3D Printed Ghost Guns Are Hard to Trace. Researchers May Have Found a Way In

• A team of researchers in Australia has taken a closer look at a problem that is becoming more visible in forensic casework: how to analyse 3D printed firearms when the usual methods no longer work. Led by scientists at Curtin University, the study focuses on the plastics used in consumer-grade 3D printers. These materials, most […]

A team of researchers in Australia has taken a closer look at a problem that is becoming more visible in forensic casework: how to analyse 3D printed firearms when the usual methods no longer work. Led by scientists at Curtin University, the study focuses on the plastics used in consumer-grade 3D printers. These materials, most commonly PLA, ABS and PETG, have become central to the production of so-called ghost guns, weapons that can be made at home and often lack serial numbers or do not reliably produce traceable toolmarks. What makes them particularly difficult to investigate is not just how they are made, but what they leave behind. Traditional firearms analysis relies heavily on toolmarks. Examiners look for distinctive impressions on bullets and cartridge cases to link a weapon to