Saturday, March 28, 2015

The Evolution of 3-D Printed Firearms

We don’t know if Defense Distributed will succeed in printing a carbon fiber lower receiver. But at some point, rapid advances in 3-D printing technology ensure that someone will.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Currently, 3D printers print mostly in plastic, but there is a way, with a bit of extra work, to effectively 3d print a lower receiver in aluminum.

First, the lower is printed out of PLA plastic, but 2% larger in scale than the final product.

The print is then cast in a plaster/sand mixture and allowed to cure. Use pieces of cut styrofoam to mark where the mold gates and risers will be, and make sure they extend past the mold.

A charcoal-fired backyard aluminum foundry is simple to construct using a metal bucket, some metal pipe, a hair dryer (for your bellows) and some plaster/sand mix. Look it up on youtube.

The plaster cast, containing the plastic casting core, is placed into the furnace and allowed to cook until all of the 3D-printed plastic has melted and burned out of the mold.

The mold is removed from the furnace, and that same foundry is then used to melt down aluminum cans (and perhaps a small alloy of copper) in a crucible.

Pour that aluminum into the mold, allow everything to cool, and voila. You have your very own home-cast lower. Final finishing work may be necessary, and make sure to check all of your final dimensions and specs.

Anonymous said...

Awesome progress in firearm freedom. ANd it can only get better. Pandora's box has been opened, and it does no good for the gun-banners to shut it.

But I am in awe seeing the short video clip (two links over), watching that man firing an untested weapon, held tight against his face and shoulder.

B Woodman
III-per

Anonymous said...

I down loaed DD stuff before the Facist State dept capped them. I haven't spread it due to Meta-Data and me not
being computer savy.
When i can clean my digital print i'll spread it. Till then...
Back to my shadows
Ohhh, i know i leave prints here... Maybe cause i like fishing. Very relaxing sport you know. ;)