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0 pointsKamq3y ago0 comments

> Hi-Point is the same price and works way better

Ok, so the reasoning here is that the price is ~equal, and one is more durable (not necessarily a good thing when you're using something in a crime, but I'm willing to entertain the notion) and effective.

This is, reasonably, fair. But the price of a 3D printer has been trending down for, at least, the past decade (and quality improving).

If the price continues to drop, do you see this being a reasonable thing to continue doing? If so, at what price do you think would be the inflection point?

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3 comments · 1 top-level

kube-system3y ago· 2 in thread

Maybe when SLS printers get down to $200. And/or when the patience required to build one successfully is less than the patience required to steal one.

The advantage of traditional manufacturing techniques is not just durability, it’s that it works at all right out of the box, and criminals care that it’s “real” and intimidating.

KamqOP3y ago

Does the amount of money you can make creating these things play into it at all?

For example, meth is pretty difficult/dangerous to make (relative to things the average person makes), but making it for a profit has caused the knowledge to proliferate.

If acceptable printers don't get down to $200, but get down to $400, do you think the ROI gets to the right place? I'm assuming there has to be a market for disposable guns to lower the chances of getting caught (I presume the point would be to melt them down after their use).

kube-system3y ago

Yeah, but meth is illegal. Selling a 3D printed gun in the US is more like trying to sell skunk weed in a place where dispensaries are on every corner.

I think the best evidence that criminals don’t want 3D printed guns is that they already exist, and criminals aren’t using them.

The advantage of 3D printers is ease of retooling compared to traditional methods. This is why they’re good for prototyping, but not good for mass production. Mass production techniques will always produce better quality/cost balance due to the nature of the processes. The advantage of 3D printing provides no utility to a criminal gun dealer.

In places with strict gun control, the guns crimes that happen still rarely use 3D printed guns. Basic metalworking tools are also inexpensive and are a better fit for the purpose.

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