3d printed parts

[Omega]

Anyone have a 3d printer, and have you tried printing one of these parts? It's to keep primers from jumping out of the ram, so you don't have to keep the primer attachment on the ram, if you prime off the press.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1972400

 

[Omega]

Thanks to @KahrMan, I got one.  But he did clue me in on one thing, some of these 3d projects take forever to print.  

I had seen where a guy had made an AR lower, I thought, great way to arm a group.  Now, not so much as it would take too long to do but a few. According to this article, it would take 9 hours to print one, so you'd need a factory full of printers to make it worthwhile. 

https://www.wired.com/2015/06/i-made-an-untraceable-ar-15-ghost-gun/

 

[Grunt67]

Pretty neat if you want to stay under the radar. Being a former machinist, it would be a fun thing to do also.

[Ronald_55]

Stay waaaaay under the radar. Not sure how this legally compares to 80% lower, but don't go handing them out or you are no longer making it for personal use. 

[Omega]

21 minutes ago, Ronald_55 said:

Stay waaaaay under the radar. Not sure how this legally compares to 80% lower, but don't go handing them out or you are no longer making it for personal use. 

At that point, the radar would be the least of my worries.

[Ronald_55]

My wife's work had a printer testing stuff for a while. Her friend ran it and basically just made whatever he wanted to test out the different plastics. We ended up with a few neat things. Mostly ornamental though.

 

 

[Omega]

3d printers are probably great for doing R&D, probably cheaper and possibly faster than sending it out, or spending the man-hours in house on prototypes. The thing is, technology is well ahead of the law, and societal norms, soon, if it's not already available, you could laser scan an object and replicate it. 

[DaveTN]

I don’t see where the law is an issue. It’s legal to make your own lower as long as you aren’t selling them. Plastic lowers are non-starters when metal is available. 80% lowers and a jig would be cheaper, faster, better.

[Omega]

4 minutes ago, DaveTN said:

I don’t see where the law is an issue. It’s legal to make your own lower as long as you aren’t selling them. Plastic lowers are non-starters when metal is available. 80% lowers and a jig would be cheaper, faster, better.

I agree on legality, for now.  But not on the cheaper part, at least not for a few lowers.  I just priced what I would need to do an 80% and it would be over $400...But it is a good jig, and a hand held router, and of course a blank 80%.  The price would come down the more you make, but you will always need to acquire the blanks, with 3d you just need the printer and plastic.

[DaveTN]

Yes, but what does the printer and the plastic cost? Also, when you get done; you have a plastic lower. 

[DWARREN123]

Make your own boyfriend/girlfriend!

[Omega]

14 minutes ago, DaveTN said:

Yes, but what does the printer and the plastic cost? Also, when you get done; you have a plastic lower. 

Well, one I seen, the Davinci 1.0 was $350, the plastic I'm not sure as there are many types and don't know which one to use.  But, with a 3d printer there are a bunch of other things to do with them, the site I listed has multitudes of already made (files) projects.  look around you, what plastic things would be great to print?

And yes, I seen where one AR plastic lower only lasted 600 rounds or some such, but we are talking an easily replaceable piece.  Heck, if the plastic is cheap enough, you could print one for each range session.  I am not saying that is the only solution, heck right now I'd be stocking up on stripped lowers at under $50, but in a SHTF situation or maybe a post-ban situation, it's an option.

[I40Bandit]

I'm new here, and I know this is a necropost, but my experiences here are no less valid. Speaking as someone whom owns a 3D printer (a few years now), has printed miles of various filament, has milled and used Polymer lowers, as well as has been a machinist milling everything from wood to polys/plastics to metals from Aluminum to Titanium and Inconel, I have this to say.....

1) I will never use an 80% poly lower again for an AR. I have milled them drill press/cross slide vise style as well as with a router jig. I've had them come apart in as few as 15 shots (5.56N in a 16" carbine with adjustable gas block tuned to the ammo). Lucky I didn't take part of my cheek off with the bolt when the last one failed and the buffer loop came clean off. The only use I have for them anymore is dedicated .22lr plinker builds. I'm not even sure I would trust the resin mold kit that comes with metal reinforcing bits. Not all poly's are bad, the 80% Glock replicas seem to be OK.

2) For the same reason as above (times 100) I would not even consider using a 3D printed lower for anything other than a cosplay rig for some wannabe, or an Airsoft build or paint ball build might be OK. There are 6 or 7 different methods of 3D printing, however most DIY/homeowner 3D printers are Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) AKA Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF). This method is what most people think of, with a spool (or a few spools) of filament material being fed into a heated nozzle and being deposited layer upon layer to build up the model/part. This is great for prototyping and doing one off stuff (see pic). Horrible for production unless you run a 'farm' (a warehouse full). This method has its drawbacks though. Even if you get good layer fusion, that part is still weak between the layers. When designing something for 3D printing, you need to keep this in mind and design/orient the part around this. I have yet to figure out how to FDM print a lower where this is not an issue. I have however printed some grips with out issue. Tried a 1911 style/angle grip on an AR.

3) 6061 billet and 7075 forged 80% lowers are so widely available and cheap there is almost no reason not to use them if you are considering a 'ghost gun'. Currently a forged raw (non anodized) lower can be had for $44 shipped, less in 5 packs (AAO Mfg). Yes the tooling/jig can get expensive. If you know someone who has one, it never hurts to ask. Likely they will rent it out for a reasonable price (with a u break it, u replace it clause), probably with direct guidance so you don't screw it up. Then you are not on the hook for all the tooling/fixtures, and they reduce their over all investment cost. With what I know now, I would way rather by a CNC machine and program a full lower milling from a 0% forging or block of billet than stick another poly on a battle rifle.

4) Legally speaking it is perfectly legal for you to manufacture a firearm from 0% or 80% using any material you want. Sale (and serialization) of that firearm is of course subject to Fed and State laws.

5) FDM printing is great for lots of stuff, like a spent primer catch for an old RCBS JR press, or any other little project you can come up with. I've made biscuit and cookie cutters, storage boxes for hearing aids and batteries, reload sorting blocks etc....as long as you design the part appropriately, it's great.

Here is a project I did for myself using my printer. Yep, it flies.

 

Edited June 27, 2019 by I40Bandit
Additional info

[jpx2rk]

Well, I guess pigs can fly now.  The world is ending, the world is ending.  LOL

[Grayfox54]

A bit off topic, but involves 3D printing.  Adam Savage has a new show on the Discovery Channel called "Savage Builds".  In the first episode he built an Iron Man suit by 3D printing the various parts out of Titanium. Very interesting and the darn thing actually is bullet proof.  

[hipower]

13 hours ago, I40Bandit said:

I'm new here, and I know this is a necropost, but my experiences here are no less valid. Speaking as someone whom owns a 3D printer (a few years now), has printed miles of various filament, has milled and used Polymer lowers, as well as has been a machinist milling everything from wood to polys/plastics to metals from Aluminum to Titanium and Inconel, I have this to say.....

1) I will never use an 80% poly lower again for an AR. I have milled them drill press/cross slide vise style as well as with a router jig. I've had them come apart in as few as 15 shots (5.56N in a 16" carbine with adjustable gas block tuned to the ammo). Lucky I didn't take part of my cheek off with the bolt when the last one failed and the buffer loop came clean off. The only use I have for them anymore is dedicated .22lr plinker builds. I'm not even sure I would trust the resin mold kit that comes with metal reinforcing bits. Not all poly's are bad, the 80% Glock replicas seem to be OK.

2) For the same reason as above (times 100) I would not even consider using a 3D printed lower for anything other than a cosplay rig for some wannabe, or an Airsoft build or paint ball build might be OK. There are 6 or 7 different methods of 3D printing, however most DIY/homeowner 3D printers are Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) AKA Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF). This method is what most people think of, with a spool (or a few spools) of filament material being fed into a heated nozzle and being deposited layer upon layer to build up the model/part. This is great for prototyping and doing one off stuff (see pic). Horrible for production unless you run a 'farm' (a warehouse full). This method has its drawbacks though. Even if you get good layer fusion, that part is still weak between the layers. When designing something for 3D printing, you need to keep this in mind and design/orient the part around this. I have yet to figure out how to FDM print a lower where this is not an issue. I have however printed some grips with out issue. Tried a 1911 style/angle grip on an AR.

3) 6061 billet and 7075 forged 80% lowers are so widely available and cheap there is almost no reason not to use them if you are considering a 'ghost gun'. Currently a forged raw (non anodized) lower can be had for $44 shipped, less in 5 packs (AAO Mfg). Yes the tooling/jig can get expensive. If you know someone who has one, it never hurts to ask. Likely they will rent it out for a reasonable price (with a u break it, u replace it clause), probably with direct guidance so you don't screw it up. Then you are not on the hook for all the tooling/fixtures, and they reduce their over all investment cost. With what I know now, I would way rather by a CNC machine and program a full lower milling from a 0% forging or block of billet than stick another poly on a battle rifle.

4) Legally speaking it is perfectly legal for you to manufacture a firearm from 0% or 80% using any material you want. Sale (and serialization) of that firearm is of course subject to Fed and State laws.

5) FDM printing is great for lots of stuff, like a spent primer catch for an old RCBS JR press, or any other little project you can come up with. I've made biscuit and cookie cutters, storage boxes for hearing aids and batteries, reload sorting blocks etc....as long as you design the part appropriately, it's great.

Here is a project I did for myself using my printer. Yep, it flies.

 

I love it!!

[I40Bandit]

10 hours ago, Grayfox54 said:

A bit off topic, but involves 3D printing.  Adam Savage has a new show on the Discovery Channel called "Savage Builds".  In the first episode he built an Iron Man suit by 3D printing the various parts out of Titanium. Very interesting and the darn thing actually is bullet proof.  

That's TV money right there. DMLS (Direct Metal Laser Sintering) printers are not very wide spread (for the DIY guy), yet. You know it's expensive when "price on request" is listed on the printers and even the powdered materials. I think they are around $200,000 and up for a machine like was used for the Iron Man suit. But printing a lower that way might be feasible. I worry about the strength through the mag well area. I don't know what the molecular structure is doing in a powdered metal printer. Not sure if you get a good uniform crystalline structure. But it's freakin' cool!

Edited June 28, 2019 by I40Bandit

[peejman]

1 hour ago, I40Bandit said:

That's TV money right there. DMLS (Direct Metal Laser Sintering) printers are not very wide spread (for the DIY guy), yet. You know it's expensive when "price on request" is listed on the printers and even the powdered materials. I think they are around $200,000 and up for a machine like was used for the Iron Man suit. But printing a lower that way might be feasible. I worry about the strength through the mag well area. I don't know what the molecular structure is doing in a powdered metal printer. Not sure if you get a good uniform crystalline structure. But it's freakin' cool!

I haven't seen that show, but my general understanding of printers capable of moderate accuracy with some of the more exotic metals .... your $200,000 estimate is missing a zero.  Definitely not in the DIY'er realm.  The printers I saw at ORNL making parts for GE and Boeing several years ago were $5M. 

[johnsonsarav]

No doubt with 3d printers you can create anything you desire but the main thing to focus is that whatever you are going to design, first you make sure that either your machine is capable of your desire approach or not.

Edited August 22, 2019 by johnsonsarav

[Refleks]

It's right up there with a metal shop being able to produce something like a Sten...  the hysteria about it is disproportionate to the actual risk because of the media.  That being said, the technology is getting less and less expensive and I look forward to the day where you might have a Metal Sintering printer in your garage alongside your belt sander and drill press...  it would be incredibly useful for creative inventors who couldn't otherwise turn their dreams into reality.

For example, before the FLIR Breach was released, I designed a monocular for a FLIR Boson core so I could use it at the fire station for search and rescue calls. 




The FLIR core could be removed and then mounted on a drone










A more practical use of current generation 3d printers wouldn't be to create the firearm itself, but a blank that could be used in a mold (there are lost PLA techniques similar to lost wax techniques).
 

 

[ClaireChapman]

I need to buy new toner for my sister, and I wanted to find out which one is good and which is not worth buying. From what I see, there are so many problems with these printers: they break down, cause problems, and I want somehow to avoid them by buying an excellent toner. I have an idea from https://www.mrdepot.ca/products/samsung-SL-C460FW-toner : I read about it and asked people, and they said it is very good for using. However, I have to make the right choice, and I am not sure yet. Something practical and mere would be a perfect pick .

Edited June 22, 2021 by ClaireChapman