3D printer Frames?

I am not up to speed on 3D printing so a question. Can a firearm frame be printed on a typical 3D printer? If a steel insert was used in critical areas could the frame be printed around that steel insert?
I assume the most popular demand would be the 1911, the ar-15 and the Glock. Could each be a candidate for 3D PRINTING?
Could a frame be printed that then need some machining if not doable in a single print?
It doesn't make sense to try to ban 80% frames if you can do the same thing with a printer.
Just asking

I would imagine Glock frames could easily be 3D printed, if one had the CAD files, a 3D scanner, or the ability to draw it up in a CAD program. Full plastic .22’s and .380’s have already been printed, and at least get a few shots before they come apart. Using the correct material and then the metal slide rails from the P80 kit I don’t see why it wouldn’t work just as well as the P80. Something slightly flexible like PETG would probably be a good material to print it from. The 1911 is probably a no go unless you had metal slide rails you could insert into the frame, similar to how STI makes their polymer 1911’s. I don’t think polymer slide rails would last long at all.

AR-15 lowers are definitely doable I’ve read of them going up to approximately 1,000 rounds before they crack around the threads for the buffer tube. 3D printers that use metal are under $100,000 now, within the next decade I imagine they’ll be affordable to the average consumer like today’s FDM and SLA 3D printers.

It doesn't make sense to ban 80% frames since you can make a gun with a hammer, chisel, files, and a hacksaw. Foot-powered lathes optional. https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2...ing-gun-bazaar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4895bG4hNk

3D printing as it is now with hobbyist-affordable machines is not capable of printing a firearms receiver usable for more than one or two shots. Even the ones that big companies use to 3D-print metal parts and tools aren't real good for that sort of thing yet. Those cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, still. Not something our average hobbyist can afford. If Pakistani craftsmen can make firearms with hand tools, it's ridiculous to think people here cannot do the same thing. Possibly better. Jonathan Browning, the father of John Moses Browning, built & sold his first multi-shot, magazine fed rifle in 1831. Mostly forged and then filed. They going to outlaw files?

AR frames have successfully been 3D printed, in PLA+ or ABS I believe? Not in contact temporarily with those I know who are more in the know about this. A Glock clone should be 3D printable as well, I am not sure on a 1911 unless it was a lower powered cartridge, for plastic filament (FDM) or resin printers. But maybe with steel inserts it would be doable, yes.

If you have access to a metal additive manufacturing printer (MAM), on the other hand, you should be able to print most receivers / parts, those are not as inexpensive as FDM / resin printers though. ($80,000+)

Far as I know all you might need would be a really well set up and calibrated 3D printer, even one as inexpensive as an Ender v2 model 3 (under $300) has been recommended as working for this. If you use Internet Relay Chat there is a channel where some folks discuss this, though they may move to Discord soon, we'll see I guess. I need to fix some computers and get back up on IRC :)

Most 3D printing topics will be in Special Projects, under Guns & Shooting, in future; we Mods have been working on it but thinking it over some still.

Scrounge, actually they have made good progress, one guy was reporting hundreds of rounds through his. ABS or the like are not metal, so you have to adapt things and do some redesign for longer frame life. Example of one AR lower

And no, they won't outlaw metal files, but they have tried to outlaw .stl computer files and the like, will potentially harass people talking about 3d printed firearms, etc., and wave arms and pretend that citizen-made firearms are a new thing, only possible due to 3D printing. Plus keep pretending that the US is a democracy instead of a constitutional republic, most likely.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mr_Sheesh

If you use Internet Relay Chat there is a channel where some folks discuss this, though they may move to Discord soon, we'll see I guess. I need to fix some computers and get back up on IRC :).

---

You just dated yourself dropping the full name for IRC. You gonna fire up some limewire and download those new fangled mp3's?

Just messing around, it's nice being on a forum for people who remember dial-up, usenet, and newsgroups.

I have a pretty decent 3d printer and I may or may not have downloaded the files for the single shot 9mm when they were released a few years ago. I can say for sure with the tech at that time it was a probably a lot more scary than any back alley zipgun you could ever shoot. I'm going to visit my son this week and he has a nice new resin printer I want to play around with. There is a youtuber who has a printed ar lower and has ran a bunch of rounds through it without issue.

Unless the quality comes up a bunch or print time decreases, You are better off with some black pipe and fittings from lowes to make a quick slam fire single shot.

you folks should do a youtube video search on 3d printed firearms. You'd be surprised how far along the development has come. ;) Glocks, Toks, Browning Hipowers and 1911s...Oh my! ;) And AR15 lowers....yep...

There's a few channels on you tube that focus on printed mac's and skorpions

I am a 3d printing expert.

Yes you can print most frames and in some cases a full pistol that will shootba 22lr. About 3 times.

However

Any printed frame are subject to the strain of common stress points.

Ar 15 frames have gotten this down pat biy modifing what parts are printed.

They have sucuflly gotten over 2k round with out any issues.

Glock frames are way easier. As they are allready a polyemer. The onlo y diffence is injection molded vs printed.

1911 is a no go for now.

However.

Metal 2d printing + centering will produce a 100% usable frame for any tyoe of fire arm.

I had a lomg conversation with a manfifacture of the printer. They 3d printed a engine block and it works just great.

They state though the atf is keeping a very close eye on the units taht can do this. And they will NOT sell to amyone who even hints at it.

Of coutse those units start around 30k. So not cheep.

I will not bother printing gun parts any time soon.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

Not only can it be done, it was done years ago.

https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/...r-m1911-pistol

There are several groups. Ivan the Troll, John Stark and Ctrl+Pew and some others run a development effort, to name just one group. They post on a few different sites under Deterrence Dispensed. Some searching will turn them up.
BDGR

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bulldogger

There are several groups. Ivan the Troll, John Stark and Ctrl+Pew and some others run a development effort, to name just one group. They post on a few different sites under Deterrence Dispensed. Some searching will turn them up.
BDGR

---

With their FGC-9 design they claim in excess of 10,000 rounds thru individual guns. But I don't know how powerful the loads are, as in Europe it sounds like they tend to use reloads that are sub sonic.

The Subject of 3D Printers amazes me. As most of you know I am a Machinist. However I saw the first iterations of these machines at Westec around 1985-90. The machine was creating a Monkey Skull out of some Red Plastic material and it was using a Laser to solidify the solution and build the Skull in Layers .003 thick from the bottom up. I watched it in amazement for an hour !

That was a $250,000+ machine, 35 years ago, now you can buy a 3D Printer at Costco for a few hundred $.

These machines are the "Replicators" predicted by Star Trek. And they are also the Future of the Machine Shop Business.

I think by 2050 when I'm 100 years old, They will have taken over that method of manufacturing and metal removal machines will be a thing of the past.

It should be noted that all Machine Tools were "originally designed and built" for the express purpose of making Interchangeable Parts for Guns. They were adapted to make other things.

Not surprising that these new machines are doing the same thing.

I guess people really do want guns for some reason? Don't know why, can't all problems be solved by letting our leaders fix everything for us?

Randy

Randy, you forgot the purple type!

Bill

Google for "fosscad megapack" and you will find almost all designs that are currently available for the firearms / parts 3D printing.

For the Glock's, metal rails are inserted after the frame is printed. The upper parts are purchased and are metal just like the Glock itself.

These rails you might need to buy online, but you could bend and cut if you have the metal work skills.

The model's designed for 3D printing may not even require that.

I can't print a pistol in my state, but I've printed and shot a 10/22 receiver in PLA- impressed the heck out of me as a few months ago I didn't even think it was possible.

doesn't take much to get going - an Elegoo Neptune 2 is about $180

At this time metal 3d printing is a thing and not really that expensive. But the resulting printing isn't very strong and has to go through Sintering process to melt the metal together. Really similar to the MIM injection molded metal parts already in guns. You CAN buy metal 3d printer and print, but no one at this time will sinter a gun for you.
And that oven is a pretty expensive item. At least right now. Give it 10 years and the ATF can forget any control... I think they somewhat realize this, but it will get really interesting in the next decade or so.....