouldn't be applying for a permit to fling a ton of steel and glass around at high speed in crowded areas).
5. Re:this is excellent news by pr0fessor · 2013-12-20 04:52 · Score: 1
  
  I have a cousin that never learned to drive because he is not comfortable in cars after being in a terrible accident as a child, even as a passenger. He rides a bicycle everywhere and as a side benefit is in great shape you would never guess he was in his 50s.
  My 22 year old son doesn't have license because he feels there is no point until he can afford the expense of insurance, gas, upkeep, etc. that comes with a owning vehicle so he also rides a bicycle everywhere.
  Having no desire is not the same. I was drawing a parallel between safe driving and safely carrying a gun both something people take for granted.
  I'm not even against guns but I do not own one because I feel that at this time {with young children in the house} the risk outweighs the benefit. {After the kids are older and I have more time I might purchase a hunting riffle or more likely a fishing boat}
6. Re:this is excellent news by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 06:15 · Score: 0
  
  No, they don't. In fact, anything that further accelerates the extinction of stupid people from the planet is fine by me.
Interesting future by BobMcD · 2013-12-20 02:57 · Score: 1

So 3D printing is reaching critical mass, that much is clear.
What will this do to our economy, where we no longer need to buy anything but printer supplies?
E.g. What happens to China's economy, and how will they respond?
1. Re:Interesting future by jfengel · 2013-12-20 04:53 · Score: 1
  
  As far as I can tell, we're a long way from that, mostly because "printer supplies" would require such a wide array of materials.
  3D printer can make shapes, but as far as I can see they're not very good with materials. They take what they get. A gun as the advantage of being a block of metal; all it needs to be is strong. But even something as simple as a kitchen spatula or frying pan would prove quite complicated. The spatula head needs to be flexible, while the handle needs to be stiff. A decent frying pan is actually quite a complex bit of manufacturing, using multiple layers of metal to conduct heat while remaining stiff and scratch-resistant. A great many things require specific types of plastic or metal, which is easy enough to do when the Chinese will make ten million of them, but harder to imagine for a one-off.
  I don't doubt that these are problems that will be solved some day. At least some of them will be solved by completely reinventing the task and the tool, rather than trying to adapt new technology to the old job. But I'm really not expecting to give up my Amazon Prime account any time soon.
2. Re:Interesting future by BobMcD · 2013-12-20 05:00 · Score: 2
  
  Okay, fine, in the hypothetical (but maybe not so far away future) - wouldn't this be a significant change to how the global economy functions?
  Particularly should the materials recycling concepts gain traction, like this one -
  http://www.appropedia.org/Recyclebot_v2.3
  In that world, you won't even use a whole lot of new plastic. Kid's toy breaks; grind said up and print replacement.
  Seems significant.
3. Re:Interesting future by drinkypoo · 2013-12-20 05:10 · Score: 1
  
  As far as I can tell, we're a long way from that, mostly because "printer supplies" would require such a wide array of materials.
  Alternately, when 3d printing finally does take off, you'll see most stuff made out of just a handful of materials, those which are cheapest and most reliably fed through 3d printers. Well into that era you'll be getting a module with the electronics shipped to you, and you'll plug it into something that comes out of your printer, but lots of stuff will be directly printable.
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
4. Re:Interesting future by jfengel · 2013-12-20 08:18 · Score: 2
  
  Absolutely, this has the potential to completely redesign the way we look at manufactured products. That goes well beyond China; it would radically disrupt the economy at home, too. A lot of products that are currently shipped could be printed.
  I think the case of books is instructive, though. For a long time we've had the technology to print books at home. DRM was of course an issue, and publishers weren't jumping at the chance to make the book available to print, but even setting that aside I think people who want printed books would generally rather have them mailed rather than downloaded and printed on their own printer. There are little things, like binding, page size, and the price of printer ink. In the end, the Kindle disrupted that market before it got going.
  I suspect we'll find that for a lot of common products, we'll want to keep doing it the old-fashioned way until somebody completely disrupts the market. I don't know what that will look like. I do know that I'm about to go buy a new coat, and can't imagine the day coming any time soon when I'd download it and print it.
Great job title by jbeaupre · 2013-12-20 03:07 · Score: 1

"Lead additive manufacturing engineers." What a great title for gun makers.
Yes, I know they don't mean Pb. But it would be so much funnier if they did.

--
The world is made by those who show up for the job.
1. Re:Great job title by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 03:39 · Score: 0
  
  "Lead additive manufacturing engineers." What a great title for gun makers.
  Yes, I know they don't mean Pb. But it would be so much funnier if they did.
  Yes, unless they need to abbreviate their job title. In which case their job becomes really LAME.
Colonization by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 03:08 · Score: 0

Very good news for folks going to mars and beyond.
Economies of scale? by puddingebola · 2013-12-20 03:10 · Score: 1

Maybe the price will drop as they print more. I'm fine with them leaving it at $11,900, fewer sales. Google result for "M1911A1 for sale" is a page advertising $419.00. Years ago there was a Bloom County cartoon parodying the scene in the graduate where an adult takes Benjamin Braddock aside and offers him the advice, "Plastics, Ben. Plastics." In the Bloom County cartoon the adult says, "Disposable Handguns." Soon we will have a world with untraceable disposable handguns. Put the pros and cons of this new technology in the scales. I suspect a large net positive, but with some amazing new problems in the future. Things nobody has imagined yet.
1. Re:Economies of scale? by drinkypoo · 2013-12-20 05:12 · Score: 1
  
  Maybe the price will drop as they print more. I'm fine with them leaving it at $11,900, fewer sales. Google result for "M1911A1 for sale" is a page advertising $419.00.
  Tisas and some TLA beginning with A both sell $400 1911s, obviously not made in the USA. Too bad I can't remember the name of the second one, because their $400 pistol was the nicer one, with a better beavertail. hickok45 has a video for each.
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
2. Re:Economies of scale? by couchslug · 2013-12-20 10:16 · Score: 1
  
  "Soon we will have a world with untraceable disposable handguns."
  Those already exist for those who want them, and milling machines are much less expensive than metal printers.
  It's worth remembering than many classic weapon designs predate computers by a very long time.
  
  --
  "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
3. Re:Economies of scale? by puddingebola · 2013-12-21 02:34 · Score: 1
  
  Good point, but now we could have untraceable guns that could be used once in a murder or crime, and disposed of after use.
WTF by TangoMargarine · 2013-12-20 03:27 · Score: 0

They're printing 1) an obsolete design from 1911, 2) charging $11,000 for one, 3) (presumably) not releasing the design files, and 4) not in it for the constitutional rights angle.
So this basically boils down to "look what we can do"?* Who in their right mind would buy one of these over a regular firearm? They're more expensive, probably less reliable, and you can't even make them yourself.
* I suspect that this is actually due to a typical shitty, misleading summary.

--
Unity? Screw that: XFCE. Slashdot Beta? Screw that: SoylentNews. Australis? Screw that: Pale Moon. UX developers DIAF
1. Re:WTF by halivar · 2013-12-20 03:41 · Score: 2
  
  What, exactly, is obsolete about the 1911? It's still one of the best, most reliable guns you can buy.
2. Re:WTF by tranquilidad · 2013-12-20 03:49 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  There is nothing obsolete about the design.
  The M1911 was designed well before 1911 by John Browning and was a standard in U.S. military forces until the 1970s when, some would argue due to political pressure, the U.S. and NATO adopted the European standard 9mm round.
  The standard 1911 fires a .45 ACP bullet and is remarkably elegant from a design perspective. Many would argue it's still the best defensive pistol out there. I'm carrying one on my hip at the moment.
  The design has been reliable enough that I can take the parts from my current 1911 and put them in a 1911 from the era when they were initially introduced and have a very functional firearm. Today, one can pay anywhere from $400 to $5,000 for a 1911 depending on the manufacturer and I would gladly carry any of them to defend myself.
  Just because it was designed over 100 years ago doesn't make it obsolete in any way, shape or form.
3. Re:WTF by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 03:51 · Score: 0
  
  Reliable if kept to John Moses Browning's original military specifications. The modern, tight-as-a-frogs arse slide to frame fit, the insistence of match barrels and bushings, and the stupid nonsense of full-length guide rods has done nothing good for the 1911. Watch a match. Never have a seen a match with 1911s and not several of them fail as a result of their being "out of spec". Original 1911? Very reliable. Touched by a ripoff artist "match" builder. Wouldn't trust it with my life or anyone else's.
4. Re:WTF by ColdWetDog · 2013-12-20 03:56 · Score: 1
  
  Never, never diss people with lots of disposable income. Help them.
  
  --
  Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
5. Re:WTF by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 04:02 · Score: 0
  
  They're printing 1) an obsolete design from 1911, 2) charging $11,000 for one, 3) (presumably) not releasing the design files, and 4) not in it for the constitutional rights angle.
  So this basically boils down to "look what we can do"?* Who in their right mind would buy one of these over a regular firearm? They're more expensive, probably less reliable, and you can't even make them yourself.
  * I suspect that this is actually due to a typical shitty, misleading summary.
  Umm..
  http://www.coltsmfg.com/Catalog/ColtPistols.aspx
  http://www.springfield-armory.com/armory.php?clicktype=1911
  Oh and one of my favorites!
  http://www.kimberamerica.com/1911
  This company is only making 100 of them, so yeah of course they are expensive.
  The patents on 1911's expired decades ago; any company that wants to make one can.
  Also Yes you can make your own. If you had about half a million to invest in machinery and materials. (citation needed)
6. Re:WTF by TangoMargarine · 2013-12-20 04:08 · Score: 1
  
  It sounds like they're entirely relying on the collector value to sell these things. Good on them, I guess, because apparently people will pay ridiculous amounts for "collector" shit.
  
  --
  Unity? Screw that: XFCE. Slashdot Beta? Screw that: SoylentNews. Australis? Screw that: Pale Moon. UX developers DIAF
7. Re:WTF by CanHasDIY · 2013-12-20 04:19 · Score: 1
  
  What, exactly, is obsolete about the 1911? It's still one of the best, most reliable guns you can buy.
  Some people measure obsolescence in actual years, as opposed to years of usefulness.
  I'm guessing OP isn't a big fan of rulers, either.
  
  --
  An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
8. Re:WTF by i.r.id10t · 2013-12-20 04:47 · Score: 1
  
  NATO was on 9mm for a long time before the 70s, and the US didn't switch to it until the 80s (w/ the Beretta 92 aka M9)
  
  --
  Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos
9. Re:WTF by drinkypoo · 2013-12-20 05:19 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  There is nothing obsolete about the design.
  That's not really true. The path the cartridge follows and the design of the extractor make it prone to problems compared to other firearms. I've had a S&W 1911 firing standard hardball choke on a casing so hard it had to be cleared with a good-sized tool. So I bought the Kimber. I had one FTF before replacing mag springs and giving the weapon a detail strip, where I found a miserably fouled extractor. And that's just one of the problems with the design... that this is even a possibility.
  
  The M1911 was designed well before 1911 by John Browning and was a standard in U.S. military forces until the 1970s when,
  Utilization by a military doesn't prove anything except that they were using it.
  
  The standard 1911 fires a .45 ACP bullet and is remarkably elegant from a design perspective. Many would argue it's still the best defensive pistol out there. I'm carrying one on my hip at the moment.
  Confirmation bias. I have one too but I don't think it's the best thing around. Neither did John Moses Browning. He went on to design the Hi-Power based on the lessons learned from the 1911. Aside from its lesser cartridge, the Hi-Power is arguably a better firearm in every way.
  
  The design has been reliable enough that I can take the parts from my current 1911 and put them in a 1911 from the era when they were initially introduced and have a very functional firearm.
  The design is sloppy enough (due to age) that if you actually do take parts from your current 1911 and put them in an original 1911 without smithing, they might work perfectly, they might make your gun fail to fire or fail to eject, or they might make your gun fire full-auto and not stop.
  
  Just because it was designed over 100 years ago doesn't make it obsolete in any way, shape or form.
  It's obsolete in form. The shape is lovely, though, which is why there are still single-stack pistols around. For example, the S&W M&P .45 Pistol, with its simplified external extractor and so on and so forth.
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
10. Re: WTF by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 05:54 · Score: 0
  
  My 1911 has a match grade barrel/bushing and a fairly tight slide to frame fit. I have fired over 1000 rounds through it in a single range session with zero malfunctions. In fact that pistol has never had a single malfunction. Most of the problems you have seen are due to improper cleaning/lubing of the firearm.
11. Re:WTF by SplawnDarts · 2013-12-20 06:49 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  The 1911 isn't a perfect design by any means - I would flag three issues that can't be corrected via trivial gunsmithing:
  1) The extractor has several functional issues, not the least of which that it's supposed to be both a structural element and a spring. It tends to get clogged with crud and be at the wrong tension.
  2) The "ski jump" between the frame ramp and barrel throat and general feed geometry is less than ideal.
  3) The clearance between slide stop and bullet is far too similar to the clearance between slide stop and mag follower, leading to situations where the slide doesn't lock back when it should or does lock back when it shouldn't.
  That said, there are many upsides to the 1911 design as well that subsequent designs have failed to match. The trigger design is such that it's possible to get an excellent trigger in terms of crispness and ability to tune to a desired weight - better than is possible on any striker or double action platform. The barrel to slide lockup is better than any other design because of the tunability afforded by the bushing and barrel link. The 1911 is very thin given the caliber it's chambered in, which makes them excellent concealed carry guns. The 1911 ergonomics just "feel right" in most adult male's hands. The positive action safeties prevent "glock leg".
  Personally, it's one of the two pistol types I choose to carry (the other being S&W J-frame revolvers).
12. Re:WTF by Noishkel · 2013-12-20 08:47 · Score: 1
  
  I'm more of a CZ critter myself. ,, But really... the 1911 design has been around for a long time for a very good reason. It works well.
13. Re:WTF by shutdown+-p+now · 2013-12-20 10:50 · Score: 1
  
  The design is definitely obsolete compared to modern handguns, even if the core ideas that were introduced in it remain the same. It's not that it is inherently bad - it's just that we found ways to improve things since then, and realized that certain features were just bad ideas (e.g. a combination of a manual safety with a grip safety). Field stripping a 1911 next to any modern gun is enough to see how modern design is simpler in details while preserving the concept.
Stacked Tolerances by Zanthor · 2013-12-20 03:49 · Score: 2

I'd be very curious as to how much hand finishing is required on these firearms. While the 1911 is a simple design and commonly produced the difference between a weapon cranked out with CNC and finished by an assembly line gunsmith is notably different than the same parts finished by an accomplished smith who understands the finer points of the firearm.
I'd also point out that 2,000 rounds is no testament to durability, rather it's just barely out of what most 1911 enthusiasts consider the break-in period.

--
Zanthor
1. Re:Stacked Tolerances by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 04:47 · Score: 0
  
  I'd be very curious as to how much hand finishing is required on these firearms. While the 1911 is a simple design and commonly produced the difference between a weapon cranked out with CNC and finished by an assembly line gunsmith is notably different than the same parts finished by an accomplished smith who understands the finer points of the firearm.
  I'd also point out that 2,000 rounds is no testament to durability, rather it's just barely out of what most 1911 enthusiasts consider the break-in period.
  Yeah but these 3d printed guns are disposable guns, the same as disposable electronics. Use them for 2-3 years and then throw them away. The cost to keep them in good working order might be higher than simply buying another 3d printed gun.
2. Re:Stacked Tolerances by Zanthor · 2013-12-20 05:17 · Score: 1
  
  There are two types of shooters in the world... those that 2,000 rounds will last a lifetime, and those that 2,000 rounds is a slow month.
  
  --
  Zanthor
3. Re:Stacked Tolerances by drinkypoo · 2013-12-20 05:24 · Score: 1
  
  I'd be very curious as to how much hand finishing is required on these firearms. While the 1911 is a simple design and commonly produced the difference between a weapon cranked out with CNC and finished by an assembly line gunsmith is notably different than the same parts finished by an accomplished smith who understands the finer points of the firearm.
  Notable to who? Only to an educated owner who cares about the finer points of the firearm. Most people are not going to have a notably better experience with the Ed Brown than they are with Kimber, the poster child for CNC 1911s. At least, not once you've passed the break-in period. The hand-smithed 1911s still jam if a magazine is sloppy, or its spring is old, or maybe just if a round was tamped .5mm too little into the cartridge, or if you use a .45 ACP that your particular 1911 doesn't like to feed...
  I bought the 1911 because when I fired the second mag (after taking the feel) it was dot. dot. dot. I live in CA, where we have mag limits. I bought the Kimber because I wanted one that didn't suck and didn't want to go a-smithin' on my first handgun, and they had a good one in. But if I had to do it over again I'd probably buy something else. Say, S&W M&P.
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Now hold on by Azure+Flash · 2013-12-20 03:58 · Score: 1

Solid Concepts, which last month revealed the first fully-functional, metal 3D gun

Hold on, I'm pretty sure guns existed long before this "Solid Concepts" company, and they were all 3D too. Granted, it's hard to tell if the gun is just hung on a wall, since you only perceive one side of it and it looks flat from a distance, but if you pick it up and rotate it around you'll see that it indeed occupies a volume.
durable parts that could withstand... by LifesABeach · 2013-12-20 03:59 · Score: 1

Maybe these folks can make spare auto parts for cars? I'd love to roll with a MG, Model F with all the parts working.

And while we're on the topic of MG's, "down with Lucus Electronics, prince of darkness."
1. Re:durable parts that could withstand... by godel_56 · 2013-12-20 11:27 · Score: 1
  
  Maybe these folks can make spare auto parts for cars? I'd love to roll with a MG, Model F with all the parts working.
  Was there ever a version of an MG in which all the parts were working?
Ain't about "Freedom" It's about money. by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 04:24 · Score: 0

Brazen marketing. I can't wait for the IPO. The Republicans who've been in cash throughout the Obama stock market debacle will be lining up to get fleeced for this one/
Re:How does it come off the build plate? by penix1 · 2013-12-20 04:30 · Score: 1

I don't own a 3D printer but I would imagine that cooking parchment would work.
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/tools-and-techniques/parchment-paper-questions.htm
Simply tape it down to the plate and print on it. In theory (yes, my theory) that should allow you to easily remove the ABS and it shouldn't stick to the paper. Of course, I disclaim any and all liability should this fuck up your machine or project.

--
This is a sig. This is only a sig. Had this been an actual sig you would have been informed where to tune for more sigs.
beta subject by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 04:54 · Score: 0

Are you really so scared of boogymen that you need to carry a gun in a holster on your hip? What the fuck do you think is going to happen?
1. Re: beta subject by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 06:00 · Score: 0
  
  You must live in the land of rainbows, puppies and unicorns.
2. Re:beta subject by lister+king+of+smeg · 2013-12-20 08:42 · Score: 2
  
  Are you really so scared of boogymen that you need to carry a gun in a holster on your hip? What the fuck do you think is going to happen?
  or maybe he just enjoys his constitutional rights.
  
  --
  ---Saying gnome 3 is better than windows 8 not so much a compliment as it is damning with light praise.
Not sure if serious. by Anonymous Coward · 2013-12-20 05:35 · Score: 0

> 3d-printed
> limited-edition
I'm fairly sure these are disjoint sets...
Do I have this straight? by GigG · 2013-12-20 05:37 · Score: 1

A pretty much untested version (2000 rounds is untested) of a 100+ year old design that costs about 10 times what a high quality normally made one costs. Yes, that's just stupid.

--
Is buying a Harley Davidson as your first motorcycle since you were 16 at age 49 a midlife crisis issue?
Re:How does it come off the build plate? by RatherBeAnonymous · 2013-12-20 05:44 · Score: 1

I'm guessing they use a saw. (Or some reasonable facsimile thereof)
MOD PARENT UP by BenEnglishAtHome · 2013-12-20 06:06 · Score: 0

It's always nice to see someone with a bit of knowledge slap down a fanboi.
Dodge Ball Redux by ThatsNotPudding · 2013-12-20 06:10 · Score: 1

"If you can print a wrench, you can print a ball."
actually, not quite by dutchwhizzman · 2013-12-20 08:42 · Score: 1

Part of this gun is unique to the 1911 design. the bore of the barrel to be exact. Because of that, it shoots more precise than CNC machined/lathed barrels would. You may be able to use a lathe and/or CNC machine to make the same quality barrels, but it wouldn't really be cheaper, especially in single or limited editions.

--
I was promised a flying car. Where is my flying car?
Limited by giorgist · 2013-12-20 09:21 · Score: 1

Limited in what way ? Buy now ! ... the warehouse will only ever have 100 of these at any one time ... for ever