The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: PegLeg45 on November 07, 2013, 12:48:41 PM
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First 3D printed metal gun:
World’s First 3D Printed Metal Gun Manufactured by Solid Concepts
Austin, TX – Solid Concepts, one of the world leaders in 3D Printing services, has manufactured the world’s first 3D Printed Metal Gun using a laser sintering process and powdered metals. The gun, a 1911 classic design, functions beautifully and has already handled 50 rounds of successful firing. It is composed of 33 17-4 Stainless Steel and Inconel 625 components, and decked with a Selective Laser Sintered (SLS) carbon-fiber filled nylon hand grip. The successful production and functionality of the 1911 3D Printed metal gun proves the viability of 3D Printing for commercial applications.
“We’re proving this is possible, the technology is at a place now where we can manufacture a gun with 3D Metal Printing,” says Kent Firestone, Vice President of Additive Manufacturing at Solid Concepts. “And we’re doing this legally. In fact, as far as we know, we’re the only 3D Printing Service Provider with a Federal Firearms License (FFL). Now, if a qualifying customer needs a unique gun part in five days, we can deliver.”
The metal laser sintering process Solid Concepts used to manufacture the 30+ gun components is one of the most accurate additive manufacturing processes available, and more than accurate enough to build the interchangeable and interfacing parts within the 1911 series gun. The gun proves the tight tolerances laser sintering can meet. Plus, 3D Printed Metal has less porosity issues than an investment cast part and better complexities than a machined part. The 3D Printed gun barrel sees chamber pressures above 20,000 psi every time it is fired. Solid Concepts chose to build the 1911 because the design is public domain.
“The whole concept of using a laser sintering process to 3D Print a metal gun revolves around proving the reliability, accuracy and usability of metal 3D Printing as functional prototypes and end use products,” says Firestone. “It’s a common misconception that 3D Printing isn’t accurate or strong enough, and we’re working to change people’s perspective.”
The 3D Printed metal gun proves that 3D Printing isn’t just making trinkets and Yoda heads. The gun manufactured by Solid Concepts debunks the idea that 3D Printing isn’t a viable solution or isn’t ready for mainstream manufacturing. With the right materials and a company that knows how to best program and maintain their machines, 3D printing is accurate, powerful and here to stay.
http://www.solidconcepts.com/news-releases/worlds-first-3d-printed-metal-gun-manufactured-solid-concepts/
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I need a 3-d printer
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I just reread this .
They printed the BARREL as well ?
Gun parts have a general tolerance of +/- .005, this is not exactly "tight", some medical devices I've worked on had tolerances of +/- .0002.
But it is still plenty tight enough for almost all general manufacturing.
Are we watching "machining" go the way of buggy whip manufacturing ?
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i doubt it tom, did you see what they speced for psi on the 45? 20k psi thats a very light load. What they aslo didn't say is how many hundreds of hours they have in making it. Rapid prototyping its all a bunch of layers, the smaller the layer, the more accurate they can build something. Just like cnc, the closer the points, the more accurate the cut. 3d printing should be called what it really is, but that would not sound as cool.
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FTA:
The 3D Printed gun barrel sees chamber pressures above 20,000 psi every time it is fired.
SAMMI puts Maximum Average Pressure for standard .45 ACP loads at about 21,000 and +P loads at about 23,000.
http://www.saami.org/specifications_and_information/specifications/Velocity_Pressure_CfPR.pdf
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Yeah...this isn't the model I'd be looking to buy...if I could afford it...
But till now they have been talking plastic.
This is a major advance...dare I say a Quantum Advance? in the technology.
Now we wait till they can produce a .50 AE that can go for a 20K round endurance test.
Honestly I didn't think I'd see them get to metal and, for sure, not this quickly.
Production speed will come as advances are made too. Perhaps a large bed that will layer multiple items at a time.
Looks promising though.
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until they load it with standard ammo( not some 20k psi powder puff) i really am not impressed.
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until they load it with standard ammo( not some 20k psi powder puff) i really am not impressed.
Do you have a point? .45 isn't a high pressure round. If you are making high pressure .45 you're doing something wrong.
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until they load it with standard ammo( not some 20k psi powder puff) i really am not impressed.
?? ?? ??
Do you have a point? .45 isn't a high pressure round. If you are making high pressure .45 you're doing something wrong.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
What he said
To repeat:
Most .45 ACP falls in the 17,000 to 20,000 psi range with +P just tapping out at 23,000.
Compared to 9mm, .45 ACP is more like a sneeze in the pressure department. ::)
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A 10% increase in pressure is a whole lot more then just 10% in strength. ps saami specs for 45 is safe to shoot in all guns, 100+ year old models to new ones. Personally 25k psi is a good testing pressure
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A 10% increase in pressure is a whole lot more then just 10% in strength. ps saami specs for 45 is safe to shoot in all guns, 100+ year old models to new ones. Personally 25k psi is a good testing pressure
I get that.... a 10% increase in pressure on a +P round would put you at 25,300....... still relatively low for a pistol round.
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I get that.... a 10% increase in pressure on a +P round would put you at 25,300....... still relatively low for a pistol round.
And still more than a 45acp case was designed for.
Tab, it just isn't the gun that needs to handle the pressure. That little brass thingy needs to hold it too....unless you actually like having the magazine blown out of your gun and the grips blown apart in your palms. ::)
If Tab feels the need to load that hot, he bought the wrong gun and/or caliber.
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If you load .45 ACP up to 9x19 pressures you get something like a .460 Rowland. That has nothing to do with if this gun will handle full pressure .45 loads.
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i am talking about a proof load, not a oh lets shoot alot of rounds through it.
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Yes and the gun is the wrong color too!
Guys they just printed the FIRST gun! This additive manufacturing is a field where their goal is to be able to add atoms one at a time to get nano sized machines with moving parts. Pretty amazing technology. I like that they picked a 100 year old gun design to prototype.
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Yes and the gun is the wrong color too!
Guys they just printed the FIRST gun! This additive manufacturing is a field where their goal is to be able to add atoms one at a time to get nano sized machines with moving parts. Pretty amazing technology. I like that they picked a 100 year old gun design to prototype.
TAB still isn't impressed. He did better than that last night in his garage.
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Guys they just printed the FIRST gun! This additive manufacturing is a field where their goal is to be able to add atoms one at a time to get nano sized machines with moving parts. Pretty amazing technology. I like that they picked a 100 year old gun design to prototype.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Which was the gist of the original post. ;)
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THey picked the 1911 for 2 main reasons. its in the public domain, 45 is low presure. anything else was subjective.
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It's not the gun that is the noteworthy item, it is the advances in the process that are outstanding...
Though the first metal gun made by a 3D printer might be worth hanging on to.
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i am talking about a proof load, not a oh lets shoot alot of rounds through it.
TAB is, dare I say it , right this time .
A "proof load" is usually about double standard pressure .
Let me tell you, when you're sitting on the crapper and some one touches off a "proof" .45/70 round on the other side of the wall you have NO TROUBLE at all doing what you were trying to do ! :o
Another lesson from T/C arms. ;D
Back on topic I would REALLY like to know what kind of accuracy they got from their "printed" barrel .
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Well, I got some sort of answer.
Of course I didn't expect them to say it "couldn't hit sh!t".
http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-Sports/2013/11/08/World-s-First-3D-Printed-Metal-45-Cal-Pistol-Made-In-Austin-TX
On November 6th, Austin, Texas-based Solid Concepts announced the successful printing and firing of the world's first 3D-printed metal 1911 handgun.
The gun, printed by Solid Concepts, looks like any mil spec 1911 you could find in a local gun store.
Every aspect of the gun is printed using Solid Concept's Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) process--except for the springs. During tests the gun repeatedly fired and cycled using standard Winchester .45 cal ammunition. Accuracy was impressive.
After the successful tests, Solid Concepts' Phillip Conner said, "We were not looking for a cheaper, easier, better way to make a gun--that wasn't the point at all." Rather, he said they were trying to "dispel the commonly held notion" that their DMLS parts and guns "are not strong enough or accurate enough for real world applications."
Solid Concepts holds a federal firearms licence (FFL).
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins
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I guess no one would be very impressed with the Wright Brother's. first attempt at powered flight.
The plane was in the air for 3 seconds and suffered minor damage upon landing.
No matter that the accuracy or durability of this gun, I'd bet those folks are not thinking that the results were good enough and are calling it a wrap.
Rather, I'd bet they are doing all they can to make the next one as much of an improvement as possible....just like the Wright Brothers.
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I guess no one would be very impressed with the Wright Brother's. first attempt at powered flight.
The plane was in the air for 3 seconds and suffered minor damage upon landing.
No matter that the accuracy or durability of this gun, I'd bet those folks are not thinking that the results were good enough and are calling it a wrap.
Rather, I'd bet they are doing all they can to make the next one as much of an improvement as possible....just like the Wright Brothers.
Hey, I hear they were great bicycle mechanics also...... ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Solid Concepts is a privately owned company, but I'd sure like to be able to scrape up a few bucks and buy a share should they go public.
I have no idea of the cost effectiveness of the process, but that will improve..no matter what it is.
And for a manufacturer, having the only inventory you need to keep in supply from outside be crates of springs and drums of powdered metal has to be an advantage....and a process to make the springs might eventually be developed
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Hey, I hear they were great bicycle mechanics also...... ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Yeah =)) and they might have run into marketing problems too....
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Bob Newhart is a riot .
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COst i am sure was deep into the 5 digets.( 6 would not shock me) Knowing lots of people in rapid protyping none of it is cheap, let alone something more exotic. then there is all the modeling before it gets made and the checking of the code... that alone is 100s of man hours. the there is material. i have no idea what the metal they used cost, but i know the plastics and resins can get into the $500 per oz, yes per oz
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Here's the link for the company website.
http://www.solidconcepts.com/
Something for TAB to consider.
This will serve as one heck of a PR stunt.
Had you ever heard of them before ?
I hadn't.
Also, the programing work was probably done as a spare time project by salaried workers so that part would have been basically free.
So the actual cost was probably just materials and running the machine.
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COst i am sure was deep into the 5 digets.( 6 would not shock me) Knowing lots of people in rapid protyping none of it is cheap, let alone something more exotic. then there is all the modeling before it gets made and the checking of the code... that alone is 100s of man hours. the there is material. i have no idea what the metal they used cost, but i know the plastics and resins can get into the $500 per oz, yes per oz
For God's sake TAB, everything has to start somewhere. Look at computers, tvs and most modern things. They were expensive as hell in the beginning but according to your thinking because the price wasn't immediately gratifying to you then all the projects should have been scrapped. What will you be saying in 20 years when you have a 3D printer sitting on your job site spitting out parts you need for that job?
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What i am saying, is this was only done becuase they could. Is it cool, yeah, useful, not really. Is it every going to be viable, no. physics comes into play.
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TAB,
Your an idiot!
That said, they picked a firearm that is well known and easy to make. If you read, they said the printer can crank out a gun within five days (if a qualifying customer needs a gun in five days). The gun has shot over 50 rounds of factory ammo.
This was a test of the sintered metal printing with a lasar, they made all of the metal parts with the printer, the gun is tight, it handles factory ammunition, and it WORKS. They proved it can be done!
What else do you want?
If you have watched the growth and of these machines over the years you would know that they can produce very intricate items with several moving parts in an assembled configuration. The first one I saw at our State Fair several years ago was cranking out a cage with I believe it was seven gears on shafts. As you spun the cage six gears on shafts worked around a central sun gear. Very similar, but more complex, than the spider gears in a differential. This item was printed compete. When the printer was done they pulled the cage out of the powder, blew it off with compressed air, and it spun freely with out slop and backlash. They had several printers running on different things, and the were each making several items per day.
This shows great promise for the years to come in not only prototyping, but for production as well.
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3d printing is rapid prototyping.( it just sounds cooler) it will never be anything other then that or very low scale production. 5 days is not 5 working days but rather 5 24 hour periods. its nothing more the a cool fad. I have worked with many rapid prototypers over the years. Ask any one in the industry what they think about the gun. you will get " cool, what a waste of money." i know several and every single one has said that. you have to understand, all it is adding layers, for structural strength, thats not a good thing. At some point, you just can't get any smaller of a layer. even if the layer is .0005" its still got a long way to get to that magic "star trek" level of being able to lay atom by atom. ask tom just how small .0005" actually is. ask him how hard it is even to measure down that far, let alone shape something to that level.
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But yet, the gun works, and works well.
What do you think blacksmiths, and operators of forging machines said about investment casting once upon a time?
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What i am saying, is this was only done becuase they could. Is it cool, yeah, useful, not really. Is it every going to be viable, no. physics comes into play.
This is why men do a lot of the things we do. We do it because we can and if it makes money that's even better. Why did we go to space the first time.... because we can. Why did Columbus cross the ocean because he could. Why did cave men learn to make fire because they can and for the women. Sometimes men do stuff just because we can and no one else can.
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THats all fine and dandy, but taking something that can already make complex parts and making another complex part and expecting me jump for joy is not going to happen. now if it was something like going from manuel machines to cnc i would be excited. this is like taking a cnc machine building gadgets and building wedges on it.
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Did your left coast public education fill you in on the Liberator young man? Think of the possibilities when a person can quickly turn out a weapon in a time of need.
In this day and age not many are capable of pounding their garden tools into instruments of war. However, our keyboard accomplished youth could some day be our armorers, and provide us with the tools we need to liberate weapons from an enemy.
Food for thought ::)
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For God's sake TAB, everything has to start somewhere. Look at computers, tvs and most modern things. They were expensive as hell in the beginning but according to your thinking because the price wasn't immediately gratifying to you then all the projects should have been scrapped. What will you be saying in 20 years when you have a 3D printer sitting on your job site spitting out parts you need for that job?
+1
I remember the first calculator my dad bought in the 70's..... A Rockwell....ran on a 9-volt battery.....was about 3" wide by 6" long by 3/4" thick...... It performed five functions: +, -, /, x, %......and cost nearly $50..... (a lot of money then).
(http://www.vintagecalculators.com/assets/images/Rockwell8R_1.jpg)
Now, $20 calculators (sold in the check-out line at wal-mart) have more power than the computers that put men on the moon.
But some folks want the world to remain flat...... I mean, we already have machines to make guns, why build new ones, right? ::) ::)
It may take a while, but this technology will be the norm someday....may be ten years, may be fifty. It works now, but may not be cost effective yet.....after further research in production, metallurgy and possibly heat-treating to 'set' the properties of the metal, it will get cheaper to do.
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m58. Thats just it, this will never be faster, cheaper, easier or even something that can really be done at home. you can make a gun out of pvc pipe that will work for 1 shot. And litterly all you need is the pipe, glue a means to cut it( dental floss even works) and a way to make a small hole. hell i can make a decent single shot shot gun with some black iron pipe, end cap, drill, duct tap and a staple gun. Shooting real ammo.
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TAB,
You are not paying attention! The technology is there to build the gun at home! This test proves it! There are many of these polymer printers in cottage businesses already, and the sintered metal printer is just another level of the polymer.
I don't know what you are smoking these days, but please quit!
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m58. Thats just it, this will never be faster, cheaper, easier or even something that can really be done at home.
How the hell do you know this? Once again, I'm sure a lot of people said the same thing about computers.
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m 58 there is a huge diffrence between a home/hobby 3d printer that can handle some lower melting point plastic and one that can handle sintermetal. google it. also have you ever been around any 3d printing? at best it stinks, for some of the resins its deadly.
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TAB,
Was your daddy the IBM exec that said "No one will ever need a personal computer in the home!"?
;D
I've seen these small printers in action in the last few years. Fast prototyping plastic types were about 5-10 grand a few years ago, now there 1/5 that cost in some cases. Something that runs 100K today will be affordable in the next decade for serious designers to do things at home. Unless, they're outlawed by some pol with an agenda...
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m 58 there is a huge diffrence between a home/hobby 3d printer that can handle some lower melting point plastic and one that can handle sintermetal. google it. also have you ever been around any 3d printing? at best it stinks, for some of the resins its deadly.
TAB has all the qualifications of a career politician!
Show me a point that he makes above that has not been addressed already. Including his asking me if I have ever been around it.
As I started reading this I remembered that I must not debate with TAB. TT, where are you? I need to to venture north, I'll even meet you at the Blue Star for a heart attack on a plate. I'll buy if you promise to hit me upside the head with that 2x4 you use to remind me not to debate with TAB.
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M58 what you are not getting is the plastic models you see for home use are nothing like what was used here. They take plastic, melt it and deposit. the systems used here have a bed of media( plastic, metal, resin even plaster ) a substance/ light( laser light inculded) is used to harden the surface, a tray the part sits on is lowered and the media is refreshed And repeat. its not just let it run then build a gun either. There has to be a suport structure added to the .stl which has to be removed later. My friends in the indsutry use thier edm machines to do it as the parts don't machine well. Think of it as sand stone, you can split the layers pretty easy if you are not careful. it also has some strange surface property( simlar to how mim parts) which is also why they tend to use edm vs conventional machining. then there are the power requirements, which by the NEC no home in the us can have.
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M58 what you are not getting is the plastic models you see for home use are nothing like what was used here. They take plastic, melt it and deposit. the systems used here have a bed of media( plastic, metal, resin even plaster ) a substance/ light( laser light inculded) is used to harden the surface, a tray the part sits on is lowered and the media is refreshed And repeat. its not just let it run then build a gun either. There has to be a suport structure added to the .stl which has to be removed later. My friends in the indsutry use thier edm machines to do it as the parts don't machine well. Think of it as sand stone, you can split the layers pretty easy if you are not careful. it also has some strange surface property( simlar to how mim parts) which is also why they tend to use edm vs conventional machining. then there are the power requirements, which by the NEC no home in the us can have.
What is amazing to me in all of this is that there is no way in the Universe to every, for eternity, improve on this process.
Who would have believed it.
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What is amazing to me in all of this is that there is no way in the Universe to every, for eternity, improve on this process.
Who would have believed it.
Just like the horse and buggy, that's as good as it gets. No need to improve on transportation after that.
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Just like the horse and buggy, that's as good as it gets. No need to improve on transportation after that.
I agree. This whole car and computer thing is just a passing fad...it'll never sell.
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If a railroad train exceeds 60 mph all the oxygen would be sucked out and the passengers will all die.
Scientists in the 1840's swore to it.
They even had the math to prove it.
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A lot of DC Beltway workers take trains....there may be something to this. ;)
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I see AG Holder is wanting to put laws in place regarding 3D printers. That SOB should shrivel up and blow away. He has no room to talk after Fast & Furious and the Grenade running along with every other law breaking thing he has done & plans to do. Pathetic.
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um, any one that ows a 3 access mill could turn out anything you want. Cheaper and faster then a printer. They are cheaper, easier to get, easier to use, less targetable( buy metal is alot more common, then printing supplys) and oh yeah i almost be better quality.
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And there is no reason to put bearings in wagon wheels, because we have plenty of time to pack hubs with grease around the campfire at night. Besides, if the axle does break we can just pull off the side of the trail and cut down one of the millions of oaks to whittle a new one.
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http://news.yahoo.com/3d-printing-change-world-100501549.html
Paris (AFP) - From replacement kidneys to guns, cars, prosthetics and works of art, 3D printing is predicted to transform our lives in the coming decades as dramatically as the Internet did before it.
"I have no doubt it is going to change the world," researcher James Craddock told AFP at the two-day 3D Printshow in Paris which wraps up later on Saturday.
A member of the 3D Printing Research Group (3DPRG) at the UK's Nottingham University, Craddock nevertheless predicted that use of 3D printing would be limited.
"You wouldn't want to make a cup from a 3D printer because it would probably fall apart, leak or poison you, but you would use it for high-value, beautiful items or replacement parts," he said.
"The real revolutionary factor is industrial use," he added.
Here is a selection of the potential future uses of 3D printing:
- Arms
View gallery."
Designer Susana Soares looks at a 3D printer during …
Designer Susana Soares looks at a 3D printer during a photocall for Insects au Gratin exhibition at …
This is one of the more eye-catching prospects and has attracted a lot of publicity.
Californian engineering company Solid Concepts said earlier this month it had produced a metal replica of a classic 1911 shotgun.
US entrepreneur and inventor Brook Drumm, however, warned that the process of printing a gun would be slow, expensive and potentially dangerous, requiring lasers at high temperatures, lots of power and hazardous materials.
Drumm set up his firm Printrbot to produce printers costing from $400 that print plastic items.
Metal printers can cost around $250,000 (185,000 euros) and "the particulates are so fine that your skin could absorb them through the pores. The materials are not safe", he said.
The gun itself -- unless made out of metal -- would also be unreliable.
View gallery."
Objects printed in 3D are displayed in the "3D Print …
Objects printed in 3D are displayed in the "3D Print Show" exhibition in Paris on November 15, 2013 …
"There's a lot of moving parts in a gun and they need to be precise," he said, adding that he tried to print a plastic gun but gave up because it took so long.
"Time-wise, if I was going to print a plastic gun and you were going to go and buy a metal one, even if it took you two weeks to get approval I probably still wouldn't have it working first," he said.
- Art
Fancy a replica of a Viking helmet or one of the Louvre's most famous sculptures on the mantelpiece?
American Cosmo Wenman has used thousands of photographs taken in some of the world's biggest museums to produce exact plastic copies.
Works he has produced include the ancient Greek statue Venus de Milo which is in the Louvre.
View gallery."
An "Urbee", an ecologic vehicle, is displayed during …
An "Urbee", an ecologic vehicle, is displayed during the "3D Print Show" exhibition in Paris on Nove …
"If you look at the small print at museums in terms of taking photographs, they say that you cannot put them to commercial use," he said.
"But from a practical point of view that is not enforceable and for antiquities there is no intellectual property issue," he said.
- Cars
Canadian Jim Kor's 3D Urbee car is made out of plastic and stainless steel.
The futuristic-looking three-wheeler is electric but uses petrol at higher speeds.
Production designer Kor says if a car company mass produced the vehicle it would be possible to keep the price down to around $16,000 (12,000 euros).
View gallery."
A model shows an outfit designed by Catherine Andreozzi …
A model shows an outfit designed by Catherine Andreozzi during the "3D Print Show" exhibition in Par …
"We want it to be the Volkswagen Beetle for the next century, low cost and long-lasting too," he said.
"It should last 30-plus years. Our goal is that it should be 100 percent recyclable."
- Jewellery
Jewellery can made to ensure that each piece is slightly different, known as "mass customisation".
3D printing can also make the production process far less expensive and time consuming.
Dutch jewellery designer Yvonne van Zummeren produces a range of jewellery made out of lightweight nylon polyamide.
"All my designs are based on works of art," she said holding a bracelet that uses a Matisse motif.
"It enables me to be a jewellery designer much more easily. Otherwise I would have needed a factory in China and a minimum order of 20,000," she added.
"When you are producing something for the first time it means you can adapt and try again very easily until you get the result you want."
- Prosthetics
Prosthetics can be custom made to provide the perfect match.
Electronics could be built in allowing the recipient accurate control of the limb.
"It would all be printed out at the same time," said 3DPRG's Craddock.
- Replacement parts
One-off parts are needed by everyone from NASA to the person who loses an unusual jacket button.
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Another heretic!
Repent now, or we shall purify you by fire!
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One point before I post the rest here.
I don't see a 3D printed firearm as a practical item in the near future. Few, if any, new technologies are ready for mass market production out of the gate...and they all had their skeptics.
It is the future of the technology that I find fascinating.
Why waste our time considering such poor offerings like these?
But then, maybe we don't see the future as clearly as others?
Laser:
When the first working laser was reported in 1960, it was described as "a solution looking for a problem." But before long the laser's distinctive qualities—its ability to generate an intense, very narrow beam of light of a single wavelength—were being harnessed for science, technology and medicine. Today, lasers are everywhere: from research laboratories at the cutting edge of quantum physics to medical clinics, supermarket checkouts and the telephone network.
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/284158_townes.html
Mobile Phone
The Second World War made military use of radio telephony links. Hand-held radio transceivers have been available since the 1940s. Mobile telephones for automobiles became available from some telephone companies in the 1940s. Early devices were bulky and consumed high power and the network supported only a few simultaneous conversations. Modern cellular networks allow automatic and pervasive use of mobile phones for voice and data communications.
Motorola was the first company to produce a handheld mobile phone. On 3 April 1973 Martin Cooper, a Motorola engineer and executive, made the first mobile telephone call from handheld subscriber equipment in front of reporters, placing a call to Dr. Joel S. Engel of Bell Labs.[5][6] The prototype handheld phone used by Dr. Martin Cooper weighed 1.1 kg and measured 23 cm long, 13 cm deep and 4.45 cm wide. The prototype offered a talk time of just 30 minutes and took 10 hours to re-charge.[7] Cooper has stated his vision for the handheld device was inspired by Captain James T. Kirk using his Communicator on the television show Star Trek.[8]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_mobile_phones
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One point before I post the rest here.
I don't see a 3D printed firearm as a practical item in the near future. Few, if any, new technologies are ready for mass market production out of the gate...and they all had their skeptics.
It is the future of the that I find fascinating.
Why waste our time considering such poor offerings like these?
But then, maybe we don't see the future as clearly as others?
Laser:
When the first working laser was reported in 1960, it was described as "a solution looking for a problem." But before long the laser's distinctive qualities—its ability to generate an intense, very narrow beam of light of a single wavelength—were being harnessed for science, technology and medicine. Today, lasers are everywhere: from research laboratories at the cutting edge of quantum physics to medical clinics, supermarket checkouts and the telephone network.
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/284158_townes.html
Mobile Phone
The Second World War made military use of radio telephony links. Hand-held radio transceivers have been available since the 1940s. Mobile telephones for automobiles became available from some telephone companies in the 1940s. Early devices were bulky and consumed high power and the network supported only a few simultaneous conversations. Modern cellular networks allow automatic and pervasive use of mobile phones for voice and data communications.
Motorola was the first company to produce a handheld mobile phone. On 3 April 1973 Martin Cooper, a Motorola engineer and executive, made the first mobile telephone call from handheld subscriber equipment in front of reporters, placing a call to Dr. Joel S. Engel of Bell Labs.[5][6] The prototype handheld phone used by Dr. Martin Cooper weighed 1.1 kg and measured 23 cm long, 13 cm deep and 4.45 cm wide. The prototype offered a talk time of just 30 minutes and took 10 hours to re-charge.[7] Cooper has stated his vision for the handheld device was inspired by Captain James T. Kirk using his Communicator on the television show Star Trek.[8]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_mobile_phones
Egads, man!!......... Next thing you know we'll be writing on paper.