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Texan selling 3D printed gun plans

Not on the kitchen table but the day is here, both GE and Siemens are using 3d printed parts in rotating turbine parts.

Your missing the point. I have printed parts in my office and they came from companies that are worth billions and billions of dollars. No shadetree tinkerer is going to make anything of much danger with a 1000.00 printer. What that jack-wagon in Texas could be done in a Bridgeport about 10 times faster than he's doing it in print.

While we are using GE and Siemens as a comparison, how about quoting the cost of the software and the building it runs in. Let alone the cost of the education it costs to run it.

It's not going to hit the masses for 100's of years. Most machine shops, even good ones cannot afford to interpolate 5-10 axis let alone print those parts. If you want a job doing so ya better get your resume's in with those companies, and I doubt they are going to allow you to tinker with them like guys do know with the 3-4 axis employers.,

I totally get the capabilities the future, hell we will be printing machine guns in the future, all in one piece but, only if the economy will pay the freight. We are more likely to be fighting wars with handmade weapons.... than with hi tech.
 
Um. 3d printing code is GCODE. Same as CNC. You could sell the CNC code on Ebay too.

This whole story is a made up lie. As are most of these stories in the American media, which is more corrupt than pedophile Hollywood.... which is saying something.

Mostly correct, but it's important to keep in mind that the media is in the business of selling fanciful stories in order to sell advertising. And although there might be a nugget of truth buried somewhere in their story, and therefore qualifies as "news", that's about all there is, a nugget, a very small nugget.

You may recall about 20 years ago a 7 year old girl attempting to pilot an airplane across the US and meet the President (B. Clinton). She died in a crash in route, along with her flight instructor and father. She was going to set a new world record for the youngest pilot flying across the US, ACCORDING TO THE MEDIA.

I, and my flight school were right in the middle of that, although she was not a student of my school. I met with local news anchors, and CNN's reporter too, and asked them directly why they were making up lies about setting world records as there aren't any records to be set for student pilots. You had to be a licensed pilot.

Their answer: "Because that's what the viewing public wants to hear". I'm not kidding...that really was their answer.

And their research (Neilsen ratings) confirms that. People watch and the Neilsen rating is used to set advertising rates. And that's pretty much all that counts. Tell a story that you'll want to watch, and reap the profits in advertising dollars. It's that simple.

So as long as we keep in mind that, that although Tom Clancy is not writing the story you're hearing on the Evening News, it is pretty much fiction, and it is written to promote a particular view point, and achieve a particular result, that of you becoming frightened. That's the goal, to alarm you, because only frightened viewers call or write the station or their elected official, their way of accessing the level of drama they produce.

So we call them "lies" but in reality what we are seeing is good ol' capitalism and free market at it's (perhaps not so) finest.
 
Those of you speaking of printing exotic parts are not in the same galaxy as those thinking they are going to print guns. You are talking about printers that cost millions upon millions of dollars. Those that are getting a woody about someday having one like that in the garage are in fantasy land.

WE, gets thrown around this site like candy. They should sneak into the IMTS in September and get a realistic look at what is really involved in exotic manufacturing. if even anything vaguely resembling what you are talking about is there. Those machines the,"WE" are referring to costs millions of dollars to ship and set up. The floor space in sq footage is beyond most companies capabilities at IMTS.

When i refer to the “we” i mean my company- the one that currently prints turbine blades and has the largest additive manufacturing factory in the world in bier. “We” make the machines, the software, train the people to use the software, and sell all of this technology right now. Knowing what hands these machines are currently in, and knowing that there wont be any guns printed off of the printers that are capable right now, i feel safe to say you wont see a printed gun part i would use for probably 10 more years. Maybe a 1 shot drop it like its hot saturday nite special but not a serious firearm
 
I think someone will have a good laugh at this thread in 20 years time. You'll all be popping down to Wallmart for a tub of titanium powder to try out the new part you've just downloaded as an every day occurrence. Old Bridgeports will adorn shopping malls next to the wagon wheels and wooden barrels as works of art next the fountain.

This is already under $100K and will rapidly get quicker and cheaper - The fact is that you don't need a highly skilled machinist to operate it.

THE FUTURE IS HERE
 
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When i refer to the “we” i mean my company- the one that currently prints turbine blades and has the largest additive manufacturing factory in the world in bier. “We” make the machines, the software, train the people to use the software, and sell all of this technology right now. Knowing what hands these machines are currently in, and knowing that there wont be any guns printed off of the printers that are capable right now, i feel safe to say you wont see a printed gun part i would use for probably 10 more years. Maybe a 1 shot drop it like its hot saturday nite special but not a serious firearm

Once again "WE" as in I own the company or "we" as I'm employed by a huge company in the division doing this work who has a division that I don't work in that does this work. There is lots of people who are employed by huge companies that never set foot in the door.

I was led to believe that you worked on Railroad locomotives. That's why I asked what your pistons were made of as you claimed to run 2800F exhaust temperatures.

When I refer to"my" company I own it. And we do this or that same, I own it, not an employee.
 
I think someone will have a good laugh at this thread in 20 years time. You'll all be popping down to Wallmart for a tub of titanium powder to try out the new part you've just downloaded as an every day occurrence. Old Bridgeports will adorn shopping malls next to the wagon wheels and wooden barrels as works of art next the fountain.

This is already under $100K and will rapidly get quicker and cheaper - The fact is that you don't need a highly skilled machinist to operate it.

THE FUTURE IS HERE
Not hardly Printers have been around a long time and the cheap ones, makes cheap parts. If 100,000.00 is cheap enough to build cheap guns, have at it, I'll stick with the steel ones. At least they will have resale.
 
Once again "WE" as in I own the company or "we" as I'm employed by a huge company in the division doing this work who has a division that I don't work in that does this work. There is lots of people who are employed by huge companies that never set foot in the door.

I was led to believe that you worked on Railroad locomotives. That's why I asked what your pistons were made of as you claimed to run 2800F exhaust temperatures.

When I refer to"my" company I own it. And we do this or that same, I own it, not an employee.

No im actually an engineer for general electric. I worked on the distributed power control systems project for the transportation division (locomotives)for about a year. Once that was done i went back to the power systems division working on turbines where ive worked since 1999 except for a couple years i retired after doing an energy storage and hybrid solar project.
 
If this were a real problem, a lot of people in different parts of the world would be fulfilling orders for printed handguns, and sending them UPS all around the world. Fact is, there is little or no demand for a plastic gun that might, or might not operate when you want it to. So why take the risk? If you're intent upon doing something to capture world attention, a Saturday Night Special made of plastic is probably the last thing you'd choose.
 
I think someone will have a good laugh at this thread in 20 years time. You'll all be popping down to Wallmart for a tub of titanium powder to try out the new part you've just downloaded as an every day occurrence. Old Bridgeports will adorn shopping malls next to the wagon wheels and wooden barrels as works of art next the fountain.

This is already under $100K and will rapidly get quicker and cheaper - The fact is that you don't need a highly skilled machinist to operate it.

THE FUTURE IS HERE

I hope it happens soon. I would like to pick up a nice Monarch 10.
 
I hope it happens soon. I would like to pick up a nice Monarch 10.
???

I'm completely confused by this.... IT HAS happened already

My father-in-law sent off $3,700,000.00 dollars worth of machines as scrap because of NC tech. He scrapped a lifetime of machines from a 70,000 sq ft floor, dozens of machines for weight...

I bought a Heavy 10 lathe recently for 2 grand.

A Monarch 10 was what, the equivalent of $30,000.00 new? 40 grand???

Now they're 2500 bucks delivered to your door.......

This "Monarch 10 cheap" thing..... A Monarch 10 weighs what 3500lb??? And you can buy one, a good one for a couple grand? And steel at the yard, hot and cold-rolled stock is selling for .60/lb?? .50/lb if you're a volume user and licensed business?

Today, this DAY you can by a precision lathe or mill for less than the cost of plate steel in the market.... and you want the price to come down??

What am I missing! ;)
 
???

I'm completely confused by this.... IT HAS happened already

My father-in-law sent off $3,700,000.00 dollars worth of machines as scrap because of NC tech. He scrapped a lifetime of machines from a 70,000 sq ft floor, dozens of machines for weight...

I bought a Heavy 10 lathe recently for 2 grand.

A Monarch 10 was what, the equivalent of $30,000.00 new? 40 grand???

Now they're 2500 bucks delivered to your door.......

This "Monarch 10 cheap" thing..... A Monarch 10 weighs what 3500lb??? And you can buy one, a good one for a couple grand? And steel at the yard, hot and cold-rolled stock is selling for .60/lb?? .50/lb if you're a volume user and licensed business?

Today, this DAY you can by a precision lathe or mill for less than the cost of plate steel in the market.... and you want the price to come down??

What am I missing! ;)
nothing,all this crap on here is worthless
 
Hi guys,

I rarely check this forum, but just happened to see this. I own "MK Machining", and on top of milling we do a lot of printing. You can DEFINITELY print a functional gun from a printer in the sub $1000 range. Is it financially feasible? Hell no, it's super slow. But, materials have come a long ways. I'm actually printing a 380 ACP from polycarbonate right now, have printed a lower than works fine from polycarbonate, and I have some custom carbon fiber/nylon that I plan on doing the same from.

It's purely a novelty, but for folks to think all 3d printed stuff is brittle or going to blow up simply isn't the case.

Now PLA, which is probably 95%+ of prints is completely useless for something with this much stress, not to mention it will warp on the dashboard of your car. ABS was the tough stuff a few years ago, it's still alright but isn't as pleasant to print as other materials. Throw a box and some heat lamps over some cheap printers and you'd be surprised the strength of parts you can make.

My next business venture is actually a mid-tier printer between consumer and enterprise level machines. I haven't found anything that suits my needs perfectly, and we have a fleet of printers. So, if you have any specific questions I'll try and check back to answer things. Printing is a fantastic tool!
 
Al, that old machinery is worth scrap price. Watch the auctions and they do girt cheap.
Large Monarchs are totably unsellable unless you own a warehouse of spare parts.
I don't believe a heavy ten brought more than a heavy ten brings today in yesterdays money. The reason all your dads machinery sold for scrap is that's all it is in the machinery....today. The Amish will buy it but that's about it. In today's world with wages and perfection that old iron is totally obsolete. Now if you are in a business like Jackie it has a purpose, but even those shops are buying new equipment. Jackies top machinist drives a super charged Zo6, Pretty rare in the modern machine shops these days. In order to compete you have to burn chips and it takes fast equipment and fast and precise. I doubt a new SB heavy 10 sold for mich more then they sell today.

Now a Monach 10EE, that's a different story. The top sellers today were well kept and not abused.....they are getting awful rare as more sell or get scrapped. No one wants a 10 EE unless it's been totally rebuilt. Rebuilding then is not a good expense.
 
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