Not disputing that fella, what I'm saying is that it's quite a fragile end product you get from a 3d printer - attempting to make a rugged durable item like a receiver is not going to happen, it'd crumble to dust on first firing if it lasted even that long.



The remote building is a good idea, would save a lot of hassle

 

The lower receiver in an AR type rifle is the part with the serial number, the part that is tracked as "the" gun. It is not a part that normally sees high stress in operation. The latest 3D printable (in plastic) version available for download free online was reported to function normally through a test of 600 shots fired, and they quit because they ran out of ammunition.



I thought I read there is already a company trying to get started making concrete buildings. I am probably going to hold off buying a print-in-a-week house until they can print the wiring and plumbing in-place as well. That will probably happen in our lifetimes.

 

I stand corrected then! As I say, with the products I've seen produced, the individual grains of plastic dust are barely fused. It's more like sintered metal in appearance and durability. Perhaps it was on a 'draft' setting, or an early (read: not as advanced) device, lol.

 

I recently made and had printed plaques for a professional wrestling style award belt, so I feel rather inclined to chime in, here.



rik'n'vik is using "3d printing" as a generic term to describe the process called "Granular materials binding." This is the same process used in the video and simply put fuses very fine particles of material (usually plastics) to form a solid object. Usually there is a final fusing process with some kind of heated media (ex: laser) that will harden the binding. This concept is not terribly dissimilar to laser (2d) printing, but requires a Z-axis and multiple passes. Rigidity depends upon material and final fusing process.



Most domestic 3D printers use a process called "Extrusion deposition" which is, again to over simplify, injecting a material into shape. Think of it like a glue gun with a very fine nozzle. These bind deeply because the printing process melts each layer together, its rigidity depends upon the material used, but can be very strong in typically high-heat applications.

 

On the topic of space-age crazy manufacturing stuff, get amongst this stuff.



http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=NP4260



I'm just waiting for an excuse to buy some. What a great idea.