THE DARK SIDE OF 3D PRINTING

Posted By Simon Montford on Oct 2, 2014

The announcement, that it is now possible to buy a $1,200 machine that allows anyone to 'print' a gun at home, is as scary as it is incredible. We're not talking about one of those resin firearms that looks like a toy gun, we're talking the real mccoy. A highly controversial organisation called Defense Distributed has developed an mini-industrial mill in a box. They call it the Ghost Gunner and it was built with $20 worth of open-source Arduino microcontrollers, a custom-designed spindle and a steel carbide bit.  

What makes this particularly unpalatable is that, unlike previous 3D-printing projects by the organisation, the individual behind this initiative admits that selling the CNC mill gives his 'group' funds to invest in future 'activities'. What those future 'activities' will end up being is anyone's guess! He originally intended to take pre-orders via Indiegogo or Kickstarter but neither site would allow it, thankfully!  I even feel bad attaching links to their website but this stuff is happening whether we like it or not so reporting the facts is better than pretending it's not happening. 

Subscribe to our newsletter and you’ll receive product updates as well as the latest IOT news delivered straight to your inbox.

The majority of 3D printing applications are of course highly beneficial. These videos will hopefully restore your faith in humanity!