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11 Comments

  2. It seems to me that 3D printers are complimentary to traditional fabrication machines like lathes and angle grinders, not a replacement. If an item can be made on a printer or a lathe, then make that item on the printer and free up the lathe for tasks that only it can do, like metalwork. On the flip side, I would suspect that there are complex items that traditional fabrication would have to make as individual components to be assembled later, which could be printed in a single step more quickly.

    I didn’t know PLA was a bioplastic. That means it still consumes quite a bit of petroleum as fertilizer and pesticides, which is why biofuels are net-energy losers, but you’re right that it makes the disposal situation much better.

    A lot of us can’t think about 3D printers without thinking of the replicator on Star Trek. Fun bit of trivia: a 3D printer was used as a replicator prop on the new Picard series.

    Thanks again for sharing some knowledge, A.M.

  3. Thanks for the info and resources. I’ll be doing my homework (:
    I wanted to make a comment on the current Supreme Court action. They did not dismiss the Texas case on ‘material grounds’ only on ‘procedural grounds’. They dismissed on the grounds that Texas did not have standing before the court (they were not the damaged party). The case will have to be resubmitted through members of the ‘battle ground’ States that have citizens that have been damaged. I would have been an anti-federalist at the time of the ratification so I am not holding my breath here.

  4. My questions are going to reflect my lack of knowledge of tech & 3D printing. I’m wondering about non-firearms stuff being produced on a 3D printer like the one described in this article. For ex, if one needed screws or nails, would such a printer work? a piece of wood? a small plastic part? a ceramic cup or bowl? tin or sheet metal for a small project? string or a part to repair fish net?
    When I skimmed thru the objects on thingiverse & yeggi sites, they all appear to be plastic or resin type material.

    1. The printers discussed in the article use plastic. Nails or screws might be made with sintering, but much easier to make from heavy steel wire or round bar stock using traditional means. U need cordage, look for tendons from large vertebrates, or learn to twist hemp (try your local Boy Scout Troop, at least one will know the trick and maybe even show you the gadget) or braid grass. We’re talking about sub$1k equipment. Metal work, you’ll want a lathe and mill.

      1. Indeed, the materials used in these types of 3d printers, which lay down layer upon layer of filament, all use some kind of plastic or polymer-like materials. Yes, some contain wood, ceramic, or various metals, but they generally do not have the same strength characteristics as parts made soley from those materials. Instead they have the strength characteristics of the underlaying filament, such as PLA, ABS, PETG, or one the of the strongest, Zytel (nylon). The filaments can however have other useful properties like electrical conductance, glow in the dark, or flexability and elasticity. As mentioned, there are plenty of other ways to make nails, cordage, etc, although perhaps for intricate designs you could 3d print the model of what you want and they use it to make a mold to cast it out of liquid metal…I hadn’t thought of that before, but now I’m intrigued to try it!

    1. Hey Murf…. That’s cool that you can make your own battery adapters with 3D printing. For anyone that can’t or does not want to, plastic battery adapters, taking one or more smaller batteries have been around for a long time, and you can get them on Amazon all day long. The prices are pretty reasonable. I’ve been using them for a few years now, with no problems or issues. Typically, but not in all cases, the vast majority of these adapters use AA and AAA batteries for a AA,C,and D size battery adapter. On occasion, you can find D size adapters that will take a C size battery. The applications are obvious, but whats really cool as it relates to flash lights ( wither they are rugged or not ) is if you have, or can find a flashlight that takes more than one size of battery. I picked one such flashlight up on clearance a decade ago now. I think it is an EVERREADY something something. I think there have been other flashlights like this produced over the past few years. Anyway….I hope this has been helpful.

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