Artifex Posted September 6, 2011 Posted September 6, 2011 Hi guys! I read this news today about 3D printers and I got myself wondering: has anyone got one? And have you tried "printing" Lego? I'm not even sure that would be legal -- and I'm not even sure that would actually work --, but so... What are your impressions on the matter? Quote
tedbeard Posted September 6, 2011 Posted September 6, 2011 So long as you do not put any trademarks like "LEGO" on the elements you create there should be no legal issue. There is a service called Shapeways that is used by one or two EB members to create custom parts. Quote
davee123 Posted September 6, 2011 Posted September 6, 2011 I'm not even sure that would be legal -- and I'm not even sure that would actually work --, but so... As for whether it would work? I would think it would be very tricky-- the biggest problem being clutch power. If you tried to print a stud, it has to be VERY exact. I'm not sure if 3D printers are quite accurate enough? I know LEGO *DOES* use them in Denmark to make prototype elements (AKA "rapid prototyping"), but they're typically more for shape comparisons rather than for sturdy building. Legally, as stated, you can't print out the LEGO logo, that's one thing. But you also can't print out elements that LEGO has a patent on. For instance, you probably couldn't print out a replica of a 1x1 cheese slope, because I expect LEGO still owns the rights to that design. But you COULD print out a replica 2x4 brick, because the patent on that element expired back in the 1980's. The other issue you might have is the quality of the brick. When Jamie Berard tried to show us some of the prototype elements that he had brought along (done with 3D printers), they had all deformed during his plane trip! Also, I believe there are small "groove" marks along the surface of the plastic, where the lasers draw their lines. So you might see a slight texture or ridging on surfaces that you might otherwise want to be flat. You'd also want to check other things like the plastic consistency-- the particular breed of ABS plastic that LEGO uses may not match the type used in 3D printers. Will it deform any more quickly than LEGO when clutch is applied? Will it behave more brittle-y than LEGO's ABS? Etc. Color consistency might also be an issue. LEGO has enough of a problem with this as it is-- I'm not sure what flexibility there is color-wise in 3D printing. DaveE Quote
Artifex Posted September 6, 2011 Author Posted September 6, 2011 Thanks for the repplies - very informative. Quote
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