Michael Guslick, a Wisconsin engineer, has used a 15-year old Stratasys 3D printer and blueprints downloaded from the Internet to produce the lower receiver (also known as a frame) of an AR-15 automatic rifle.
Guslick kept a blog on his 3D printing escapades. He began his experiment by using the 3D printer to fashion a custom-made .22 caliber pistol, which incorporated the 3D printed lower receiver and a commercial upper receiver. Many online gun enthusiasts were skeptical that the 3D printed pistol could work, but Guslick says he has fired 200 rounds in testing -- a triumph that prompted him to push the limits with the AR-15 rifle.
Michael Guslick, a Wisconsin engineer, used a 3D printer and blueprints he pulled off the Internet to create the lower receiver piece of a AR-15 automatic rifle. (Source: Michael Guslick)
On his blog, Guslick says he'd been using his Stratasys 3D printer to prototype ideas for paintball guns for years. Eventually, he decided to push the technology to explore making functional parts for working firearms. Plastics have been used in firearms for producing things like grips, but they haven't much been tapped for more structural components because of durability and integrity concerns and because, well, there are some pretty serious safety implications if the manufacturing process backfires.
To test the waters for the AR-15 model, Guslick started with someone else's IGES file (from 3D printing and gun enthusiast forums) of a lower receiver and created a 75 percent scale model, which, upon inspection, looked like it was good to go.
From Guslick's blog:
Figuring that my chances with a full scale print were excellent, I decided to modify the model by strengthening two areas that I was slightly concerned about -- the front takedown pin lugs and the bolt hold catch lugs. Adding more material to the model in SolidWorks was pretty straightforward, and I finished it up by adding an integral trigger guard. I switched out the PP3DP filament for some black Bolson ABS -- after all, the "black rifle" would look a bit odd in ivory (more importantly, it's easier to see/photograph detail on dark material). After slicing the STL file, I sent it to the Stratasys and waited a few days (no speed demons, these old machines).
Guslick says his AR-15 was so successful that he uploaded the design to the Thingiverse 3D design sharing site run by Makerbot Industries. That apparently unleashed a firestorm (justified, in my opinion) about whether weapon designs should be allowed on 3D maker sites.
I think the efforts by Guslick (and others) in this area are doing a lot to push the technical boundaries of 3D printing to a place where the technology has a critical and valuable role in driving the so-called personal manufacturing revolution. However, the idea of deploying highly accessible technology to output firearms cheaply -- and without legal sanction -- is pretty frightening, given recent events and all the loopholes that can impede effective gun control.
What are your thoughts on this development? Tell us in the comments section below.
I don't think it would be too much to say that most of our current toys originated with the Military. Think of those little gadgets like GPS and cell phones. Mobile phones were developed for the military, as was GPS. Now GPS is being built into practically everything, even pets. Talk about ubiquitous. And household appliances are being fitted with cellular tech so you can call your refrigerator from the store to find out whether you need milk, or the gas stove can detect a leak and call the gas company before the house blows up. But wait, there's more!
SORRY! But I can't disagree with you more. This is a technical publication, and the associated blogs & forums should remain about the technical aspects of a product, service, etc. There's plenty of general purpose outlets for expressing your political, social, religious bias available to people now.
However, I DO give you credit for allowing that if a person wants to secure a firearm ILLEGALLY of ILLEGAL intent, then there are many places that one can go to to achieve that goal in far more timely manner than by investing in a CAD program, with its steep learning curve, and purchasing a "$500" 3-D printer to manufacture Bazookas in their backyard.
Finally, do you really believe that even IF EPSON, CANON, H-P were to introduce a 3-D printer for $99, available at WAL*MART that there'd be hoardes of people buying them to remanufacture a bracket for their broken doohickey? I'd advance that the ONLY people who would rise to that challenge would be other engineers, draftsmen, etc. who have experience w/ using screwdrivers & wrenches & soldering irons. JOE SIXPACK ain't gonna spend his Saturday afternoon creating a part for his NORGE washing machine!!!!!
Thanks everyone, for your comments. For those who are bothered by the fact that I injected my opinion, I did so because this is a blog forum, which gives the writers a bit more creative license to impart some of their personality/ideas/beliefs more so than a facts-based news article. I definitely think the discussion is worthwhile, however, despite any differences in opinion.
I do agree that most criminal types won't go through the expense or bother of producing their weapon via a 3D printer. And all of you who said so are right that it is much easier to get guns via other channels. However, once these printers become regular household items (and that's not far off given that some cost $500+ and prices are coming down and packaging is getting more and more turn-key), it will be easier and easier for teens, kids, DIYers to be tempted to experiment with making weapons, and that can end poorly. I'm not saying a 3D printed gun is the only scenario for something ending poorly, I just couldn't write about it without putting it in that context.
@Old Curmudgeon: I appreciate your comments that some of the discourse on this community based on this post is veering off into highly political territory and perhaps losing sight of why I choose to write about this in the first place, despite my reservations about making it easy for people to make guns. The major point of the piece is to continue to chronicle how far 3D printing technology has come and to showcase how close we are to a time when we will be able to download 3D CAD files of common household appliance parts or products and print them out ourselves, potentially at less cost and definitely at less hassle than buying via mail order or at a retail store.
As for injecting my opinion into the piece, well, that's sort of the new world of journalism when it comes to blogs. I almost felt compelled to do it, even in a small way. Hopefully you'll keep reading!
I think I would disagree that all the electronic toys we have today are not spin offs from military projects. I believe the semiconductor is the result of weapons research, and therefore everything using them. And certainly the DOD created all the original computers, networks, etc. Medical and biological are good points, but I think all medicine owes its herititage to the battlefield wounded. Civilian injuries historically just were not constant enough to warrant a medical field being researched enough to exist. Once we understood the function of the human body better from the military applications, only then was it possible to move further into things like disease control. But even the basic research facilities like land grant universities were created by the DOD investments.
Why the need for the sensationalist and incorrect title on this? Guns are already too easy to make. What we need is a weapon that is truly defensive and doesn't act as judge jury and executioner.
Americans waste far too much time and money on this non-productive and destructive activity. Please can we move forward to a more peaceful country.
In reply to Chuck_IAG: Indeed it's a "firearm", though not a particularly practical one. I hope the maker paid attention to the relevant laws. The BATF is notorious for being out to get people, sometimes shooting to kill first and asking questions later. (Look up "Ruby Ridge".) So while it's not a big deal in a rational sense, it might very well be made into a big deal by government officials with big guns and small minds.
3D printing isn't going to do much for actual whole firearms. You're not going to get a workable barrel this way.
I wonder what people who think this project is bad think of http://thehomegunsmith.com/index.html .
Finally, it's well established that guns do far more good than harm. But to get the benefit, you really need one that's highly reliable, which means made in a more conventional manner from steel and other appropriate materials.
My point was merely a "reductti ad absurdum" to show that no right can be absolute or unlimited. Please be assured that I have no intention of making any kinds of weapons, so you don't have to arm yourselt to defend against me. I'm really not out to get you.
Charles, Please don't forget the next wave of additive manufacturing...metallic media. Examples of a functional rpg launcher have been made using the Direct Metal Laser Sintering process. None of the parts on the launcher (empty tube and ignition mechanism) are highly stressed during use. It's merely a function of time before highly stressed parts (rifled barrels, receivers, bolts, rocket cases for the rpg, etc) can be made using DMLS materials.
It's still very costly...but remember where sterolith was 20 years ago costwise.
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