Ok all you 3 D printing nerds . Seems like there's a lot of S&W presentation boxes that are missing or have half destroyed plastic inserts.

Can these be made with one of them there new fangled 3 D machines?

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Vietnam 1969-1971

I work with 3 Fortus/Stratsys FDM machines and make stuff out of polycarbonate, ABS, Ultem, PC-ABS, and PPSF. If you can make a CAD or CATIA drawing of it, it can be duplicated in plastic. Other machines, such as smaller 3D printers, probably require files of different formats.

The only problem I foresee is creating the proper texture.

The liner for my 29-2's box bit the dust ten years ago, but as I recall, it was kind of "fuzzy".

If an EXACT replica isn't necessary, I'm sure it's probably a trivial matter.

I design molds with Pro Engineer software and I think making the necessary CAD file would be a serious challenge with any design software.
Steve

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What you'd want to do is digitally scan it so you didn't have to do all of the labor.

depends on the machine and the item being printed.
3D printing covers some territory.
it's most basic form is reprap which is something akin to a hot glue gun on autopilot.
Don't ask this type to print a working pocket watch.
theres a powdered medium and resin system ... it can be far more detailed.
Then theres UV set resin ... not sure how good the result.
Then theres laser sintering which can print in plastic ... or metal ... possibly even glass.
Its a young field where we are waiting for patents to expire because the best systems are stuck with admittedly brilliant folks who unfortunately lack the horsepower to bring them to market.

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it just needs more voltage

I see this as the next burgeoning industry. Do you have any insight as to the best/ most probable #1 company to throw money into?

Nope. I just follow the tech, waiting for it to become available.
Right now, laser sintering is at the top of the pile.

When at EAA Oshkosh several years ago, I saw the first 3D printed piece courtesy of our fine tax dollar black hole friends at NASA.
They described the machine as essentially being a mig welder set up in reprap form. Never heard of it since.
I think this is probably the best route for the DIY type looking to print in steel.

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it just needs more voltage

Metal sintering still requires a considerable amount of finish machining; it does not produce a completely finished part. Price is going to limit it to companies or people with really deep pockets.

Results from the NASA mig welder contraption were pretty impressive though. Too bad no one is running with it.
It's pretty tight, and probably the most tangible of the metal printers

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My company has a metal sintering machine at our facility in Fort Worth; I've not seen the NASA version. I think the aircraft engine manufacturers are experimenting with them, using them to make highly curved turbine blades that are otherwise difficult to machine. They can program cooling passages inside the blades, too. Try doing that with conventional machining techniques!

The NASA concept, as it was explained, was a solution for parts needs in space. Rather than manufacture it on planet, and put it on the next launch, they could just send up spools of wire.

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it just needs more voltage

Yep, my company explored that technique which would be very useful to us but apparently it is too expensive. I never heard the cost but the idea died rather quickly.

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