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You wouldn’t download a plate carrier… (forum.guncadindex.com)
submitted 7 months ago by to c/general@forum.guncadindex.com
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…but you will soon be able to.

I’m launching my collection of tactical equipment, the Panoply, including the NP-04 plate carrier at Rocky Mountain RepRap Festival in Loveland, Colorado on April 18th 2026.

I’ve been deep underground working alone on this project for the past year, and I’m finally forcing myself to start talking about it since launch is so close. The Panoply is a collection of tactical goods designed from the ground up for additive manufacturing. New materials and new capabilities.

Apologies to my fossfriends, these designs won’t be free. I have been refining the first four pieces of the Panoply for thousands of hours at this point and I need to prove to my wife it’s more than just a hobby.

Printables: https://www.printables.com/@HenryWardBee_3108522/store

My new (untested) website: beechertactical.com

Beecher Tactical NP-04 plate carrier in orange FiloAlfa TPU-GF and green Sirayatech TPU Air

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[–] 4 points 7 months ago

A lil sad that it won’t be free but this different and still otherwise great addition to tha database as a whole…. Who tryna test it

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    [–] 2 points 7 months ago (2 children)

    Realistically, what could a 3D printed vest like this stop other than airsoft and paintballs? There's filaments with varying levels of kevlar fibers in the mix, but I haven't seen anyone actuslly testing them against bullets.

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    • [–] 2 points 7 months ago (3 children)

    For the fair weather warrior. 😂 It's cool idea but I can't imagine this holding up in anything but perfectly mild temperatures.

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  • [–] [S] 3 points 7 months ago (2 children)

    You mean literal temperatures right? The lowest softening temperature of any material here is 88C (190F), so I’m actually feeling good about its performance in hot climates.

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  • [–] 1 point 7 months ago (1 child)

    Would you feel confident leaving it on a coat hanger hanging from the backseat "oh shit handles" during a sunny summer day? People in the hobby complain about their printed guns being mechanically compromised after a few hours in a car some of them reported it happening to examples that were concealed with no direct sunlight at alI. If your average standard cut ar500 plate with no spall coating weights 8.5 pounds that's 17 pounds (one front one back) add three 30 round mags that's 3 pounds(30 round ar mag loaded with 5.56 is roughly a pound) throw in a loaded g19 with two additional mags (loaded g19 is 31ounces we'll round to 32 to make it an even 2 pounds. The 2 magazines being 8.5 ounces a piece we'll say they're a pound when combined for simplicity.) You add that up you get 23 pounds which isn't much and will be evenly dispersed but I'm willing to bet 23 pounds combined with a sunny car interior would be enough to compromise the carriers in some fashion or another. Imagine how rough someone would be with the fasteners and cords/draw-strings when they're trying to put the carrier on in a real life situation when they don't have the time to remember to be gentle or to pull the drawstring at exactly the right angle that minimizes friction on the seemingly not at all reinforced holes they're routed to. There's a real risk of failure at the worse possible time. Throw in running so everything is bounding up and down then suppose you take a dive on concrete or some other surface that is gonna grab on pla and tpu I'm guessing? Think of all the scraping up against walls you'd do when stacking up or taking cover. There's nothing wrong with trying to design a printed alternative. There's also nothing wrong with charging money for the design assuming it can be built cheaper than store bought options but when the difference translates into life altering/ending injury most people arent gonna take that chance. You can write all this off as me being a bucket crab trying talk shit about something I have no part in. But nothing would make me happier to be proved wrong about all my concerns.

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  • [–] [S] 2 points 7 months ago

    Thanks for sharing such a detailed shakedown, you're right on target that 25 pounds is the lightest we could expect anyone to go for a combat loadout. Plenty of lighter plates out there, but I think it's a fair number to use. I've had one of my earliest prototypes loaded to 23 pounds, PE plates, 64 ounces of water, 3 mags in front, side soft armor for over 6 months with no change in performance. It's spent weeks outside baking in the sunlight. I jump around like king kong, beating my chest and trying to get a magazine to fly out. It's really embarrassing, but I can't do it. The SirayaTech 64D TPU I'm using is really something else and you need to experience it for yourself to understand why it's a big deal. Here's the TDS if you're interested.

    You're no bucket crab, I appreciate your feedback. I'm betting that there's crossover between the 3D printing enthusiast space and the "equipping myself for the first time" crowd that will want a DIY option.

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