A license to print: how real is the risk posed by 3D printed guns?

Another hurdle is the cost of “powderized” metals found in direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) or selective laser sintering (SLS) printers.

Powdered metals also require safe facilities to use them: finely divided metal powders, such as titanium and aluminum, can spontaneously combust causing fires.

It is possible to see limited runs of critical metal parts for automobiles and other specialist objects made on 3D printers in many research and industry facilities.

Indeed, for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) around the world, “additive manufacturing” using 3D printers is a game changer for supply chains. Many SMEs are investing in their own high end metal 3D printers or utilizing facilities in universities and incubators.

But one catch is the cost. For example, the EOS EOSINT M 100 is a relatively “entry level” DMLS 3D printer and costs between US$100,000 and US$250,000. Such machines are unlikely to turn up in the Christmas stockings of criminal gangs.

Prototypes

What makes me skeptical that the guns recovered from Operation Oscar Quantum were 3D printed in their entirety is not only the prohibitive cost of 3D printing in metals, but the presence of typical gunsmith production machines at the facility.

But a 3D printer could have certainly been used to manufacture many non- or near- critical parts, such as grips or the outer framework.

A 3D printer may have also been used for “rapid prototyping” for mock-ups to test the final design in plastic. This is where a 3D printer can quickly produce a prototype part for testing before the final part is produced using more conventional means. This is one of the most common uses of 3D printers in industry today.

It should be noted that this is not the first time that police have flagged 3D printing as playing a role in weapons production.

On December 10, 2015, Queensland Police reported that Taskforce Maxima found methamphetamine and steroids, drug paraphernalia and “a loaded handgun allegedly created by a 3D printer” in a raid on a meth lab.

The handgun from Taskforce Maxima certainly appears to be made on a 3D printer, featuring the characteristic surface ribbing you see from 3D printed items. It also appears to conform to the design parameters of a 3D printed gun, the “Liberator”, produced by American organization, Defense Distributed.

However, the critical part – the barrel – appears to be a conventional non-printed piece, most likely metal. Whether it would have actually worked safely or simply been used for intimidation is another question entirely.

NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione’s team was also reported to have bought a 3D printer for A$1,700 and made a polymer Liberator handgun from a design file downloaded from the internet.

Backyard gunsmiths
We shouldn’t really be surprised that 3D printers are now an integral part of illicit gunsmiths’ repertoires. 3D printing is a near essential element of any pre-production suite, particularly for rapid prototyping. Metal 3D printing will no doubt be a part of the suite too, if it is not already.

Gunsmithing also has a long heritage in Australia as the photo below shows. Indeed, Lithgow Arms’ history dates back to 1912.

3D printing also offers tremendous advantages and perhaps even a new industrial future. Other local industries could benefit from 3D printing boutique, custom and novelty objects. This would buck the trend of offshoring that has ailed Australian manufacturing over the 21st century.

And we should remember that it’s not only 3D printing that enables people to build illicit firearms. With the right tools, a skilled gunsmith can make a weapon in their back shed. However, 3D printing can make that process easier and more accessible to less skilled individuals.

Thomas Birtchnell is Senior lecturer,University of Wollongong. This article is published courtesy of The Conversation (under Creative Commons-Attribution / No derivative).