[PCWorld]

Post your comments for Criminals Find New Uses for 3D Printing here

[duannscott]

Interesting article, at Shapeways we have a policy to not 3D print any weapons or offensive material but it would be difficult to spot an AR-15 lower receiver or something that did not look 'weapon like'

[CannibalCat]

This isn't as big a deal as it seems.
As 3D printing improves, so will those other technologies.
Keys, for example, will likely start to carry electronic components, such as those used in programmable hotel room keys, so you'll need to not only print a copy of the key, but imprint that key with the right code sequence. It's not impossible, but it will be no less difficult than busting a lock was before 3D printing.

[MatthewASawtelly6up]

This sounds like another scare article - much like the overhyped media event with Airsoft last year, http://www.everydayn...n-be-real-guns/

Plastic is nice for proof of concept/display, but it is not metal. Anyone trying to use parts like this, much like the Airsoft scenario, would more likely injure/kill themselves with the attempted first shot.

[nafhan]

Funny enough, I actually saw an article about copying keys a few days ago:
http://lifehacker.co...-of-spray-paint
Except that method just requires spray paint, vice grips, and a file - no $1000 3D printer required.

[Derricku9fh]

OH ME! OH MY! STACY'S GOT A GUN! WAIT, WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE BOUGHT IT ILLEAGELY AT THE GUN STORE WITH THE FBI OUTSIDE TELLING THE OWNER TO GO AHEAD AND SELL IT SO SHE CAN GO TO CANCUNE....WAIT...WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T FIND IT? WELL, WE BETTER NOT SELL GUNS IN NEW YORK THEN, JUST BECAUSE SHE BOUGHT IT IN ARIZONA. Those in the know, know what i mean. You people need to become informed and quit going into your shell when you hear about guns.

[slee00]

David Daw should stick to writing technical articles for PCWorld and avoid subjects he is ignorant on (such as firearms and gun laws).

AR-15 clip? It's a magazine.

Fully automatic AR-15? Extremely difficult to own and very expensive to own. How is this even relevant?

Assault Weapons Ban? Please, this was a ban on cosmetic features. This was security theatre before the TSA.

Printing a lower receiver? If you bothered to gain a little more knowledge you would realize that a printed receiver would be unusable as a real firearm without risking life/limb to injury.

In summary, David Dow please stick to the technical subjects at hand and avoid tabloid sensationalism. I don't care for you're personal biases against firearms. And your ignorance of the subject matter which you sensationalize is telling.

[lamorpa]

Derricku9fh, on 11 October 2011 - 06:20 AM, said:

OH ME! OH MY! STACY'S GOT A GUN! WAIT, WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE BOUGHT IT ILLEAGELY AT THE GUN STORE WITH THE FBI OUTSIDE TELLING THE OWNER TO GO AHEAD AND SELL IT SO SHE CAN GO TO CANCUNE....WAIT...WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T FIND IT? WELL, WE BETTER NOT SELL GUNS IN NEW YORK THEN, JUST BECAUSE SHE BOUGHT IT IN ARIZONA. Those in the know, know what i mean. You people need to become informed and quit going into your shell when you hear about guns.

Us 'people' have always said, "literacy first, then guns." It's a good policy. Try it.

Also, the Caps Lock key on your keyboard is broken. 2nd-hand keyboards can be purchased locally or on Craigslist for under $10. (No one reads comments in all-caps)

[DTNick]

slee00, on 11 October 2011 - 06:28 AM, said:

David Daw should stick to writing technical articles for PCWorld and avoid subjects he is ignorant on (such as firearms and gun laws).

AR-15 clip? It's a magazine.

Fully automatic AR-15? Extremely difficult to own and very expensive to own. How is this even relevant?

Assault Weapons Ban? Please, this was a ban on cosmetic features. This was security theatre before the TSA.

Printing a lower receiver? If you bothered to gain a little more knowledge you would realize that a printed receiver would be unusable as a real firearm without risking life/limb to injury.

In summary, David Dow please stick to the technical subjects at hand and avoid tabloid sensationalism. I don't care for you're personal biases against firearms. And your ignorance of the subject matter which you sensationalize is telling.

So...you're more interested in attacking David over pedantic minutiae instead of contemplating the general premise behind the article?

[gundark]

MatthewASawtelly6up, on 11 October 2011 - 05:01 AM, said:

Anyone trying to use parts like this, much like the Airsoft scenario, would more likely injure/kill themselves with the attempted first shot.

That's exactly what I was thinking. Current 3D printer tech cannot produce parts durable enough for use as components in firearms. I suppose the 3D printed models could be the first step in producing banned parts (make molds for casting), but access to milling machines would still be required to produce a finished piece. And if you have access to a milling machine, why not just start with the proper material in the first place?

Using a 3D printer at any step along the way just incurs more cost and adds complexity. At least, when were talking lower receivers and such.

[Daviddpcw]

slee00, on 11 October 2011 - 06:28 AM, said:

David Daw should stick to writing technical articles for PCWorld and avoid subjects he is ignorant on (such as firearms and gun laws).

AR-15 clip? It's a magazine.

Fully automatic AR-15? Extremely difficult to own and very expensive to own. How is this even relevant?

Assault Weapons Ban? Please, this was a ban on cosmetic features. This was security theatre before the TSA.

Printing a lower receiver? If you bothered to gain a little more knowledge you would realize that a printed receiver would be unusable as a real firearm without risking life/limb to injury.

In summary, David Dow please stick to the technical subjects at hand and avoid tabloid sensationalism. I don't care for you're personal biases against firearms. And your ignorance of the subject matter which you sensationalize is telling.

As I say in the article I'm far from an expert on firearms and I apologize for the factual error of conflating a clip with a magazine. That mistake has been corrected.

[Yargs]

Hello--PCWorld copy editor here. Lest our readers suppose that we don't do any research into the terms we use, I'd like to point out the ambiguous gun-related definition of "clip" that appears in Webster's Eleventh Collegiate Dictionary (2003):

"2. a device to hold cartridges for charging the magazines of some rifles; also: a magazine from which ammunition is fed into the chamber of a firearm."

I can see why an author might infer from this definition that "clip" and "magazine" are at least in some instances synonymous terms.

Incidentally, in connection with the functionality of the printed plastic lower receiver, "crank" (the guy who posted the plans for the five-round magazine), comments as follows:

"I have used this magazine, no jams or feed problems..... YET. It works, but be reminded it is only a printed ABS magazine. If you end up using a printed ABS mag spring be prepared for stress relaxation of the polymer over time, especailly if it is kept loaded over a long period of time."

You can read the Make account of this 3D creation at http://blog.makezine...rintables.html. A very entertaining series of reader comments mulls over (among other things) the safety and reliability of 3D-printed rifle components. Recommended reading!

This post has been edited by Yargs: 11 October 2011 - 09:57 AM

[Tonynrje]

"By printing out the lower receiver of an AR-15 on a 3D printer, it's possible to complete construction a fully functional, unregistered AR-15."
Just to clear things up, it is legal for US citizens to built their own guns. i.e. "unregistered Weapons". As long as they are not sold and comply with federal and local regulations. Also an AR-15 is a semi-automatic weapon not a fully automatic weapon. To be able to make it a fully automatic weapon you must go through ATF and a background check to be able to purchase the restricted parts, which includes a different lower than an AR-15. The way I see it the 3D printer is a great invention that should not be hindered by regulation because of some that use it for illegal acts. In the future I would hope Mr. Daw does a little more research before he post an article about something he is unfamiliar with such as guns and how "Scary" they are.

[TheOldTopkick]

As I read this article and the remarks of the responders, I get the feeling that most of them, if I shouted "Boo" at them would go straight up and turn left. The author might be able to earn a pretty good living as a writer of Science Fiction. Anything the author said may be possible. I question if it is reasonable.

[ssgcmwatson]

Daviddpcw, on 11 October 2011 - 09:02 AM, said:

As I say in the article I'm far from an expert on firearms and I apologize for the factual error of conflating a clip with a magazine. That mistake has been corrected.

Might I suggest that before you make the leap from "one could a magazine" to "one could manufacture an automatic weapon" you consult a firearms expert? I may not be an expert on 3D printing, but on its face it seems that it would have a hard time making the necessary moving parts within the receiver to make it fully automatic. Not to mention that a full-auto AR-15 requires a different bolt carrier than its semi-auto counterpart; plus the bolt carrier has its own moving parts and would need to withstand much higher pressures than the lower receiver.

[amphi]

PCWorld, on 10 October 2011 - 05:25 PM, said:

Post your comments for Criminals Find New Uses for 3D Printing here

Some inventions shouldn't be available for public use. Otherwise, we'll all be in trouble.

[corno68]

amphi, on 16 October 2011 - 12:28 AM, said:

PCWorld, on 10 October 2011 - 05:25 PM, said:

Post your comments for Criminals Find New Uses for 3D Printing here

Some inventions shouldn't be available for public use. Otherwise, we'll all be in trouble.

Exactly!

Definitely we should start lobbying to shut down the Internet right away. It's used for all kinds of terrorist communication, you can download schematics for bombs and meth and other undesirable things, etc.

Airplains - we should dump all them into the pacific. If we'd nipped flight in the bud back when the Wright brothers got their plane off the ground, we could have avoided Pearl Harbor and would still have the World Trade Center.

Wow, I could name many others.

If we could just shut down all technology, the Luddites would be ruling the world, and by God they should be. I wish every day I could live in a cave.

[CF542]

Humans always seem to fear the unknown (aka, the future). The fact is, this technology is going to advance to become the future of manufacturing.

[JonathanBowen]

Isn't it already illegal to copy keys you don't own? So your point is that we should start making laws to restrict the use of cheap 3D printing before it even has a chance to literally change the world? That is like saying we need to start restricting the use of computers because a hacker might write a virus... Lets make laws that punish people for doing bad things not restrict the normal use of great technology.

[ChristopherEdgar]

To the guy who tries to print a lower receiver made out of plastic. DON'T! It will explode in your face. This article is short on facts, long on make believe. Also, AR-15's are not automatic, M-16a's are and I can pretty much guarantee that someone robbing your house will not be carrying a rifle over their shoulder while doing so.