NY bill would require a criminal history check for the purchase of a 3D printer

Re:NY bill would require a criminal history check for the pu... by giantg2 on Monday October 16, 2023 @08:41AM (#37899039)

I also think the law is bad.

I do want to point out that if you want to make durable parts with a 3D printer, the easiest thing to do would be to create the part with the printer, then use it to form a mold for casting the part out of metal. Then case harden. That's the cheap and fairly easy way. I just want to point that out because I think that use case of 3D printers gets overlooked. Or you buy a fairly expensive lathe/mill.

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Re:NY bill would require a criminal history check for the pu... by swell36 on Monday October 16, 2023 @08:48AM (#37899113)

My first thought was, will this apply to basically all machinery? Because for about $2000 I can buy a mill kit that I can manufactur a complete firearm on.

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Re:NY bill would require a criminal history check for the pu... by eindiran on Monday October 16, 2023 @01:35PM (#37903332)

> the easiest thing to do would be to create the part with the printer, then use it to form a mold for casting the part out of metal

This is definitely not true for parts that need to be closely toleranced. Lost-PLA casting, DIY mold-making, etc are manufacturing processes not world-renowned for their ability to keep things precise.

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Re:NY bill would require a criminal history check for the pu... by giantg2 on Monday October 16, 2023 @01:45PM (#37903471)

Yeah, most parts in simple designs do not need to be super precise. Some hand fitting might be necessary.

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Re:NY bill would require a criminal history check for the pu... by eindiran on Monday October 16, 2023 @01:51PM (#37903544)

This is in the context of firearms, which are presumably modern repeating firearms, where they will cease to function if the tolerances are wrong.

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Re:NY bill would require a criminal history check for the pu... by OkayPhysicist on Monday October 16, 2023 @02:27PM (#37904020)

You can get remarkably far with pretty crude tolerances, especially with lower pressure, pistol rounds. For example a direct-blowback, open-bolt submachine guns akin to what was used in WW2 can be pretty easily designed and built by anybody with a passable understanding of mechanics.

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Re:NY bill would require a criminal history check for the pu... by eindiran on Monday October 16, 2023 @03:03PM (#37904567)

Again, we're talking about casting. Take a look at an Owen or a Sten and get back to me on what parts you think can be plausibly lost-PLA casted.

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