3D Printing Guns? Is it viable?

Since the creation of affordable 3D printers there have been high hopes for huge changes in the consumer market. Whether it is printing basic things like plates and forks or creating organs using stem cells, 3D printers have a lot to offer. Many predictions have been made on how extreme of an effect 3D printers could have on the average consumer over the next several decades. These predictions vary, some say that 3D printers could end up in every middle class American's home while others say 3D printers will end up staying in the medical and industrial industry due to their costs. While I was searching through all of these predictions I came across one I thought was interesting, 3D printing guns. If you could 3D print effective firearms you could create a gun that couldn't be tracked and could be disposed of easily, however much of this has been talked about for the past several years and there hasn't been a large switch to 3D printed firearms. As nice as this would sound for criminals or people who just want to have cool and easily customizable guns, there are a lot of issues to address. As cool as 3D printing is it can only print materials that can be heated up and molded and in the case of guns, it is plastic. The fact is most thermoplastics can’t handle the force of a bullet. Some designers have managed to make firearms that can handle anywhere from 20-145 shots depending on the gun, but these firearms are more of a danger to the user than whatever they are shooting at. Many companies are experimenting with making 3D printed gun parts however, most of these companies are start-ups or are just trying to make a cheaper alternative to whatever part they are designing. There are 3D printers that utilize metals, but they are extremely expensive. Solid Concepts is a company who was bought by Stratasys. Before they were bought by Stratasys, they were working on designs for a firearm that could be printed using a metal 3D printer. Once Stratasys bought Solid Concepts, they started a line of 3D printed firearms that were made using metal, but the series came with a whopping 11,900 dollars for one 1911. With this large price tag a criminal could by several dozen 9mm’s. Because 3D printing firearms is so expensive there is nothing to worry about. Why would a criminal spend thousands of dollars just to make a gun when he can find an illegal dealer and spend several hundred. The fact is 3D
printed guns are more of a collectors item than a cheap or useful weapon. This may change as the price of 3D printing things lowers, but for now it is too expensive to be viable.