Post date: May 06, 2013 3:15:18 PM
USA (Next Media) - The World’s first entirely 3D-printed handgun has been created in the U.S. The gun, named “The Liberator,” was made by a group called Defense Distributed, headed by Cody Wilson, a 25-year-old law student at the University of Texas. The group has spent a year trying to create the handgun, and it was successfully tested on Saturday.
The Liberator is made from 16 different pieces printed in ABS plastic by a Stratasys Dimension SST printer. A nail is used as a firing pin, making it detectable by metal detectors. The gun is designed to fire standard handgun rounds using interchangeable barrels for different calibers of ammunition.The 3D-printable CAD files for the Liberator will be released to the public online. Critics are concerned that once the files are online, anyone will be able to download and print the gun with no serial number, background check or other regulatory hurdles. They may also print the weapon without adding metal components, making it virtually undetectable.
SOURCES:
Gizmodo
http://gizmodo.com/the-worlds-first-entirely-3d-printed-gun-489975583
Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2013/05/03/this-is-the-worlds-first-entirely-3d-printed-gun-photos/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2013/05/05/meet-the-liberator-test-firing-the-worlds-first-fully-3d-printed-gun/2/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2013/05/03/this-is-the-worlds-first-entirely-3d-printed-gun-photos/
BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22421185
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