Remember that company that was involved in 3D Printed guns?

Defense distributed is at it again, this time with a new project called Ghost Gunner.

Ghost Gunner is a miniature CNC machine designed to automatically manufacture publicy created designs with nearly zero user interaction. No prior CNC knowledge or experience is required to manufacture from design files. Defense Distributed's first design is the venerable AR-15 lower receiver. Ghost Gunner automatically finds and aligns your 80% lower receiver to the machine, with simple installation instructions, point and click software and all required tools.

Sounds awesome, and a lot easier than the current process of jury rigging up my own tools. I have emailed them, to see if they only ship in the US, if they ship to canada, I am gonna get one as soon as I can afford it, which might be never if business don't pick up lol.

Ghost Gunner is capable of manufacturing more than just firearm receivers. With Defense Distributed's open source Physibles Development SDK (pDev), designers can distribute files via our '.dd' file format, which contains all installation and assembly instructions, any required jig files to hold the part in place (that users can print with a 3D printer), and all machine definitions and code to physically manufacture a particular design.

It also goes on to state that it will also be able to use tinyg from any CAM program you might use, so the sky is the limit if you like to make your own stuff up. I really want this machine

Ghostgunner Website

So instead of buying a lower for $250 you pay $1000 and make it your self?
This does not sound financially viable.
Look I understand that in some states it is difficult to buy certain firearms, but if you really wan't one, you can go about it legally for allot less money.
I own a CNC milling machine, so I can see the benefit of the machine, but marketing it as a way to make a ar15 lower is not really a great business model. The machine would only be able to make lowers for you to own, you could not go into business selling them with out a FFL, and if you are going to go that far, you would never produce sellable product at a price that could compete with the existing market place.
To me the whole purpose of this project is just to upset the gun grabbers and nothing more.

a reply to: robwerden
True, if you only plan on using it once, and only to make one lower it would be a dumb buy. I would probably make a few, and let family use it as well. I have looked at fullsize CNC machines, they are a lot more expensive, and probably a waste of money for me, if the largest thing I can think of milling would be a receiver. If I was loaded I would get the fullsized in a heartbeat, even if I can't think of a big project now, their might be one I think of in the future.

Kinda OT, but since you have a CNC, perhaps you could tell me. Can you put anything metal in it and work it into something else? Like say I go down to the junkyard, and buy a hood off an old car, would I be able to use it to cut it into something else? Or does it only take raw materials in certain formats?

a reply to: TKDRL

You can mill anything that fits on the work surface. Mine is limited to 18 inches long, 8 inches wide and 10 inches tall.
The milling machine is just a beefed up drill press that has a cross slide table to move the material in the x and y direction, while the head moves up and down in the z direction. Some CNC mills have more than 3 axis of movement, such as a rotary table mounted sideways that will rotate the material so you can do true 3d milling.

Hmmmm, sounds like maybe I should hold out for one of those instead. Even though way more expensive, so many more possibilities as well. Will have to look into the software for it, if it is as easy and flexible as this one, might be well worth it.

This will probably sound stupid but I wonder if one could build props from it?
Can it use Maya type files?

a reply to: TKDRL

I am a CNC machinist and I have some doubts about this. Keeping a tolerance is not as easy as it sounds. High end AR's like my KAC sr-15 hold a tight and I mean tight tolerance. Holding into the .001 is not the hard holding into the .0001 is another story.



Some of the stuff they are saying on this website is kinda sketchy if you understand machining. That being said you never know and the proof is in the pudding. I wish them the best and hope they can pull off a good part that holds tolerance. The lower is not that complex in reality uppers and barrels are far harder to make.

a reply to: SubTruth

If I were to buy a lower like what they are showing I am just curious as to what a CNC shop would chrge me to mill it out. Would you have any idea on that?

originally posted by: Grimpachi
a reply to: SubTruth

If I were to buy a lower like what they are showing I am just curious as to what a CNC shop would chrge me to mill it out. Would you have any idea on that?

I am not 100% sure I would say under 500 US. I make hydraulic valves and run a 4 axis CNC machine. Truth be told I would just buy a finished lower from a good company. KAC,Larue,Bravo,LMT,Colt are my favorites. I have owned many ar's and by far the best fit and finish is my KAC. I checked the holes and what not and I kid you not it is in the .0001 range.

a reply to: Grimpachi

I just wanted to add, to finish a 80% lower all you need is tooling,fixture,drill press and some skill. The fixture and skill is the key.



Like I said before it is all what you are looking for. Tolerance is king when it comes to machining anything. Keeping that tolerance is the tricky part.

a reply to: cavtrooper7
I would love to know that as well, as maya is my primary 3D application. I don't see why not though, as long as you build it to scale.

If you purchase an 80% lower and mill it yourself you do not need a serial number. If you purchase a complete lower you have to have a serial number and the people you purchase it from must have an FFL. If this was to catch on anybody could have unlisted weapons as long as they don't change hands.

a reply to: rockn82
We already can have unlisted weapons, and many of us already do though. Granted, this makes it a lot easier and streamlined.

It's like saying people couldn't have a personal computer before windows came along. Granted it was a lot more difficult to run, but some of us had "PC's" since the commodore 64 days and even earlier

At least to my mind it's an apt analogy.

a reply to: TKDRL

That's not what I was alluding to at all. I just saw several questions and statement earlier in the thread and tried to answer a couple at once. However if you have ever purchased a weapon that doesn't have a serial number on it, that's illegal unless it was built before the law was put into effect. If you build it and keep it then you don't need to do any licensing. If you sell it to somebody else you need to do the deeds. : ) I'm pretty sure we're saying the same things here, but I figured I would clarify, in case I said it all stupid (which never ever happens).

EDIT: Oh, oh I should prolly put in here depending on your State's laws. : )

a reply to: Grimpachi

You can't have someone else mill it for you. The minute someone else works on it and makes it a working receiver they've become a firearm manufacturer.

a reply to: hogstooth
Yeah, one of the main thing that attracts me to want to have my own machine. It is mine, and if a friend wants to come over and use it, I can show them how to do it and let them do it theirself. Maybe I can get a few buddies/cousins/uncles to cobuy one with me when I start making real money again, another option worth pondering.

a reply to: rockn82
Yep, this machine just makes it a lot easier to do. I got all kinds of tools jury rigged up that get the job done, put it in, point and click and go seems very tempting

a reply to: TKDRL

Yeah, I have a friend of mine who's a gunsmith. He thought the idea was really nice for those people who come over and mill out their 80% at his shop. : )

a reply to: TKDRL

Wanna ma a "MONOLITH" foregrip with an IR laser and a flashlight and a folding stock with an ARM HOOK.

robwerden and Subtruth are correct. It takes a tight machine to make a part requiring low tolerances. I myself have worked in CNC programming and operation. You can draw up a program via cad/cam and on paper, it would be perfect. Upload it to your center or mill and the specs not be up to tolerances. That tells you that your machine is out, and that can be caused by many things. Some machines need a "warm up" time after being shut down overnight. Others may have had a crash before, causing it not to run true along it's axes. Tooling may have wore out during the cycle. Either way, the operator has to adjust for the machines mistakes.

With that said, it would be impressive enough if the machine mentioned can deliver tight tolerances. Even more impressive if the software can do it's own plotting and programming.