4 ms·
Correct me if I'm wrong: But anything you make with a 3d printer, ignoring super-high-precision work, you can make out of a block of wood and time, correct? Th
by columbo 13y ago
Correct me if I'm wrong: But anything you make with a 3d printer, ignoring super-high-precision work, you can make out of a block of wood and time, correct?
The only real benefit to a 3d printer is it idiot-proofs the task and provides for greater precision. It'll be easier to create 10,000 cheap plastic guns but if you only need 1 because you're in the middle of a Tom Clancy novel then you may as well assemble it from pvc and other store-bought stuff.
3D printed guns will make great fodder for spy novels, but I don't really see them as a threat.
- leoedin 13y agoPretty much yes. There are some shapes that aren't easily manufactured using traditional methods (enclosed holes, organic shapes) but those won't be needed for a gun. The fact is, someone with a few days of metal shop training and a lathe and milling machine can make a functional gun. They're not complicated things.
- krschultz 13y agoThat's not actually true. 3D printers are additive manufacturing, i.e. you build up from nothing. Most hobbyist tools are generally subtractive manufacturing, i.e. you start with a block of raw material and remove sections with the tool. Additive manufacturing allows you to make some parts that are impossible with subtractive manufacturing. That said, you can make an entire gun using subtractive manufacturing, pretty standard metal, and a CNC mill. If we had a standardized library of CNC mill instructions you could just as easily share that as a STP file for 3D printing a gun.
- AUmrysh 13y ago3d printing also allows you to make a lost-plastic cast with far less work than it would take to whittle and chisel a gun mold out of wood.
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- peeters 13y agoThe analog of a block of wood and time (or at least a chisel) would be a milling machine (e.g. CNC) since both are subtractive fabrication (you start with a solid pieces and remove material to get the result). 3D printing is additive (you start with nothing and add material to get the result). There are some things that would be possible in one but not the other. For example, creating a fully-enclosed hollow region is only possible in an additive process (though still challenging).
- learc83 13y agoMost hobby mills are 3 axis meaning you can't make undercuts, so you can make a pyramid, but not an upside down pyramid.
- cdjk 13y agoWhile there are still some shapes you can't make this way, if you extend your manufacturing techniques to involve resin casting you can easily mass-produce complex shapes. That's the motivation fo the Guerilla guide to CNC machining (which is an excellent link, btw): http://lcamtuf.coredump.cx/gcnc/ http://lcamtuf.coredump.cx/gcnc/ Even with a 3D printer that's how parts are going to be mass-produced. Yes, 3D printers are awesome for prototyping and small batches, but if you get into any volume casting will be a lot easier. Scaling up in size, you can sand cast aluminum at home relatively easily, and even do iron if you can build a big enough furnace. That makes it possible to build an engine at home, entirely from scratch (ok - starting with scrap aluminum and some cold rolled steel), bootstrapping what you need. The gingery books explain it all: http://gingerybooks.com/ http://gingerybooks.com/
- jlgreco 13y agoPeople have indeed made lower receivers out of wood. They are not good for much of course except for one thing: proving a point.