Ask HN: What kind of impact will 3D printing have on Lego? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What kind of impact will 3D printing have on Lego?

4 pointspipeline_peak11 comments

I think in the eventual future Lego will render into a legacy brand when it becomes more possible to create compatible bricks. The company has had many cases against Mega Blok, Tyco and other competitors. Some were successful, but many others slipped by over patent expirations and loopholes.

A home 3D printer capable of producing compatible bricks won’t be around for a long time. However, what’s stopping thousands of independent online brands from using high end printers and operating through Amazon, Etsy, surviving all these years later, I think Lego is going to have a lot of bugs to squash. I know it’s a rough comparison, but we didn’t think the music industry would get carved out by independent artists in bedrooms. Because Lego has a Disney/Nintendo brand leveled profile, they’re always going to be the highest quality.

I can’t help but predict a thousand no name companies from China manufacturing and selling fake legos on AliExpress.

The true value of 3D printing and Lego (or any construction toy) is the ability to print custom parts.

For example, take a look at the Free Universal Construction Kit which includes adapter bricks so that any of the following 10 different construction sets can connect to one another: Lego, K’Nex, Krinkles, Tinkertoys, Zoob, Duplo, Fischertechnik, Gears! Gears! Gears!, Lincoln Logs, and Zome.

https://3dprint.com/9147/3d-print-adapter-lego-knex/

http://www.sy-lab.net/Free-Universal-Construction-Kit

http://fffff.at/free-universal-construction-kit/

It’s absolutely possible to print Lego compatible bricks with mid-level quality FDM printer on the market today. And not crap either. Usable bricks in a variety of shapes and sizes. It won’t provide the exact same aesthetic, but that’s not really the point.

Resin printers can also produce these kinds of bricks, and they’re going to be even better.

The trouble in both cases is volume. It’s time expensive to print these sorts of things. There are already half a dozen Chinese companies selling knockoff brand Lego sets (“Lepin” and “Legi”). You can find large lots of used bricks on eBay for cheap. It rarely makes sense to print a Lego brick unless you’re doing something custom.

I didn’t know about Lepin and Legi, they’re definitely mirror clones, give or take quality.

I underestimated how taxing it would be to accurately print each piece vs an injection mold. From where it stands now, it’s not fully automated anyway. A printed mini figure requires X-Acto knife carving.

My Sister and her family put together a knock off Lego Millenium Falcon a couple of years ago. The hazard seems to be the occasional missing piece. From my evaluation, the quality was outstanding - and the product pretty indistinguishable from legitimate Lego. I think Lepin is frequently seized by customs around the world. There are always other brands to take their place though.

The key Lego patent expired recently, right? So those other companies like MegaBlocks are free to mass produce compatible Lego blocks, I believe (correct me if I'm wrong). So that seems like a much bigger threat to Lego than random small shops making a few 3D printed bricks.

Pretty much agree. There will be some companies pumping out compatible bricks but 3D printers probably won't be a big threat. Lego has extreme quality control on tolerances. Some of the knock offs will get close but 3D printers will have a difficult time matching that. Which doesn't mean there isn't a place for them in Lego fun. If you need just a couple of bricks, maybe of hard to get colors or shapes, a 3D print might fit that hole in the object. Entire projects made out of 3D printed knock off bricks? Probably won't be common.

Mega blocks is no less a threat than ever. I want to say them combined with emerging no-name clones will saturate the market. But competitors don’t ever seem to steal their sales. Lego seems to be the first company valuable franchises like Star Wars endorse (Although I think Mega Blocks has Halo for some weird reason). But Lego bricks have a distinct higher quality, which is probably part of why they cost more.

I remember as a kid, I’d find a mega block in my pile of LEGOs. The circles were smooth and unprinted. I practically flicked it across the room.

Why print bricks to make something when you can print the thing directly?

Building is a large part of the fun in LEGOs.

for some, but for others the final result is all they care about.

But there's a novel value in owning a completed Lego set, and I think that's part of what they care about. A 3d printed star destroyer would be like any other cheap toy.

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