5 ms·

So far as I know, no plastic guns exist, our plastics technology just isn't there yet. Even if it were, it wouldn't be the same sort of plastic you feed into a

So far as I know, no plastic guns exist, our plastics technology just isn't there yet. Even if it were, it wouldn't be the same sort of plastic you feed into a 3D printer, or at least any off-the-shelf one. I too have wondered about this. I also wonder about machinists moonlight as arms manufacturers :P relevant plastic guns article: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1202/is-it-possible-to-make-an-undetectable-nonmetal-gun http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1202/is-it-possible...

Devilboy 16y ago
Not all 3d printers use plastic, there are processes for most metals including titanium. They work by depositing layers of metal dust and fusing it with lasers. The resulting parts can be very strong depending on the process.
- PostOnce 16y ago
  Sounds ridiculously expensive and incredibly entertaining. Thanks for alerting me to something I need to read about :)
  - jacquesm 16y ago
    The amount of extra material needed because of the structural weakness of sintered/deposited materials as opposed to machined materials would probably make such a gun fairly bulky, unless you are willing to take the risk of the breech portion exploding when firing the gun. You could offset that to some extent by using less powder in the charges or you could use the gun for what they're used most for anyway (threat, rather than use). Some companies are very far now in the production of single units or small series of parts for prototype or one-off purposes, every year the field moves ahead steadily and it is very impressive what can be done, but there is no substitute (yet) for a single properly treated chunk of steel machined to the right dimensions. Parts made like this are rapidly replacing machined parts in places where strength is not such a big issue, you'll find them in just about anything that has a mechanical component to it. But they are not yet able to compete with machined materials for the most demanding applications. Especially tensile strength is rather low, and pieces tend to be brittle.
  - sp332 16y ago
    Here's a pretty good article from an artist:http://www.bathsheba.com/sculpt/process/ http://www.bathsheba.com/sculpt/process/
  - Devilboy 16y ago
    I just found this and I thought you might find it interesting: http://cloudfab.com/fab_facts/ http://cloudfab.com/fab_facts/ Lots of different processes and materials detailed
rdl 16y ago
You could make everything on a gun out of plastic (commonly done), except for the parts subject to the detonation and bullet (chamber, barrel). Those COULD be made from ceramic. A plastic projectile would also be possible (it'd need to be pretty dense; not sure how best to do that -- it would still look like a bullet on an x-ray, unless inside something else, in which case you might as well do lead inside a form-fitting lead case, inside another object)

Devilboy 16y ago

Not all 3d printers use plastic, there are processes for most metals including titanium. They work by depositing layers of metal dust and fusing it with lasers. The resulting parts can be very strong depending on the process.

PostOnce 16y ago
Sounds ridiculously expensive and incredibly entertaining. Thanks for alerting me to something I need to read about :)
- jacquesm 16y ago
  The amount of extra material needed because of the structural weakness of sintered/deposited materials as opposed to machined materials would probably make such a gun fairly bulky, unless you are willing to take the risk of the breech portion exploding when firing the gun. You could offset that to some extent by using less powder in the charges or you could use the gun for what they're used most for anyway (threat, rather than use). Some companies are very far now in the production of single units or small series of parts for prototype or one-off purposes, every year the field moves ahead steadily and it is very impressive what can be done, but there is no substitute (yet) for a single properly treated chunk of steel machined to the right dimensions. Parts made like this are rapidly replacing machined parts in places where strength is not such a big issue, you'll find them in just about anything that has a mechanical component to it. But they are not yet able to compete with machined materials for the most demanding applications. Especially tensile strength is rather low, and pieces tend to be brittle.
- sp332 16y ago
  Here's a pretty good article from an artist:http://www.bathsheba.com/sculpt/process/ http://www.bathsheba.com/sculpt/process/
- Devilboy 16y ago
  I just found this and I thought you might find it interesting: http://cloudfab.com/fab_facts/ http://cloudfab.com/fab_facts/ Lots of different processes and materials detailed

rdl 16y ago

You could make everything on a gun out of plastic (commonly done), except for the parts subject to the detonation and bullet (chamber, barrel). Those COULD be made from ceramic. A plastic projectile would also be possible (it'd need to be pretty dense; not sure how best to do that -- it would still look like a bullet on an x-ray, unless inside something else, in which case you might as well do lead inside a form-fitting lead case, inside another object)