We’ve covered 3D printed guns, 3D printed knives, and even life-sized replicas of 3D printed bombs in the past. While there is a lot of controversy surrounding the 3D printing of weapons in general, today we report on a “weapon” that isn’t exactly going to lead to mass chaos, the world’s end, or Armageddon. It won’t even be debated upon by world leaders, local politicians, or law enforcement agencies. This weapon is made for fun, and while surely someone could get hurt if used in an improper fashion, it certainly doesn’t have the potential to explode in one’s face, or cause endless debates on the future of humanity, like many of the 3D printed weapons we have covered in the past have.
Version 3 of the Ballista Desktop Siege Weapon may, however, succeed in creating hours of fun, war reenactments by children and teens, and perhaps a few minor injuries. Designed by Eric Uzarski of Uzarski Designs, this is the third version of the Ballista Desktop Siege Weapon, which has been improved quite a bit from its first iteration. This latest design, available on Thingiverse, features 13 parts that are printed separately (plus a bullet), and then quickly and easily assembled without the need for any adhesive. While it is 90% 3D printed, it does require the use of three separate rubber bands. Because of the fact that the parts are very small, it shouldn’t take more than an hour or two to print, and just a few minutes to assemble, before you are ready to test this slingshot-like weapon/toy out.
To fire, you simply pull the sling portion of the device back, it locks into place, and then it can be loaded with a 3D printed bullet. To fire, a trigger mechanism is pulled, releasing the sling and firing the bullet over 25 feet in distance. While a direct shot would probably hurt quite a bit, this is certainly a toy, and not meant to be used as a real weapon, although it does remain open source for others to modify.
Uzarski Designs used Autodesk Inventor Pro to create all of the models used in this design. They recommend printing with an infill of 20% or greater for increased strength, and it can be printed on just about any FFF-based 3D Printer.
What do you think about this design? Have you tried creating one yourself? How far were you able to shoot? Discuss in the 3D Printed Ballista Desktop Siege Weapon forum thread on 3DPB.com. Check out the assembly video below.
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