Schumer: It’s time to go after the 3-D printable guns

[myrkul]

Nothing to be considered easy or reliable....

Easy? Yes. Safe? Not really. Reliable? Hell no. And yeah, the best you're going to get is about the size and power of a very large bottle rocket. But I could make one in an afternoon, using cheap and easily available parts.

As for the safety and reliability of the printed gun, I've seen at least one picture with a scorched and broken frame, so they do fail eventually. It's not meant to be a target pistol.

You miss the central issue in alleging capability, with risk.  The issue is that correctly engineered and field tested items and equipment have plans, and those plans can in many cases, be used to produce said item on a home 3d printer.  This is engineering, not guessing.  For example, if a item is to be made from one plastic and another was originally used (say we use ABS on the 3d unit, but it was originally Delrin) that is something that requires study and calculations.  Same for substitution of a plastic part for metal, etc.

ONE mistake is too many.  Let's not go down the wrong road here.  Check the bolded sentence above and remember we are very early in the popularization of this technology...

Well, first and foremost, thermoplastic is a poor choice for these sorts of applications. That said, a properly engineered and tested design, like the liberator pistol, could change a lot of things. A simple rocket body, a simple launch tube, and a cast nozzle (instead of plastic, print in wax and use the lost-wax method), and you're in business, aside from propellent and payload.

[Rassah]

I still think the point of the Liberator being all plastic was more for show, to demonstrate that you could make an entire gun just from the 3D printer. If, or rather when, this gets picked up by other developers who start tweaking it, I wouldn't be surprised if a "useful" mass production version of it will be full of easy to find store-bought parts. I'm still curious how much more effective and safe this gun would be if the barrel was designed to hold and reinforce a hollow, cheap aluminum rod, for instance.

[Spendulus]

I still think the point of the Liberator being all plastic was more for show, to demonstrate that you could make an entire gun just from the 3D printer. If, or rather when, this gets picked up by other developers who start tweaking it, I wouldn't be surprised if a "useful" mass production version of it will be full of easy to find store-bought parts. I'm still curious how much more effective and safe this gun would be if the barrel was designed to hold and reinforce a hollow, cheap aluminum rod, for instance.

Terribly unsafe, since AL (1) softens when heated above a couple hundred F and loses most of it's strength (2) work hardens when repeatedly stressed.  So the end of the barrel which got the heat, softened, and the end that got the stress, split apart.  

Like I said, the way this should work can be understood as follows.  Suppose you own a shooting range in a locality that allows such things.  Someone walks in and wants to shoot one of these things.  What do you do?

The problem with this scenario, of the plastic gun is simply that there may be a legitimate public safety concern over it's production.  By contrast, I mentioned the Anti_Al_Gore 3d printed showerhead.  That is obviously contrary to the federal law governing max flow from a shower, but it isn't going to maim or kill anyone. 

Keep in mind that other 3d printers certainly do print in metal, many types of metal.  Those are more expensive units and will likely not be in everybody's garage.  But that's no different than computer printers.  There has always been a market for home printers, a separate market for business printers and service bureaus which handle the specialized jobs for anyone who needs them done.

[Rassah]

Well, besides aluminum tubes, my local Home Depot and Lowes also has stainless steel tubes, as well as tube shaped steel spacers for bolts/nuts, and a slew of other crap. I'm sure once people start tinkering, they'll figure it out.
Thanks for the info on the Al tubes btw.

[RoadToHell]

You knew it wouldn't take long

(Fabbaloo blog) California state senator Leland Yee says 3D printers must be regulated

I bet Mr. Yee would freak if he knew what some folks could do with a standard 3- and 4-axis CNC milling machine in their garage. Or a few items from the hardware store. Or a pointy stick. Or a rock.

[deadweasel]

You knew it wouldn't take long

(Fabbaloo blog) California state senator Leland Yee says 3D printers must be regulated

I bet Mr. Yee would freak if he knew what some folks could do with a standard 3- and 4-axis CNC milling machine in their garage. Or a few items from the hardware store. Or a pointy stick. Or a rock.

Only the police should have rocks.

[Rassah]

How does one regulate a home-made RepRap? Someone should make a LOTR-themed quickmeme about this.

[myrkul]

How does one regulate a home-made RepRap? Someone should make a LOTR-themed quickmeme about this.

Ask, and ye shall receive.
http://qkme.me/3ufhti

[RoadToHell]

Maybe some kind soul will print a clue for Mr. Yee.

[Spendulus]

How does one regulate a home-made RepRap? Someone should make a LOTR-themed quickmeme about this.

Ask, and ye shall receive.
http://qkme.me/3ufhti

Wait, so we can print bongs on demand, our choice of shape and size now?

Yeee HAW!!!

[myrkul]

Wait, so we can print bongs on demand, our choice of shape and size now?

Yeee HAW!!!

Um.
Thermoplastic.
Probably a bad idea.

Edit: Thingiverse is, of course, way ahead of us on this:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:25491
You just need one non-printed piece.

[Rassah]

Wait, so we can print bongs on demand, our choice of shape and size now?

Yeee HAW!!!

Um.
Thermoplastic.
Probably a bad idea.

Edit: Thingiverse is, of course, way ahead of us on this:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:25491
You just need one non-printed piece.

Of course. Bongs are often just plastic or glass. They just have to hold water. Only the part where weed is burned needs to be metal, and I've seen those funnel-shaped parts get swapped around between different bongs easily.

[deadweasel]

Wait, so we can print bongs on demand, our choice of shape and size now?

Yeee HAW!!!

Um.
Thermoplastic.
Probably a bad idea.

Edit: Thingiverse is, of course, way ahead of us on this:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:25491
You just need one non-printed piece.

Of course. Bongs are often just plastic or glass. They just have to hold water. Only the part where weed is burned needs to be metal, and I've seen those funnel-shaped parts get swapped around between different bongs easily.

thingverse is kinda cool.  thanks!

[SolarSilver]

How does one regulate a home-made RepRap? Someone should make a LOTR-themed quickmeme about this.

The same way they regulate growing pot at home: if they find one in your possession and you don't have the needed paperwork, they confiscate it and destroy it. And you go to jail.

Medical 3D printer anybody? I need it for my prosthesis

[myrkul]

How does one regulate a home-made RepRap? Someone should make a LOTR-themed quickmeme about this.

The same way they regulate growing pot at home: if they find one in your possession and you don't have the needed paperwork, they confiscate it and destroy it. And you go to jail.

Medical 3D printer anybody? I need it for my prosthesis

Except growing pot produces a noticeable heat signature, and sucks up a lot of juice. 3D printers are tiny, use very little power, and give off almost no heat, even in operation (certainly not enough to attract the attention of law enforcement).

[SolarSilver]

Except growing pot produces a noticeable heat signature, and sucks up a lot of juice. 3D printers are tiny, use very little power, and give off almost no heat, even in operation (certainly not enough to attract the attention of law enforcement).

3D printers produce a repetitive noise that you can probably pick up with a mike from the street (ever heard of radar detector detectors? They work by picking up the specific frequencies that leak from the detector). And unless you use PLA, the ABS stinks. And it gives me a headache so we run the machines with the windows open.

Anyways, even if detection is more difficult (yes you have a point), the possession can still be made illegal.

Useless move of course, but then again most things they try to regulate are stupid laws difficult to implement

[myrkul]

Anyways, even if detection is more difficult (yes you have a point), the possession can still be made illegal.

Useless move of course, but then again most things they try to regulate are stupid laws difficult to implement

Yes, but... http://qkme.me/3ufhti

[SolarSilver]

Yes, but... http://qkme.me/3ufhti

Unfortunately stupid stunts like this

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2323158/How-Mail-On-Sunday-printed-plastic-gun-UK--took-board-Eurostar-stopped-security-scandal.html

will create enough attention from the wrong kinds of legislators

[myrkul]

Yes, but... http://qkme.me/3ufhti

Unfortunately stupid stunts like this

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2323158/How-Mail-On-Sunday-printed-plastic-gun-UK--took-board-Eurostar-stopped-security-scandal.html

will create enough attention from the wrong kinds of legislators

In the words of The Pirate Bay, "Bring it."

Laws are just words on paper. Enforcement is a lot harder, and these things can build themselves.

[Spendulus]

Yes, but... http://qkme.me/3ufhti

Unfortunately stupid stunts like this

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2323158/How-Mail-On-Sunday-printed-plastic-gun-UK--took-board-Eurostar-stopped-security-scandal.html

will create enough attention from the wrong kinds of legislators

In the words of The Pirate Bay, "Bring it."

Laws are just words on paper. Enforcement is a lot harder, and these things can build themselves.

What's all this about 3d printing pistols and small stuff.  Why not think big.  Like, really big.  The printer doesn't care.

https://www.google.com/search?q='star+wars+walker'&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS489US489&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=RVCVUe_YDJLqqAH21YCwBQ&ved=0CGsQsAQ&biw=1367&bih=680