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SOG DonationsLol yeah man that’s they looked like 
Thought it was some kind of heat shrink seal on it.
The FN emblem was the cincher for me. That and the case.
I can’t believe that thing is printed, that is freaking incredible!
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lol, I can see that.
Do you mean this one highlighted in blue? If so, I modeled that in Fusion360.
The case is from FN. I could print one, but buying a surplus case is cheaper and less work for me.
Thanks! There’s still some issues with it, but I think that I’m going to move on to the next project. I have notes on some of the things that need to be changed. If the frame ever breaks, or melts, I’ll address the other issues on the next printing… if there ever is one.
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Appears I need to learn some new tech!
I don’t even know where to start. Except to save up for a printer. There goes a new gun…
That is truly awesome!
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Technology… i absolutely hate some of it at times and absolutely love some of it at all times.
Well done! No more layer separation?
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I would recommend deciding on what you want to do with the printer first. There are different types of printers used for different purposes.
If money was no object, then I would get a metal 3D printer. Although, if I had the money for that, I’d buy a HAAS CNC machine (mill or lathe) and be happier with it. The price will eventually come down on metal 3D printers, but for now, they are outside of most peoples’ budget.
Right now, there are two main types of 3D printers that people look at. There are printers that use filament extrusion; and printers that print using a vat liquid plastic resin and a light source.
Printers that use filament are often referred to as Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), also known as Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), and are the most widely used type of 3D printing at the consumer level. They are inexpensive machines that provide quick and low-cost prototyping of simple parts. One of the best features of these types of printers is the ability to print in high temp thermal plastics that can be used in structurally demanding environments. However, the resolution and accuracy are not as good when compared to liquid plastic resin types like SLA, and is not the best option for printing complex designs or parts with intricate features.
Liquid plastic resin printers using photopolymers; Stereolithography (SLA), Digital Light Processing (DLP), etc… are a great option for highly detailed prototypes requiring tight tolerances and smooth surfaces, such as; molds, patterns, models, and figurines. The drawback of this particular type of printing is that the parts are not usually as durable as the filament types, and the working footprint (size of the part that you can print) are restricted to the size of the vat. The resin can also be messy and difficult to deal with, and there is limited material options when compared to FDM.
Ideally, I would like to have one of both. Because of limited funds, I went with the filament type due to the wide range of materials that I could print with, the strength of high temp thermal plastics, and a larger working footprint for bigger projects.
Once you decide on what type of printer you want, the next step is to find a manufacturer that carries a machine with all the features that you need out of a printer. Not all printers are equal and there are some features that are super important for ease of use.
Once you find your printer, the next step is to find a slicer that is compatible with your printer. A 3D printing “slicer” prepares the selected model for your 3D printer. It will generate the G-code, a numerical control (NC) programming language, that your printer needs to tell it how to print the model. If the slicer selection sucks, get a different printer.
Once you get a few prints under your belt from STL files that you have downloaded from places like Thingiverse, you may want to design your own. I like Fusion360. It can be had for free (as long as you don’t profit off of it) and it is really intuitive to use. You can learn it in a weekend with the right tutorials on YouTube.
Most of the other advice to starting out depends on whether you go for FDM or SLA as your printer type. I would not buy a machine until I knew exactly what options I wanted.
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I hope not. I’ll have to shoot it on a hot day to know for sure.
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I wish that I had stocked up on Dupont Zytel 3D Filament when it was available. If you like conspiracies, take a look at why they pulled this stuff from the market!
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Why?
and…
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About $100.00 per 1kg roll plus $30.00 shipping… 
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Wow! Thank you for the education!
Definitely will be going with FDM for strength and cost. My chief interest is in printing firearms for the collection. My daughter in law will be the one to figure out commercial applications.
I sure hope it is a good year 
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What model printer are you using? Also, how do you think that first frame would’ve held up to 180 degrees? I believe that’s what cerakote recommends for polymers using H series (for 2 hours instead of 1 at 300).
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Good question, I am out of polycarbonate or I would happily get that answer for you. Most of the literature on H-series that I have says 2 hours at 200 °F for plastics, which polycarbonate was suppose to handle. 180 °F should be well within its ability to remain solid…
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Incredible project! Very cool!
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