So far, correctly identifying 26 out of 28 samples is a great start to cracking down on dangerous, untraceable illegal firearms. When the research matures and can reliably identify a broad range of materials, it could potentially trace 3D-printed firearms to the printer and filament, potentially creating a list of where they were purchased and who purchased them.
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Jhet Borja Social Links Navigation Freelance Writer Jhet Borja is a serial hobbyist who was taking apart toys from childhood and sketching inventions. He now loves doing DIY projects ranging from designing custom 3D-printed parts, building PCs and keyboards, all the way to woodworking. If he's not getting his hands dirty, he's probably brainstorming his next project.
retro3dfx The article makes the claim that these firearms are illegal. Depends where you're located on the globe. Where I am in the US, they're perfectly legal. Reply
WJS_ retro3dfx said: The article makes the claim that these firearms are illegal. Depends where you're located on the globe. Where I am in the US, they're perfectly legal. Likewise in Britain; even though you do require a license to own firearms, if you have that license it doesn't matter whether you buy a gun or make it yourself. 3d printing a firearm is not itself an offence. Reply
bill001g I would really like these guys to really print a 3d gun and then see how brave they are to actually fire it. Maybe the first bullet would fire but the pressure is massive so it would damage the chamber and barrel. The heat is also way above the melt point of these plastics. These guys must have never seen a gun fired. Everyone learns very quickly how hot the brass is that is ejected from a gun. The chamber and barrel have to be much hotter. Even without 3d printers if there was a plastic you could make a complete gun out of the military would use it. Reply
derekullo How does knowing that a gun was created on a Makerbot Method X or Bambu Labs X2D using PLA help in any way? The filament is made at scale and is designed to be a homogeneous product identical in every way to any other of that model … so that 3d printer doesn't mess up/turn spaghetti. Also PLA is terrible for a gun … unlike metal which can slightly deform to relieve stress, PLA will just shatter sending plastic shrapnel in all directions. Reply
wuzie-minh This research is pretty useless imo. All the assailant has to do is to buy a fillament making machine and fill it with a bunch of discarded fillaments from a recyling center. Since all the signatures of specific fillament brands are mixed up. It is pretty much untraceable. Ah yes, nothing like saving the environment while printing ghost guns. Reply
Buturwrongtho Of course it's Australia. Wasting time and resources on fake ghost gun propeganda. They just want to ban 3D printers. Say that instead. Reply
Key considerations
- Investor positioning can change fast
- Volatility remains possible near catalysts
- Macro rates and liquidity can dominate flows
Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/3d-printing/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/3d-printing/3d-printed-guns-may-now-have-a-way-to-be-traced-to-their-source-australian-researchers-correctly-identify-26-out-of-28-printed-pla-samples-to-their-filament-product#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com/membership
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Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.