Dec.20, 2013
Solid Concepts, the first company that produces a fully-functional metal semi-automatic pistol with a 3D printer, announced that they are putting 100 limited edition 1911 3D Printed metal guns on sale for $11,900 each.
Solid Concepts announced the successful completion of the world's first 3D Printed metal gun on November 7, 2013. The pistol is a replica of the storied .45-caliber, M1911 semi-automatic pistol that was developed by John Browning a century ago and served as the U.S. military's standard-issue sidearm for more than 70 years. Solid Concepts demonstrated the gun by initially firing 50 rounds through it. This week, the company announced their 1911 3D Printed metal gun had reached over 2,000 successful rounds of firing without failure.
The company plans to print and sell 100 limited run 1911 3D Printed metal guns and each of them will be built and serialized with the option of unique customization using Additive Metal Manufacturing technology. "Each 3D Printed gun will be manufactured using Inconel 625 (a Nickel-Chromium-Molybdenum alloy) and Stainless Steel components. Post machining and hand polishing will complete the manufacturing process and each assembled pistol will undergo 100 rounds of test firing." says Solid Concepts.
The 100 serialized 1911 3D Printed metal guns are priced at $11,900. The company says it is not trying to promote the right to bear arms under the Second Amendment. "We're proving this is possible, the technology is at a place now where we can manufacture a gun with 3D Metal Printing," says Kent Firestone, Vice President of Additive Manufacturing at Solid Concepts.
"This is a chance to own a piece of history," Solid Concept's vice president of marketing, Scott McGowan, said. The gun will arrive in a wooden showcase box with a 3D Printed metal plaque describing the unique qualities of the pistol and a certificate of authenticity. Solid Concepts is also offering buyers the chance to tour their Texas facility to see their gun being printed, and to join their lead additive manufacturing engineers on the range for the first test firing of their limited 1911 gun. Sales begin Thursday, December 19, 2013.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
Maybe you also like:
- 3D printed chocolate sculptures make sweet display
- Caskstrength Creative uses 3D printing to promote new 3D Scotch whisky
- Awesome 3D printed MkIII Iron Man Helmet with hand-free motion control
- Spectacular 3D printed hairdressing make it onto Catwalk
- NASA tells how 3D printing may be used on the ISS (video)
- $25 Google Glass hack lets you play Mario with your eyes & clothing
- Polaris uses 3D printing to develop Indian prototype motorcycle (video)
- Rolls-Royce eyes 3D printing for jet engine parts
- Make your own hair dryer with Open E-Components, just like playing Lego bricks
I find it disturbing that the manufactures of the "gun" were forced to acquire a license for gun manufacture, in that: 1. Simply because this item can fire a bullet does not automatically make it a weapon. 2. The ATF, to my knowledge have no mandate, e.g., there is no law regulating anything printed, regardless of it's future use--in that there never has been a 3D printed the Bureau was acting preemptively in the assumption that they have jurisdiction over a non-existent item. 3. This action on the part of the government is typical of the current over-reach and EXTRA-legal behavior of the current administration. Abuse of authority is bad enough but to exert non-legal authority based on a non-existent item that may at some point in the future be under their legally mandated jurisdiction is beyond tolerable and beyond reason. From what little I know about our legal system it appears that the "government" in this case has infringed on the First Amendment Right of Free Speech (this is a long standing principle whereby Americans may communicate freely in any number of manners), of the 4th Amendment Right to Due Process (it is a legal principle going back hundreds of years that a person cannot be required to comply with a law or custom that does not exist) as well as the Amendments to do with Unusual search and seizure, the 8th Amendment Right or excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment . In short I see no legitimate reason for the AFT to require the manufactures in this case to comply with any arbitrary ruling on the part of the government.
Blaze Wenindout wrote at 12/23/2013 5:05:22 PM:
Good luck with that price. There's a sucker born every day.
john wrote at 12/21/2013 11:00:55 PM:
12 grand for a gimmick gun, eh, you'll find a few stupid people that will pay it.
Gordon wrote at 12/21/2013 5:04:01 PM:
Research and development costs make a short run of most anything is very expensive. They had to do the digital design of each printed part, test the correctness of the design, probably in plastic, then make actual parts that could be fired and test them. It was not a trivial nor instant project.
Dan wrote at 12/21/2013 4:43:26 AM:
"The pricing is pointless."// Yes, the price is still high now, because of equipment price. But I think for many products this technology gives second life and they can be reproduced without need in organizing special production complex with traditional technologies. For historical and study purpouses it will be very intresting opportunity. And the good news is that contemporary additive metal equipment allow to produce such product exacting to reliability and accuracy of production like firearm. Good question - how many parts of the printer, printing it is possible to print with metal on this printer? :) When the number of parts of AM equipment reproducable with the same equipment will grow percent to 80%, the price of made production too will go down, because productive equipment also will be reproducible with this equipment (or utilized, if it is not necessary at the moment). The almost complete compact enough self-reproducing production system will be formed. Of course electronics and optics for lasers are needed for this and few more components. But precise metal mechanics is also important part.
Julio wrote at 12/21/2013 12:04:51 AM:
The pricing is pointless. Just because you can replicate something with a 3d printer does not make it automatically expensive. If it was an otherwise impossible to make design, only produced by 3d printing, then it would be worth it, but a replica of an old gun has no value. 3d conceps just want to earn some cash. Design a gun with improved characteristics that can only be made in your 3d printers, like those brackets for airplanes that are much lighter, and then you will be making history.
3Ders.org provides the latest news about 3D printing technology and 3D printers. We are now seven years old and have around 1.5 million unique visitors per month.
