So being curious, I googled "Nopel minigun" and came up with a Reddit posting from 5 months ago where the designer posted these pics of the prototype in development.
Now obviously this is NOT going to be as robust and reliable as any minigun made out of metal. In fact, I'm certain the bolt carriers/shuttles in this thing are going to fail rather quickly and will HAVE to be replaced by metal versions. HOWEVER,...the price of metal 3D printers is quickly dropping and getting cheaper every year. If you recall, the first ever entirely 3D-printed all metal gun happened 11 years ago in 2013. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid_Concepts_1911_DMLS The laser-sintering 3D printer used to do that back then cost $1 million dollars. But today, suppressors like the Huxwrx flow-through models are only able to be made because of the new availability and affordability of these types of "additive manufacturing" metal 3D printers, which now cost under $100,000. How cheap will they be in another 11 years?
While you and I can't afford to go out and buy metal 3D printer today,...perhaps not too many years from now, a handful of buddies might be able to go in on one together. Heck,...how soon before you start seeing these in every community college machine shop where students have access to make project pieces?
I am of the opinion that those of us who are interested in ever owning their own 5.56 gatling gun should seek to get copies of these files when they become available. Who knows how the gov't will try to eliminate or control such data in the near future? But having the files on hand to be convertible to metal 3D application at a future date would be wise,...in my opinion.
