What are your thoughts on 3d printed accessories?

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OC_

OC_

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Sep 19, 2021
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I was wondering what the general opinion was on 3d printed parts. The first 3d printed part I got was a chassis for the original AV Avenger, it is the Bonicci Goods design and is a hybrid unit. It has a 3d printed frame and carbon fiber panels on the side. Its been a pretty solid piece and my only complaints with it are with its overall functionality and nothing with its construction.
 
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I think it depends on the part and the application. I have some 3d parts that work very well because they don't have to support a load or don't have undo pressure or stress on them. I have had others that failed rather quickly because the application put an undo amount of stress on the part. It's great for some things, but not all.
 
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It very very much depends on the quality of the printing, the printing material, and the quality and strength requirements of the accessory.

I haven't bought a 3D printer for myself alhough I'm capable of 3D modeling about anything. It's the reality of what a home 3D printer can make that's stopped me. I'd usually rather pay a bit more for a machined metal part.

But I do have 3D accessories of various kinds. It just depends how well 3D printing as a process meets the demands of the application.
 
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If done with the "finish" in mind, that is, a finer print, to lessen the "thread look", then yes. Also, a proper material for the finished product. Again...that is, use a strong enough material to help make the finished product is as strong / tough as it needs to be, so it has a decent life span.

I bought a couple of printed magazines a while back. For one of the guns, the finished product had a fairly heavy "thread" effect as the finished surface. Unfortunately, this gun has the breech seal o-ring on the pin, pellet probe/pusher etc. With the rough interior surface, I didn't want to put that o-ring through a rough surface every time that I cocked the gun, so there it sits...on the shelf.

I know that it's an easy thing to make printed parts to have a nice smooth surface that has VERY little "thread" effect surface. I have two sight mounts, made by two different people, that have a very nice / smooth finished surface, so yeah, I know that it can be done. Just takes the knowhow.

I know the expense is much higher, but it would be nice to see some parts made of printed metals. Aluminum, Titanium, nickel based steels, etc.

Mike
 
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dgeesaman said:
It very very much depends on the quality of the printing, the printing material, and the quality and strength requirements of the accessory.

I haven't bought a 3D printer for myself alhough I'm capable of 3D modeling about anything. It's the reality of what a home 3D printer can make that's stopped me. I'd usually rather pay a bit more for a machined metal part.

But I do have 3D accessories of various kinds. It just depends how well 3D printing as a process meets the demands of the application.
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This is exactly right. There is so much more to 3d printing than just saying its 3d printed. That chassis i got and the stuff one of my friends was making got me into it and I got my own printer. I've been printing for 2 years now and have learned so much. Just because its 3d printed doesn't mean its a quality 3d print.

Just a note, there is definitely a crossover point with the economies of scale on the cost of a 3d print. 3d printing is a slow process and the materials cost more than a mold injected part of the same plastic. But the amazing thing about 3d printing is that it makes small runs of things affordable where its just too expensive to make only a handful of parts that a mold injected.
 
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Peashooter said:
I am OK with magazines, but otherwise i am not big on 3D print anything, well at least not when it is printed fast.
But give a printer time enough, and the power it cost to feed it, and they can do alright things for sure.
The problem is you will be hard pressed to find a country where a KWh are more expensive than in Denmark. :mad:
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Your electricity is expensive there, but at least your outlets look happy. I smile every time I see a picture of one.

3D printing is great for some parts like magazines and on cheaper guns. I don't want to buy a $50 scope mount for a $100 airgun. For what I'll do with it, a 3D printed rail is fine.
 
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I have 3 3D printers and print all kinds of stuff with them, but I'm probably pretty conservative relative to some of the stuff I see others printing. I'm constantly being reminded that good prints can be very strong (missing from the above consideration is infill percentage, which is probably an even bigger consideration). There are 3D printed firearms (I'm not talking about zip guns, I'm talking about functional, durable semi-autos) for Pete's sake!

In general I'd use printed parts just about anywhere plastic is used, assuming proper attention to material, infill, and print quality.

GsT
 
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well well well i just looked, seem like power have become cheap here and we are down to 3 spot on the list ( Germany and Bermuda over us )
By listings it would seem a kwn here cost 34 cents, but of course these fluctuate, if you have market rate pricing, some days here, you are almost paid to use power.
That is when there is a large area of wind over this part of the world, and all wind turbines are spinning, and we have nowhere to sell the surplus to
Will be funny to see when our alternative energy production got to wayyyyyyy over how much this entire little country use.
CUZ so far we can only really sell to Norway and the UK, Germany have miserable power infrastructure and so are not really able to buy into our green adventure.
 
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I build and race RC cars and 3D printed parts are a new thing relatively speaking. I have seen the concept from the beginning and have some thoughts. When it all began it was exciting but expensive. And the understanding between reality and the computer was not yet complete. The people that built the parts did not seem to fully understand the strength and weaknesses of the parts. I called it the pot metal of the 21st century. Threads pulled out and laminated parts separated. Now twenty years in the changes are huge. Resin printing and a better understanding of the proper uses for the parts combined with lower cost and better machines and materials make it all very very exciting.

As an example for an air gun. I would not want to print a barrel. I would 3D print a stock that holds a Walther Lothar barrel. Just as another example. Making jigs and fixtures to then make repeatable metal parts is another exciting thing.
 
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I am fine with 3D printed accessories that are simple, basic parts. I do not trust parts that have intricate, delicate details because they don't work for hard use and I've found they break off at stress points. I have my own printer and I like the ability to prototype and do proof of concept testing. And the ability to make iterative tweaks is nice.
 
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I have been printing for about 4 years and have used about 15-20 spools of PLA filament. My prints are my 3D designs for new sights. The times to print run from 2 -30 hours and then the finishing work of installing the electronics is done to complete. For prototype work, the 3D printer is extremely efficient tool. I can design and draw, using Fusion 360 program, then converting using Cura program and print, using Ender printer. I then assemble, test shoot and repeat all within 3 days of having an idea. No other process is near that level of efficiency. The PLA filament is not premium material, but I end up throwing 3/4 of all my prints away after testing. Since there a few standards for gun, air gun and bow manufacturing, most of the designs are specific to each model. I have printed and thrown away many hundreds of mounts and it would have cost me a fortune if I would have had them all machined. The amount of time to machine my mounts would have limited what I would have gotten accomplished. My prototypes are meant to prove out a concept. They are not ready for the average shooter. They are not meant to hold up to the extreme work-duty that some think is necessary to be a quality product. Shooters of target rifles would not test the reliability of their equipment by beating on it with a half-filled water bottle. There have been a lot of good comments about 3D printing, and I look forward to reading more.
 
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Another huge thing about 3D printing is making molds to use in casting. Making the mold is an art . And the 3D printer at least makes it possible for people that lack talent. I can cast and machine parts. But making a two piece mold that is cut in half and 2% larger to allow for metal shrink is out of my abilities without a printer
 
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MRaccurate said:
I have been printing for about 4 years and have used about 15-20 spools of PLA filament. My prints are my 3D designs for new sights. The times to print run from 2 -30 hours and then the finishing work of installing the electronics is done to complete. For prototype work, the 3D printer is extremely efficient tool. I can design and draw, using Fusion 360 program, then converting using Cura program and print, using Ender printer. I then assemble, test shoot and repeat all within 3 days of having an idea. No other process is near that level of efficiency. The PLA filament is not premium material, but I end up throwing 3/4 of all my prints away after testing. Since there a few standards for gun, air gun and bow manufacturing, most of the designs are specific to each model. I have printed and thrown away many hundreds of mounts and it would have cost me a fortune if I would have had them all machined. The amount of time to machine my mounts would have limited what I would have gotten accomplished. My prototypes are meant to prove out a concept. They are not ready for the average shooter. They are not meant to hold up to the extreme work-duty that some think is necessary to be a quality product. Shooters of target rifles would not test the reliability of their equipment by beating on it with a half-filled water bottle. There have been a lot of good comments about 3D printing, and I look forward to reading more.
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Came here to say this but you hit it on the spot. 3D printing allows some next level prototyping at a very low cost basis with little time commitment required.

-Matt
 
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