The first metal gun printed on a 3D printer

^{A working copy of the M1911 self-loading pistol developed by John Browning. The gun was in service with the US Army from 1911 to 1985}

Engineers from the Texan company Solid Concepts for the first time in the world printed a metal pistol . They did this to demonstrate the capabilities of modern industrial 3D printing and do not set a goal to make the technology available in every home. Although, sooner or later it will inevitably happen.

For the demonstration was made iconic pistol M1911, created by John Browning. This is the first self-loading pistol, which began to be used in the US Army, before that they had only revolvers.


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Parts of the gun are made by the method of direct laser sintering of metal (DMLS), the same method that NASA uses to print rocket engine parts . Only the springs were made separately. After printing, the parts were polished and fitted to each other by hand.

During tests, the gun proved high accuracy of shooting.



Representatives of the company say that they printed the gun not to make this process cheaper and more accessible to every man in the street, but simply to demonstrate the reliability of parts manufactured by the DMLS method. Metal printing equipment cannot be bought for less than $ 10 thousand, which most 3D printing enthusiasts cannot afford. The company itself Solid Concepts used an even more expensive industrial printer, see video.



The company Solid Concepts has a license for the manufacture of weapons and promises to produce and send the buyer a set of 3D parts for the assembly of the gun within five days. Naturally, only a US citizen who has the appropriate permission can make a purchase.