Realistic feasibility of a largely 3d printed Paintball Marker

[Pyrate Jim]

New Splatmaster, anyone?

[cellophane]

Hypothetically - how would some of the 3D Metal Printing options work from a durability / safety standpoint? I know it is still not really viable for large scale work and costs a mint, but it could be cool.

[AtomJaay]

Even I would admit that starting with a JTER2 as a jumping off point is cheating a little bit. I did manage to make that marker more competitive and more fun to use.

[markdem]

3d printing has its disadvantages but its advancing quickly. We are already using a handful of 3d printed parts in paintball.

I think a (mostly) 3d printed marker is a good idea and it can only help the community grow. Do you have a printer? Do you have any designs?

[Jordan]

Somebody was working on a concept like this on the old MCB... was it Fixel?

EDIT: Found it! It was Berm.

https://web.archive.org/web/20170623214107/http://www.mcarterbrown.com/forums/custom-projects-custom-questions/264610-ossum-lizard-3d-printed-open-bolt-pump.html

[SignOfZeta]

Hypothetically - how would some of the 3D Metal Printing options work from a durability / safety standpoint? I know it is still not really viable for large scale work and costs a mint, but it could be cool.

See this is…this mentality I don’t get. You hear there is new way to make something that is impractical and expensive and that somehow makes it attractive? It’s a $250,000 minimum investment PLUS environmental mitigation systems. The max part size is tiny and yields are terrible. Why aren’t you instantly turned off by that idea? Why aren’t you going “f that”?

I first saw 3D printing of metal in Formula 1 where they spend $150M to field two cars for a year. So think of a single F1 car as being basically $75M to field. And even now, 12+ years after they got access to metal SLS…they still cast and machine nearly all the metal parts on the car.

What is it you’re going to make with this million dollar technology that barely works? Something cooler than what lathes and mills can do? What would that be exactly? Or is just “anything” good enough as long as as it came out of a 3D printer and furthers this cause people want to promote so badly?

The way you design something that ultimately turns out to be worth designing in the first place is to start with real engineering requirements. Trying to figure out what the best gun is you can 3D print is like trying to figure out what the best gun is you can have made in North Korea. Yeah, it’s a challenge for sure…but since it’s guaranteed to be trash I just don’t see WHY you’d do it.

[Vegabond]

See this is…this mentality I don’t get. You hear there is new way to make something that is impractical and expensive and that somehow makes it attractive? It’s a $250,000 minimum investment PLUS environmental mitigation systems. The max part size is tiny and yields are terrible. Why aren’t you instantly turned off by that idea? Why aren’t you going “f that”?

I first saw 3D printing of metal in Formula 1 where they spend $150M to field two cars for a year. So think of a single F1 car as being basically $75M to field. And even now, 12+ years after they got access to metal SLS…they still cast and machine nearly all the metal parts on the car.

What is it you’re going to make with this million dollar technology that barely works? Something cooler than what lathes and mills can do? What would that be exactly? Or is just “anything” good enough as long as as it came out of a 3D printer and furthers this cause people want to promote so badly?

The way you design something that ultimately turns out to be worth designing in the first place is to start with real engineering requirements. Trying to figure out what the best gun is you can 3D print is like trying to figure out what the best gun is you can have made in North Korea. Yeah, it’s a challenge for sure…but since it’s guaranteed to be trash I just don’t see WHY you’d do it.

I think the draw is that 3d printing, even in metal, is getting more and more user friendly (aka, plug and print). Sure one can use 3d metal printing, but I dont feel that is a cost effective solution (at the moment). And honestly I feel like I may have set the wrong expectation with my initial post. I don't expect us to print parts that need to be metal or hold pressure, etc. But I can see 3d printing as allowing us to create custom markers either from off the shelf parts or from donner markers, or heck revive old markers that can be remixed but recreated with modern and available parts.

[JonM]

I can see 3d printing as allowing us to create custom markers either from off the shelf parts or from donner markers, or heck revive old markers that can be remixed but recreated with modern and available parts.

That's kind of where the 3D printing scene is right now when it comes to paintball markers. Some components do just fine as 3D printed parts such as feed plugs, pump handles, and so on. For markers that are out of production and parts are no longer available and/or hard to come by, then 3D printing fills that void nicely. If you look at threads like the STL Repository pinned to the top of this section, you'll see a lot of that. In fact, that's the main reason why I typically post my designs for free for others to print themselves. I want to keep the Sheridans and Nelspots still out there on the field. With shops like Palmers ceasing production, 3D printing and short runs by smaller machine shops are where parts will need to come from. If someone needs a replacement feed plug and my files can help fill that need, then knowing I helped keep that marker in use is all the reward I need.

[cellophane]

Hypothetically - how would some of the 3D Metal Printing options work from a durability / safety standpoint?

See this is…this mentality I don’t get. You hear there is new way to make something that is impractical and expensive and that somehow makes it attractive? It’s a $250,000 minimum investment PLUS environmental mitigation systems. The max part size is tiny and yields are terrible. Why aren’t you instantly turned off by that idea? Why aren’t you going “f that”?

I first saw 3D printing of metal in Formula 1 where they spend $150M to field two cars for a year. So think of a single F1 car as being basically $75M to field. And even now, 12+ years after they got access to metal SLS…they still cast and machine nearly all the metal parts on the car.

What is it you’re going to make with this million dollar technology that barely works? Something cooler than what lathes and mills can do? What would that be exactly? Or is just “anything” good enough as long as as it came out of a 3D printer and furthers this cause people want to promote so badly?

The way you design something that ultimately turns out to be worth designing in the first place is to start with real engineering requirements. Trying to figure out what the best gun is you can 3D print is like trying to figure out what the best gun is you can have made in North Korea. Yeah, it’s a challenge for sure…but since it’s guaranteed to be trash I just don’t see WHY you’d do it.

That is why I said hypothetically It is the dreamer in me. I know it is nowhere near being able to produce a marker currently, but I'm interested in it as a thought experiment. With the advances in 3D printing and technology in general, 3D metal could be a viable option at some point in the (probably distant) future. I am not a 3D printing fanboy- I have some miniatures that are 3D printed but that's about it. I don't even have a printer. It is cool tech, with a ton of potential 🤷♂️

The thought experiment as I see it goes like this (and has a lot of assumptions, like knowledge of the engineering reqs and metal printing being able to even do this):

Hey- I want to make a custom marker that will be printed.
I design one with all of the appropriate engineering considerations for safety, function, durability, aesthetics, etc.
I have access to the resources to print a one-off.
I print said one-off.
If all that happens, would such a thing be remotely usable? Or would it be a shoe-box sized thing that isn't worth the effort?

That said- I did not know about the F1 cars. That's pretty cool- I'll have to look into that

[cellophane]

Hypothetically - how would some of the 3D Metal Printing options work from a durability / safety standpoint?

See this is…this mentality I don’t get. You hear there is new way to make something that is impractical and expensive and that somehow makes it attractive? It’s a $250,000 minimum investment PLUS environmental mitigation systems. The max part size is tiny and yields are terrible. Why aren’t you instantly turned off by that idea? Why aren’t you going “f that”?

I first saw 3D printing of metal in Formula 1 where they spend $150M to field two cars for a year. So think of a single F1 car as being basically $75M to field. And even now, 12+ years after they got access to metal SLS…they still cast and machine nearly all the metal parts on the car.

What is it you’re going to make with this million dollar technology that barely works? Something cooler than what lathes and mills can do? What would that be exactly? Or is just “anything” good enough as long as as it came out of a 3D printer and furthers this cause people want to promote so badly?

The way you design something that ultimately turns out to be worth designing in the first place is to start with real engineering requirements. Trying to figure out what the best gun is you can 3D print is like trying to figure out what the best gun is you can have made in North Korea. Yeah, it’s a challenge for sure…but since it’s guaranteed to be trash I just don’t see WHY you’d do it.

That is why I said hypothetically It is the dreamer in me. I know it is nowhere near being able to produce a marker currently, but I'm interested in it as a thought experiment. With the advances in 3D printing and technology in general, 3D metal could be a viable option at some point in the (probably distant) future. I am not a 3D printing fanboy- I have some miniatures that are 3D printed but that's about it. I don't even have a printer. It is cool tech, with a ton of potential 🤷♂️

The thought experiment as I see it goes like this (and has a lot of assumptions, like knowledge of the engineering reqs and metal printing being able to even do this):

Hey- I want to make a custom marker that will be printed.
I design one with all of the appropriate engineering considerations for safety, function, durability, aesthetics, etc.
I have access to the resources to print a one-off.
I print said one-off.
If all that happens, would such a thing be remotely usable? Or would it be a shoe-box sized thing that isn't worth the effort?

That said- I did not know about the F1 cars. That's pretty cool- I'll have to look into that

[SignOfZeta]

I have a dream as well. A Sheridan, self cocking, made of wattle and daub. I shall call it The Adobecocker.

Now all I need to do is figure out how to freak bore a barrel made out of straw and human shit…that’s just around the corner though so I’ll keep trying. I need to be POSITIVE.


Around the corner from that…a slab sided cocker body made from urea resin and decorated like a giant mahjong tile would be the business. I want to hear the sonic signature of a ceramic cocker.