If there’s one thing Steambow celebrates even more than a bunch of hits in the bullseye, it’s imagination. After all, it’s this feature of the human condition that gave us the AR-Series crossbows in the first place, not to mention all the additional parts that help make it the only modular crossbow platform on the market.
However, and this is a big one, Steambow understands that not everything you can think of is necessarily a good idea. For that reason, this blog is all about the good, the bad, and the ugly of 3D printing your own parts for a Steambow AR-Series crossbow (or, indeed, any Steambow product).
To print or not to print
In principle, Steambow is not against the notion of owners adding that personal touch to their favorite repeating crossbow. The whole point of the modular concept is to make this possible: a crossbow as close to your idea of perfect as possible.
The democratization of the 3D printer has opened a lot of doors for a lot of people to let their ideas become a reality. Some are funny, others ingenious, and some might be ill-advised. When it comes to Steambow, its crossbows, and the well-being of its customers, we prefer to give our feedback on this unequivocally rather than letting people learn from potentially painful experiences.
First, let’s get the crucial stuff out of the way: safety. Steambow strongly recommends against altering, printing, or otherwise manufacturing any part of the cocking and firing system. Steambow has done the research, knows the stress tolerances, and has produced the parts for their bows accordingly. And with that, they offer a warranty for their bows. Mess with these parts and you void the warranty and risk your health (or other people’s), so don’t do it.
Potential for disaster
If you’ve seen some of the demonstrations online of shooting an AR-Series repeating crossbow, you should understand that even the lightest limbs on offer can inflict serious injury if used incorrectly. Now, imagine that you decide to print your own parts for any part of the firing system, and that part fails. You may have a negligent discharge, sending an arrow who knows where. That part may shatter, meaning all that stored energy will have to go somewhere, violently and unpredictably.
So, if a part is in contact with the limbs in any way, use original parts. If a part is in contact with the cocking rods, use original parts. If a part is in contact with the string, use original parts. If a part actions the cocking movement or is under any strain during the cocking process, you guessed it: use original parts. This is especially true for the side plates. A failure on them could lead to an accidental discharge – these side plates are crucial for safety.
If you ignore the above, Steambow will take absolutely no responsibility for what happens as a result: it’s that simple. It will all be on you. So, is that worth the risk? We think not and hope you agree.
Channeled creativity
So what is OK to explore? Famed architect Frank Gehry stated that physics left you about 15% of leeway in design, and he still managed some pretty wild buildings. In other words, you still have a lot of room to express yourself through the medium of extruders and filaments without taking risks with your health.
If the AR-series has one thing in abundance, it is space to mount accessories on its Picatinny rails. With this, you can print any number of things for your AR-Series repeating crossbow. Perhaps you want a double-speedloader clamp? Maybe you want a sling loop. It could be that you admire the designs of Lt Col Jeff Cooper, and you want to mount a scout scope on your Tactical or Survival: then print an adaptor for it. You might prefer peep-hole sights or ghost rings...
You get the point: there’s a lot you can do without messing with the core functions of limb, string, and projectile. We are more than happy to hear about your clever bolt-on, we just don’t want to hear about an avoidable mishap because someone messed about with the business end of a Steambow product. As always, deploy your common sense generously, and it should all work out fine. And if you have any questions or concerns, let us know… before rather than after.
