When guns can be downloaded and manufactured reliably, that's when gun control goes out the window - 3d print an ar-15 assault rifle

One of the major possibilities in the future of gun control — and manufacturing in general — is the potential of 3D printers to build items from scratch. 

That has led to at least one person designing and printing parts for an AR-15 rifle. He may be the first to test his work. 

This morning Wired's Danger Room had a post about engineer Michael Guslick's effort to print an AR-15 from scratch. Using the schematics for the firearm, Guslick was able to digitally represent parts of the rifle and print them. 

That data file is sent to the printer, which interprets it and "prints" a 3-D real world model of the file. The process is legitimately used in design when developing prototypes and models of engineering designs. 

The gun is made of polymer plastic, but the technology behind 3D printing is progressing at a rate that could make inexpensive metal "ink" a possibility soon. Some companies already have prototype metal 3D printers.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/it-is-now-possible-to-download-and-3d-print-a-working-ar-15-assault-rifle-2012-8#ixzz23B0yVepS