this post was submitted on 30 Oct 2023
395 points (98.3% liked)

Technology

60123 readers
3423 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related content.
  3. Be excellent to each another!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] CADmonkey 76 points 1 year ago (5 children)

People whining about 3D printed guns always forget about the much more terrifiying things that can be made with a 3D printer - like a kamikazie drone.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago

we used to make our fpv drones out of poplar wood from the hardware store, usually we only used 3d printed stuff for like mounting the camera if we wanted to get fancy

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 year ago

To be fair, you do have to get the explosives some other way. (Not that it's hard to get explosives).

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Can you also print the payload?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

No, nor can you print the battery, motors, flight computer, trans receiver or basically anything other than the frame.

I love my 3d printer, but honestly when people talk about 3d printed weapons I always cringe, 3d printers can't make weapons (well, I guess you could make a plastic rondel dagger or something, doubt it'd work well though), they make plastic. When people talk about 3d printed guns, I don't think that most people realize that the only 3d printed parts are usually the exterior frame of the gun, the parts that make it an actual gun are still made from metal and purchased.

Edit: and before anyone says it, yes you can 3d print metal, but not with anything you're going to find in someone's house - for the cost of an SLS metal printer, you could buy all the usual metal working equipment to just make a gun the old fashioned way

[–] Aqarius 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I mean, the payload can just be a spike.

[–] stewsters 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The Australians have a cardboard kamikaze drone. The hard part would be sourcing enough electronics in a warzone.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You mean interconnected drone swarms.

[–] lemmegogo 3 points 1 year ago

autonomous interconnected drone swarms