3D Printed MonoCore - I (Pics heavy !)

[SPdotCOM]

From the CAD to the Tube all the way down. Caps, Integration and Testings are coming.

Enjoy,

Paul

[colimr]

Is the core material a plastic composite?How will it hold up to the heat normally found in a suppressor ? Does the BATF have any concerns with the printing of a suppressor.Good luck and congratulations

[Meche_03]

The plastic will not last long but will function fine for a 22lr design as long as there is no string firing done. I do not know the OPs location or creditials......in the US that print is a silencer and requires the correct paper work done prior to hitting the "print" button.

I'm sure the BATFE is concerned about 3d printed silencers.....but it's still easier to make them out of metal from parts found in an auto parts store. Criminals will typically violate the law the easiest way possible.

[gunny50]

I do not know the OPs location or creditials......in the US that print is a silencer and requires the correct paper work done prior to hitting the "print" button. .

As far as I know he's in New Zealand.
Or have you moved Paul?

Gunny

[Meche_03]

If true.....print away. Hell, get a good mount and outer tube then print up a bunch of designs for evaluation.

[doubloon]

I like it!

What's the print time in hours?

[Historian]

Interesting thought. Could printing the compliment of the
tube in wax and then using it make a sand mold
and then cast in metal be feasible?

[SPdotCOM]

I'm not in USA so no issues at all with BATF.
The "plastic" shown in the Pics is a mix of Polycarbonate and ABS. It's stronger than ABS, easy to Print but still far from Nylon composites and, of course, very far from Celazole. I've got new Hot Ends and Power supplies so i'll be testing stronger polymers very soon.
This material is not Metal so the expectations should be low. Good enough for .22LR and most subsonic Pistol Calibers. At the end of the day, when you see or feel that the Core is no longer OK, just print a new one. That's the magic. Of course, not for USA BATF ruling. It takes arround 3 hours for a full Core to be ready.
One thing to mention is that using this type of Materials, you skip the Recoil Booster in most hosts since you are dealing with less than 3 ounces total weight (including SS inserts).
Best,
Paul

[doubloon]

... Could printing the compliment of the
tube in wax ...

There are "wax" printers available today. Also there are some people who have successfully cast off of pla/abs drawings.

[Meche_03]

The core could be printed with thin walls and low density fill. Then either dipped in ceramic slurry or Rtv to create a "lost wax" mold. Then when suffecently thick the ABS could be desolved out with acetone. The void could be filled with molten metal.....the only reason to dissolve the abs is to minimize offgassing.

[10mmmag]

Why don´t you print a mono core with integral cones ? You could print designs that are a lot better than that. Also, you could print designs that are impossible to mill.
For 22lr you could print the entire suppressor with a really course thread, and the just make a thread adapter for the gun.

[SPdotCOM]

Hi,

Caps are printed and fit nicely. Rear Cap is threaded to support adapters using a acme-like pitch. One adapter (shown in the Pic) is for a 10/22 without threaded Barrel and another one is printing now for a Pistol (1/2 - 28). I think taping in this tough composite is going to be a mess. Also working on a plugin for the slicer (Cura) to print using different infill/thickness along the Z travel and setting marks in the model to stop and insert metal parts inside the print.

In the meantime, making some money printing Gun related accessories in the other printers

Best,

Paul

[Meche_03]

Most excellent, if only was allowed to attempt such work in the USA. Have you had any problems with the typical 60degree threads? We have had some problems at work with some threads failing due to delamination at the roots. I'd like to try rounded, "knuckle" threads that are a DIN standard. I know they work good on impacting rock drills.

[SPdotCOM]

No, no issue at all with threads. I have had delamination issues in other parts due to high friction (ie. gears and rotational junctions). There is a simple test to figure out whats wrong:
Thin paint crests and roots using a solvent containing Methylene Chloride (don't use acetone). Wet a sponge and then wet the brush in the sponge. Paint and wait for several minutes to fully dry.
If you still have issues, review the whole setup from the beginning, that's, the STL file. If the problem is gone, focus on speed and nozzle temperature (don't trust in your LCD screen or in your printing software, check with a precision thermometer).
In general, i do round crests/roots with a radius within the range of 0.2 mm to nozzle diameter and always print having the rotational axis in the printer's Z axis.

BTW, tap threading the adapter worked great so the whole set is completed now. Getting ready for a test now by checking for a concentric path first (starting at 6.35 mm bore diameter ...). It's going to be fun ... after the bullet travels thru 3 different adapters

[SPdotCOM]

So, it's mostly done now. I tested the Can sing a threaded adapter Ruger and works perfect.
I had to go to 6.75 mm bore size (0.2657 inches) to archive concentric path and skip baffle strikes. Considering i'm using 3 Adapters from the Barrel to the Core, i modestly think it's a great success.
I did test using Remington MiniMags (wanted to go subsonic rounds first but quite expensive and hard to find here). I did test semi-indoors (rifle in and Can out) and it's really, really quiet. I'm editing a Video (fun to hear how loud the shells are when ejecting and hitting the floor). Action is also very loud but an special 3D Printed buffer in on the test.
Finally, my flasligth-2-scope mounts are selling like hell.
Enjoy,
Paul

[Boosted98gsx]

Heck, print it with PLA and use an investment cast method to cast those baffles in something more durable? Overcast and then turn down for correct OD to fit in the sleeve. Only material I would suggest would be Aluminum, but if you can up your foundry skills, can do some stainless alloys.

[RPM509]

What is the finest resoluion your printer can do realistically?

Very interesting advancement in manufacture this whole 3D printing is indeed.

[SPdotCOM]

For this project, i used 0.25 layers to speed up printing. I can go 0.075 and even 0.05 easy but lot slower. The new printers are much powerfull.