What is a 3D printer, how does 3D printing work and can you really print guns?
The printing process works by dripping tiny beads of hot plastic on top of one another, following a pattern laid out by the blueprint diagram
THREE dimensional printing allows people to create a huge range of solid objects with a special printer.
But what is a 3D printer, how does it work, and can you print guns?
How does a 3D printer work?
3D printing involves using a digital file to layering plastic into three dimensional solid objects.
To create something, you have to download the file and have advanced computer software for a special printer to interpret it.
The model then needs to be "sliced" into thousands of horizontal "layers" with different software.
The printer then builds the object layer-by-layer.
What is a 3D printer?
A 3D printer is one that can create three-dimensional objects.
The printing process works by dripping tiny beads of hot plastic on top of one another, following a pattern laid out by the blueprint diagram.
3D printers can be bought for use at home, or you can go to a 3D printing service.
3D printers are used commercially in sectors from aerospace to furniture design.
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Can you 3D print a gun?
Alarmingly, all it takes to print a gun is an instruction manual download, a 3D printer and a couple of hours.
The guns are made entirely of plastic apart from a metal firing pin and an additional sheet of metal.
If you have a 3D printer - priced between £1,000-£3,000 - and access to the web, you'll be able to download the file, press start and let the gun build itself.
The US government has blocked downloads of some of the gun files - but they had already been downloaded over 100,000 times and picked up by a slew of pirate websites.
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