The folks at Solid Concepts have successfully produced a 1911 .45 caliber handgun in all steel and all 3D printed.

It was only a year ago that Texas based company Defense Distributed made headlines about 3D printed weapons parts. They encountered a problem producing composite pieces that could stand the heat and pressure without failing.

From the Solid Concepts press release:
It is composed of 33 17-4 Stainless Steel and Inconel 625 components, and decked with a Selective Laser Sintered (SLS) carbon-fiber filled nylon hand grip. The successful production and functionality of the 1911 3D Printed metal gun proves the viability of 3D Printing for commercial applications.
The fabrication of stainless steel pieces is a revolution of sorts, and planners in the military are probably watching closely for what happens next.



From the press release:
Laser sintering is one of the most accurate manufacturing processes available, and more than accurate enough to build the 3D Metal Printed interchangeable and interfacing parts within our 1911 series gun. The gun proves laser sintering can meet tight tolerances.

3D Metal Printing has less porosity issues than an investment cast part and better complexities than a machined part. The barrel sees chamber pressure above 20,000 psi every time the gun is fired.
“We’re proving this is possible, the technology is at a place now where we can manufacture a gun with 3D Printing,” says Solid Concepts’ Vice President of Additive Manufacturing Kent Firestone in the release. “As far as we know, we’re the only 3D Printing Service Provider with a Federal Firearms License (FFL). Now, if a qualifying customer needs a unique gun part in five days, we can deliver.”

Check out the video below: