You can’t build this in your backyard
But to be clear, and likely to the relief of law enforcement, this isn’t something you can run out and do yourself. “There are barriers to entry that will keep the public away from this technology for years,” said Scott McGowan, the company’s VP of marketing, In a statement to The Verge. Those include a prohibitively high cost for the equipment involved and the expertise required to actually pull off the printing.
“We’re proving this is possible, the technology is at a place now where we can manufacture a gun with 3D metal printing,” says Kent Firestone, Sound Concepts’ VP of additive manufacturing. And to quell any concerns that it’s a haphazard or reckless project, Firestone claims that his company is currently “the only 3D printing service provider with a federal firearms license.”