3D PRINTING HAS GONE TOO FAR!!! IT'S TIME TO PROHIBIT IT!!!

Update: it looks like some people think this is a real news video and not a comedy / parody video. GUYS, THIS IS A JOKE!!! IT IS COMEDY!!! DO NOT TAKE IT SERIOUSLY!!!

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DIY Crossbow Trigger Mechanism Made With 3D Printing

"DIY Dudes" made a DIY crossbow with aluminum rails and PVC pipe bow but the trigger mechanism is fully 3d printed. The trigger group is the most complex part of the crossbow and as video shows it is fully operational.

There is the video of the crossbow in action:






The files for the trigger mechanism were not released but you could reverse engineer them from the drawings.


Project homepage:

http://diydudes.com/3d-printed-crossbow/


If you are interested in making a PVC crossbow for under 10 USD here is a step-by-step guide video by Nicholas Tomihama:

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DIY Portable Railgun With 3D Printable Casing

Someone created portable working railgun that shoots metal and carbon projectiles. The railgun uses 6 300J, 350V, 5500uF capacitors which combined weigh 20lbs and can deliver >1050V and 1.8kJ of energy to the projectile. Most of the structural parts are 3d printed. The gun is huge but it works.

Here is video of it firing (bad word) a small carbon cylinder. The power is simillar to an airgun pellet.




It is an impressive engineering and design project but it doesnt have any real.-world applications :-) Yet.


Full photo gallery with all the parts:

http://imgur.com/a/w4OgF


Reddit thread about it:

https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY/comments/3p2g5k/portable_3dprinted_railgun/

Interview with the creator:

http://makezine.com/2015/10/21/we-talk-to-the-mysterious-maker-of-the-3d-printed-railgun/

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Big 3D Printed Bolt and Longest Wooden Crossbow

Joerg Sprave is master of crazy slingshots and archery devices. In his latest video he tests a large 3d printed arrow printed by Myminifactory and his big big rubber band crossbow pistol.




Bolt was tipped with a big metal nail and it penetrates a wooden target:

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Ghost Gunner is a desktop weapon making CNC that will raise a lot of controversy and fear mongering

Defense Distributed know for their work on 3d printed guns released the Ghost Gunner. It is a small simplified desktop CNC machine that can finish a specific type of metal gun receiver. The controversy is that the receiver is the only gun part that is tracked in USA. Other parts to finish the complete gun one can purchase freely in the USA. Media is already  hyping this news as "machine that is producing METAL guns untraceable by law enforcement". So few things to consider before panicking:

1. Everything this machine does can be made by hand easily with simple power tools
2. The machine development is closely linked to USA law and gun part market, since other countries have different definitions of what a traceable gun part is.
3. A change in the law, for example: making gun barrels traceable also can make it completely obsolete. Granted, someone can then develop open source gun barrel maker (which is much more complex then this CNC) ... even so, most of countries have much stricter gun laws then USA
4. CNC machines that can perform all this functions are available on the market for decades with slightly higher prices (which will drop in the future anyway)    

It will be interesting to watch how this technology develops in the future and how will the lawmakers and media react to it. It will be also interesting to see how will the usage scenarios develop.
This machine makes only one thing now from semi-finished aluminum object, but it looks like it could be programmed to make other designs so DIY gunsmithing ecosystem could emerge.

Ghost Gunner technical specifications:

• Machinable dimensions: 175 x 75 x 60mm (~6.75 x 2.95 x 2.35") 
• Maximum part dimensions: 230 x 90 x 100mm (~9.05 x 3.50 x 3.90") 
• Overall footprint: 330 x 280mm (~13 x 11") 
• Weight: 20kg (~45 pounds) 
• Spindle Speed: 10,000+ RPM (Final Value TBD) 
• Requirements: Windows 7 or higher. Mac version TBD.
• Price: in 1199 USD range

https://ghostgunner.net/


About Ghost Gunner from their page:

Ghost Gunner is a non-profit open source hardware effort by Defense Distributed. Ghost Gunner builds on the open source community's existing hard work, including the gshield 3 axis motion hardware, the grbl g-code parser and motion controller, and the legendary Arduino microcontroller. All GhostGunner schematics and design files will be published into the public domain. Defense Distributed decided to build our own machine from the ground up. We found existing CNC machines too expensive, too DIY, or too inaccurate to manufacture firearms for the casual user. By miniaturizing the build envelope to just large enough to mill common firearm receivers, we were able to improve rigidity, reduce material cost and simultaneously relax some design limits, allowing us to sell an inexpensive machine with more than enough accuracy to manufacture firearms.

Ghost Gunner has undergone several design revisions to reduce machine chatter, backlash, and jitter, all with the goal of keeping total design cost low. Rather than using plastic, wood, or even an aluminum frame, Ghost Gunner is constructed with maximally rigid plasma-cut A36 steel and 304 stainless steel. In addition, the machine part count is greatly reduced compared to a traditional CNC, which both increases rigidity and further decreases cost. The end result is a small, cheap, and simple machine that exceeds most consumer-priced CNC machine specifications.

Ghost Gunner is a miniature CNC machine designed to automatically manufacture publicy created designs with nearly zero user interaction. No prior CNC knowledge or experience is required to manufacture from design files. Defense Distributed's first design is the venerable AR-15 lower receiver. Ghost Gunner automatically finds and aligns your 80% lower receiver to the machine, with simple installation instructions, point and click software and all required tools. Just follow a few simple instructions to mount your 80% lower receiver, tighten a couple screws (with simple tools we provide), and on day one, Ghost Gunner can help you legally manufacture unserialized firearms in the comfort of your own home.

As shipped, Ghost Gunner can manufacture any mil-spec 80% AR-15 lower receiver that already has the rear take down well milled out. Lowers with non-mil-spec trigger guards that are otherwise mil-spec are also compatible.

Ghost Gunner is capable of manufacturing more than just firearm receivers. With Defense Distributed's open source Physibles Development SDK (pDev), designers can distribute files via our '.dd' file format, which contains all installation and assembly instructions, any required jig files to hold the part in place (that users can print with a 3D printer), and all machine definitions and code to physically manufacture a particular design.
To a casual user, the .dd file is a one-stop solution to manufacturing any aluminum physible that the public can design to fit into the build envelope. Defense Distributed will be developing in and supporting this format, and we are happy to publish your own innovations and contributions.

Here is more detailed analysis by Firearm blog if you are interested in guns:

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2014/10/02/thoughts-defense-distributed-ghost-gunner/

Rifle receiver made by Ghost Gunner, source: ghostgunner.net

Update (24.2.2015.):

FedEx refuses to ship and deliver Ghost Gunner and they claim it is not regulated by law:

http://reason.com/blog/2015/02/23/cody-wilsons-ghost-gunner-banned-by-fede

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Mcor paper 3d printed hammer taken by airport security

Mcor is well known for their unique paper based 3d printing technology. On of their sales staff was stopped by airport security and 3d printed paper hammer was taken as a potential "danger".

Here is what is reported on Mcors blog by that sales manager:

“Last night at the airport, security removed the hammer from my case. When I said it was made of paper he could not believe it, although he did comment that only the weight told him it was not real. He sent for his supervisor – same reaction. They then started to show everyone around and began to talk about making customized tools, parts for cars, phones, was this printer that produced the hammer model really made in Ireland, and many other comments.

In the end the hammer still had to be handed in as I could not take it in my hand luggage because, ‘it looked too real; it could be used to threaten people.’
Sorry I have lost the part. I’ll need another, but if it you could send by DHL it might be safer!”

Mcor’s first family, the MacCormacks, have had several similar experiences with Mcor 3D printed models at airports, but fortunately they had checked luggage and the option to go back and place the models in the checked luggage since airport security did not permit them to bring the models on the plane in their hand luggage.

Mcor used this "incident" and used is as a promotional piece to show how realistic their prints are. Which is completely legit. This story also peaks volumes about safety craziness of our current society ... sheesh, it's colored PAPER!!!

Source: http://mcortechnologies.com/prototypes-so-realistic-theyre-stopped-by-airport-security/

Now, how realistic is Mcors hammer? Take a look at video here:

http://diy3dprinting.blogspot.com/2014/02/hammertime-by-mcor-technologies.html

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What will be the first 3d printed "weapon" that will actually be used?

There is lot of hype about 3d printed guns and predictions that we will see first major crime committed with them in 2014.
Maybe. But if had to take a guess, I would guess that the first 3d printed "weapon" to be used will be some sort of brass knuckles or knuckle duster.

Yeggi lists 416 3d models of various kinds of "brass knuckles", so they are widely available on all public repositories.

http://www.yeggi.com/q/brass+knuckles/?s=tt

Some kid somewhere with 3d printer will want to be "cool" or gain some "edge" on some bullies end he (or she) will print it and bring it to school. After that there will be explosion of stupidity and fear mongering.

We will see. There will certainly be a LOT of news coverage even if it results in nothing more than few bruises.

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US military will 3d print warheads and missiles for combat

Two weeks ago I posted about BEA Systems drones with internal 3d printing. In that post I wrote:

I also have slight suspicion that someone will want to 3d print bombs on-board of military aircraft. Still, all limitations remain. Why send something very expensive and heavy when you have proven delivery methods? Maybe some tactician is thinking of highly customized munition for very demanding missions with uncertain parameters for high-value targets.

Today I found put in article by Vice that this technology is actually in practical development:

“3D printing of warheads will allow us to have better design control and utilize geometries and patterns that previously could not be produced or manufactured,” James Zunino, a researcher at the Armament Research, Engineering and Design Center (ARDEC) in Picatinny, New Jersey, told Motherboard in an email.

The ability to print parts previously unimaginable using traditional manufacturing methods could radically open up the possibilities when it comes to what a warhead can do. For example, warheads using 3D-printed components could be designed to be more compact in order to pack in additional payloads, sensors, and safety mechanisms. Planning for printed parts in the design process will also allow the army to precisely engineer the blast radius of warheads for maximum effect.

“Warheads could be designed to meet specific mission requirements whether it is to improve safety to meet an Insensitive Munitions requirement, or it could have tailorable effects, better control, and be scalable to achieve desired lethality,” Zunino wrote.
As an organization with a shrinking budget—except when it comes to drones—the army weighs the cost of human life against that of building the instruments of its eventual liquidation. One cross-industry advantage of 3D printing is its cost-effectiveness since it enables the printing of complex structures in one go, instead of the many individual parts that go into it. Missiles are no different.

“3D printing also allows for integrating components together to add capabilities at reduced total life cycle costs,” Zunino explained. “It is expected that 3D printing will reduce life-cycle costs of certain items and make munitions more affordable in the long run through implementation of design for manufacturability, and capitalizing on the add capabilities that 3D printing and additive manufacturing can bring to munitions and warheads.”

The army doesn’t plan on stopping at merely printing warhead components, either. Eventually, they want to print the whole damn thing in one go. “Maybe someday an entire warhead or rocket could be produced as the technology further matures,” Zunino wrote.

BEA Systems wanted this type of technology by 2040, but it looks like there will be 3d printed warheads much sooner.

I searched around and found an DIY project where someone 3d printed plastic sabot round on a  Makerbot to be fired from homemade combustion cannon. The future will be very interesting.

Source: http://www.itclips.net/2013/02/20/touring-the-labs-at-make-hq-3-2/

In reality, the actual 3d printed warhead will probably look something like this:

Rytheon STM, source: http://weapons.technology.youngester.com/2011/04/new-warhead-small-tactical-munition.html

It is Rytheon's Small Tactical Munition, a new weapon specifically designed to be employed from unmanned aircraft systems. STM is a 13 pound guided munition that is approximately 2 feet long, making it the smallest air-launched weapon in the Raytheon portfolio. It has a 5 pound warhead. It is small, light and lethal and enables drones to fly longer, further and attack more targets.

So, it is possible that there will be small 3d printing factories in forward military air bases that will create munition similar to this, cutting the cost, reducing the need for supply lines and making custom munition for any purpose like anti personnel with more fragmentation, material penetration with more mass, anti-armor with shaped charges. For those small drone bombs plastic materials could be used or even locally sourced materials. Only non-printable parts are currently guidance unit, explosives and fuse. 

Those digital fabrication production cells could also make replacement parts for the drones themselves.  

War is hell people, we need more food and less bombs.   

Army Technology publication with focus on 3D printing:

http://usarmy.vo.llnwd.net/e2/c/downloads/352196.pdf

Source article: http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-army-is-3d-printing-warheads

Update (19.7.2015.):

Raytheon announced it can print almost all the parts needed for guided rocket ammunition:

http://diy3dprinting.blogspot.com/2015/07/raytheon-can-3d-print-military-missiles.html

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