The many promises of 3D-printing include intricate product prototypes, one-of-a-kind jewelry, even human tissue. Now, a group has revealed a proof-of-concept of another sort: a gun.
3D打印机术有很多光明前景，其中包括打印复杂的原型产品、款式独一无二的珠宝，甚至是打印人体组织。不过现在，有一个组织又发现了3D打印的另一用途，那就是制造枪支。
Texas-based Defense Distributed, founded by 25-year-old University of Texas law student Cody Wilson, has given Forbes.com images it says show the first 3D-printed handgun. The group, which is aiming for nonprofit status, claims the weapon can fire standard handgun rounds. The majority of the device, called the "Liberator," is fabricated entirely out of plastic, save for a nail used as a firing pin as well as a six-ounce piece of steel, intended to allow the gun to be detected by metal detectors.
德克萨斯州非盈利组织Defense Distributed是由一名年仅25岁的德州大学法律系学生科迪??威尔森创办的。该组织近日给《福布斯》杂志的网站Forbes.com提供了一些图片，声称图片中的枪支就是世界上第一支完全采用3D打印技术造出的手枪。这个组织还表示，这支手枪可发射标准的手枪子弹。这支手枪的名字叫“解放者”（Liberator），它的主体部分完全是用塑料制造的，只有撞针是金属。另外，枪里还装了一块6盎司的铁片，目的是为了让这支枪能够被金属探测器探测出来。
Wilson generated headlines last year when he announced his plans to produce a 3D-printed gun. It took the group about eight months to design the Liberator.
去年，威尔森宣布打算利用3D打印技术制造一支枪的时候，他的大胆计划就吸引了大量关注。这个组织大概花了8个月的时间设计出了“解放者”。
Also known as additive manufacturing, 3D printing is a method of making a three-dimensional solid objects from a computerized model. Commonly, 3D printers lay down successive layers of plastic material to create objects of virtually any shape. The printers can also create interlocking mechanical parts, such as gears and cogs. The process is distinct from traditional machining, in which objects are whittled or sculpted down from larger blocks of material.
3D打印技术也叫叠加制造技术，它是一种可以通过电脑模型制作出三维实物的技术。简单来说，3D打印机通过连续不断地叠加塑料材料，几乎可以塑造出任何形状的物体。3D打印机也可以制造出具有连锁机制的零部件，比如齿轮和接榫等。这个过程与传统加工方法存在显著的区别，后者通常是通过对大块材料进行切割或雕塑来加工复杂的零件。
Boston-based Luxe Research estimates that the $777 million 3D printing market will grow to a whopping $8.4 billion by 2025. Most of that growth will be driven by industrial applications, particularly in medical, automotive and aerospace industries.
据波士顿Luxe Research研究公司预测，到2025年，3D打印市场的市值将从现在的7.77亿美元猛增到84亿美元。其中大多数增长是由商业应用驱动的，尤其是在医药、汽车和航空领域。
But devices aimed at consumers are increasingly popular. Late last month, New York-based Shapeways raised a $30 million investment round lead by Andreessen Horowitz. The company has some 10,000 "shop owners," or individuals who have designed products, from shoes to cellphone cases, that they print out and sell through Shapeways' website.
不过以普通消费者为目标的3D打印设备也在变得越来越流行。上个月末，纽约的Shapeways公司获得了一轮由安德里森霍洛维茨基金（Andreessen Horowitz）等公司投资的3,000万美元融资。Shapeways公司拥有大约10,000个“店主”或个体手工业者，他们自行设计了从鞋子到手机壳等各种产品，然后用3D打印技术制造出来，再通过Shapeways的网站销售。
On Friday, office supply giant Staples (SPLS) announced that it is the first major American retailer to sell 3D printers. The retailer will sell the Cube 3D Printer from 3D Systems on Staples.com for $1299.99. The device will be available in a limited number of Staples stores by the end of June.
上周五，办公用品提供商史泰博（Stapes）宣布，它将成为美国第一家销售3D打印机的零售企业。它将在自己的官网Staples.com的“3D系统”一栏里以1299.99美元的价格销售Cube 3D打印机。另外到今年六月底，在史泰博的门店里也将能够买到数量有限的3D打印机。
According to Forbes, the Liberator is capable of connecting to different barrels, allowing for various calibers of ammunition. The device's creator plans to eventually publish the files necessary to print it at home as well as details on its operation.
据《福布斯》报道，“解放者”手枪可以安装不同口径的枪管，从而能发射不同口径的子弹。该枪型的设计者打算最终在网络上发布可以让人们在家自行“打印”这支手枪所需的图纸，以及这支手枪的详细操作方法。
That will surely raise another round of concerns, particularly in the wake of recent gun violence around the country. Stratasys, a company that makes 3D printers, confiscated their machine from Defense Distributed last year after the company discovered the printer was being used for gun development.
此举当然会引起新一轮的担忧，尤其是在美国最近枪案频发的背景下。3D打印机制造商Stratasys去年发现Defense Distributed在利用它的3D打印机研发枪支后，就从Defense Distributed手里收回了它的3D打印机。