3D printing used to make first real handheld railgun, which fires plasma projectiles at 560 mph
October 19, 2015
If
you think the image above looks frightening, you’re right. The crazy
contraption pictured in the image is the first portable railgun, a
futuristic projectile launcher associated most commonly with the
military or NASA.
The man in the image above isn’t in the military, and he’s not a NASA
engineer. Instead, he’s a civilian who used some engineering smarts,
some widely available parts and a 3D printer to create a functioning
weapon that can fire graphite, aluminum, tungsten and even plasma
projectiles at speeds of more than 560 mph.
And then there’s the best part: There are videos of this homemade railgun in action.
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Little
is known about Imgur user “NSA_Listbot” beyond the fact that he’s just
short of being a wizard with AutoCAD and a 3D printer. The man took to
Imgur over the weekend to share what may very well be one of the most
amazing and terrifying DIY projects that has even been attempted. And he
didn’t just attempt it, he built it.
Using
a combination of 3D printing and widely available components, the man
built a functioning handheld railgun that houses six capacitors and
delivers more than 3,000 kilojoules of energy per shot. What does it
shoot, you might be wondering? So far he has tested the gun using metal
rods made of graphite, aluminum and copper-coated tungsten, like the
ones pictured below.
It can also fire carbon projectiles and teflon/plasma rods. That’s right, this guy built a plasma gun.
The
portable device works just like a full-size railgun, using
electromagnetic technology to fire projectiles. But it’s important to
note that this portable railgun isn’t quite as lethal as a
military-grade railgun. While 560 mph projectiles can certainly do some
damage, a military railgun can accelerate a projectile to speeds
exceeding 13,000 mph in just 0.2 seconds.
Here’s a video of the man test firing a graphite rod at an aluminum-backed plywood target:
And here’s a second video of an aluminum rod being test fired:
The
latter reached its target and the impact can be seen, while the former
“probably just vaporized” before reaching the plywood.
A few more images of the incredible project follow below, and the full gallery is linked down in our source section.
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This article was originally published on BGR.com
end quote from:
Man uses 3D printer to make real PLasma Gun!
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/s/3d-printing-used-first-real-handheld-railgun-fires-134325053.html
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