Advertisement

  1. National

Owner: '3D gun' are printer parts

The man arrested after police claim they had seized component parts for a 3D printed gun has insisted they are actually parts of a printer. The suspect said the arrest could "kill" his business and said the officers "have gone over the top".

View all 9 updates ›

How does 3D printing work?

3D printing works by building up layer upon layer of material - typically plastic - to build complex solid objects.

Templates can be bought or downloaded and sent to printers - now available for domestic consumer use - and the products are built in minutes by the machines.

Common uses include jewellery, shoes and mobile phone cases but it is thought in future we will see clothing, medical devices and consumer electronics printed at home in this way.

More: Seven uses for a 3D printer

More top news