Is it possible to almost entirely 3D print a functioning firearm? It may be. But only if your name is Beretta and you have been pioneering manufacturing processes in the firearms industry for five centuries. Beretta, the oldest industrial dynasty in the world, recorded its first transaction on October 3, 1526, when master gun-barrel maker Bartolomeo Beretta sold 185 arquebus barrels to the Republic of Venice for 296 ducats.
Fast forward to the 21st century. Beretta Holding has a global presence, spanning 14 different brands and generating yearly revenues of nearly $1 billion, with the US as its largest market. The Beretta factory near Brescia, Italy, produces some of the most precise and trusted firearms for law enforcement, military, and security around the world. Precision is key: Beretta has been forging hunters for 500 years and is a leader in shooting sports. At the last two editions of the Olympic Games, Beretta’s athletes took 10 out of 15 medals in 2016 (as many as the 20th placed nation) and 9 out of 10 in 2020.
Over the past century, starting with Pietro Beretta in 1903, Beretta’s Presidents have invested in modernizing, digitizing and automating their production processes. The latest initiative, under the current President and CEO of Beretta and VP of Beretta Holdings, Franco Gussalli Beretta, is the additive manufacturing laboratory, featuring both metal and polymer additive manufacturing capabilities. We had the unique opportunity to visit this laboratory and learn from Marco Bassoli, Firearm Research & Product Development Director, and Gianmarco Chiari, Process Engineer, how 3D printing is used to make models and functional prototypes, with the sight set on serial production of final parts.
“We got our first SLA 3D printer from 3D Systems in 2004,” Bassoli says, “and we used it to start making non-functional models. It was helpful but we what we really needed was the ability to make prototypes that we could test so we used 3D printing to produce silicone molds, to then make the functional prototypes in polyurethane.”
https://www.3dprintingmedia.network/the-real-3d-printed-guns/
Analysis
This article caught my attention because of the interesting use of 3D printing. It is amazing to me how 3D printing can aid in such an intricately designed object like a gun. In further research, I found this video that discusses ghost guns (guns without serial numbers) and the community that surrounds them.
It is interesting to consider how an object that some see in a negative light, can serve as a positive light for others when so much research, design, and time is spent on them.
Take-Aways
Keep an open mind about the possibilities of additive manufacturing
Additional materials can be added to a 3D Print to increase to functionality
