12-08-2018, 03:03 AM
I'll have to respectfully disagree on your last point. No, of course you can't print just anything and it be better than modern manufacture. But as long as you're working within the constraints of the material, the only limit is your imagination.
This handguard is working outside the parameters for the material so it's not a great example. However, one of my carry guns is currently sporting 3D printed sights and magazine floor plates. I have tried within reason to get them to break and have failed. I can rack the sights off my belt and drop release the mag onto cement and it functions as well as the factory parts. And this is for a gun that pretty much has no aftermarket, so if I weren't designing my own I would just be stuck with the OEM setup.
This handguard is working outside the parameters for the material so it's not a great example. However, one of my carry guns is currently sporting 3D printed sights and magazine floor plates. I have tried within reason to get them to break and have failed. I can rack the sights off my belt and drop release the mag onto cement and it functions as well as the factory parts. And this is for a gun that pretty much has no aftermarket, so if I weren't designing my own I would just be stuck with the OEM setup.