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3D Printer For Your Kids

Posted by samzenpus on from the make-your-own-toys dept.

kkleiner writes "Two developers from Shapeways and i.materialise have designed a 3D printer for your ten-year-old. The prototype, named Origo, would allow children to easily design objects in 3Dtin and then print them safely in their home with minimal adult supervision. Could it be the last toy you ever have to buy for your kids?"

20 of 195 comments (clear)

  1. I don't get it by oodaloop · · Score: 5, Funny

    If I already have a 10-year old kid, why would I want to print more of them? And what's wrong with the old fashioned way, even if I wanted more?

    --
    Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
    1. Re:I don't get it by artor3 · · Score: 4, Funny

      These new kids are made entirely of plastic! No screaming, no crying, no fighting, no diapers, no vomiting, no bizarre illnesses, no asking "why" fifty times in quick succession, and best of all - no turning into teenagers when you're not looking!

    2. Re:I don't get it by Walkingshark · · Score: 2

      It is physically impossible to print a kid so either the poster is really stupid or they made a joke. I'd say they did the latter.

      Really? Most women I know have a 3D human printer that comes factory installed. Most of them even work, theoretically. I haven't tested this theory, which is why I can actually afford the toy printer discussed in the article.

      --
      The world you experience is only a close approximation of reality.
  2. For my kids? by jedo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I want one for myself!

    1. Re:For my kids? by pla · · Score: 2

      I enjoy DIY projects, don't get me wrong; and as a cheap bastard, I would far rather build it myself than pay twice as much for the same thing as an OEM.

      That said, I know my limits. I would prefer to have a 3d printer that "just works", than spending dozens of hours trying to put together a finicky pile of junk that can sorta produce one crude design per run before it jams or self destructs and needs a major overhaul. :)

  3. Forget the kids! by socz · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I can finally make those pieces I've always needed to finish my lego builds!

    --
    My abilities are only limited by my imagination
    1. Re:Forget the kids! by arielCo · · Score: 2

      I know you're (mostly) kidding, but the bricks would basically suck. I learned recently that Lego parts are molded out of ABS at ~150 PSI, and the tolerance is ~ 2 micrometers. That's why they fit so well and "Lego compatible" bricks don't.

      But yes, as a kid I dreamed up custom Lego parts myself :)

      --
      This post contains no rudeness or derision of any kind. All arguments are friendly. Terms and exclusions may apply.
  4. Cost? by quangdog · · Score: 2
    From the manufacturer's website:

    Right now, I am just an idea. I will be as easy to use as an Xbox or Wii. I’ll be as big as three Xbox 360s and as expensive as three Xbox 360s. I will sit on your desk and quietly build your ideas, drawings and dreams.

    So, now we are measuring dreams in XBoxen?

  5. 3D Printer for my kids? by PPH · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sounds like a fair trade.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  6. screw buying for kids... by wierd_w · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Even if it is expensive, this would be a very awesome thing to have.

    I sculpt on occasion, and being able to fast sculpt a primitive form digitally, then finish up with hand tools would greatly expedite the process.

    Throw in a 3d stereoscopic scanner, and keep the pricetag under 2k, and I'm sold.

  7. Toy? by anubi · · Score: 2

    I can't tell you how many times I have had to throw away something because some little plastic part broke.

    If this thing can print out decently strong parts, I'll want one too.

    Hopefully, I can make more of that little nylon clutch that broke in every one of my Gardner-Denver wirewrap guns. I threw all the broken guns in a drawer hoping one day I would be able to bring them back to life. They were damm handy little tools, and I haven't seen anyone else make them that had the right feel to 'em.

    --
    "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]

    1. Re:Toy? by Hatta · · Score: 2

      Indeed. If someone would print up some replacements for the gears in a front loading Sega CD, he'd save a lot of consoles from the landfill.

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      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
  8. Re:3D printed choking hazard by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If a ten year old hasn't yet figured out how to not swallow and choke on a toy, maybe they don't need to be around anymore.

  9. Moving Parts, no problem [Re:Limits] by BlueF · · Score: 3, Informative

    http://www.techi.com/2011/07/3d-printer-makes-working-tools-with-moving-parts/

  10. This Will Mean A World of Trouble by sehlat · · Score: 2

    When kids start making little plastic replicas of their favorite cartoon heroes, the copyright and trademark thugs will be all over this thing. I can already see Disney's lawyers salivating.

  11. Re:Print me by wierd_w · · Score: 2

    No no..

    Should be:

    "I love, I love, I love, I love my polymer girl..."

  12. Re:so when by DigiShaman · · Score: 3, Funny

    b) dildos

    I doubt Bart and Beavis will be crafting one of these, but their mothers might. Talk about a choking hazard...

    --
    Life is not for the lazy.
  13. Re:3D printed choking hazard by artor3 · · Score: 2

    Probably with the same safety features that are on the professional versions, minus all the manual overrides. Besides, if your ten year old is that desperate to burn themselves, they'll just use the stovetop.

  14. Did that a year and a half ago by dbc · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Built a Makerbot Cupcake with my daughter, now age 12. We print a lot of stuff. I do robot parts. She learned the basics of Solidworks, and does doll house furniture, cookie cutters, gift boxes, and parts for robots that we build together. A 3D printer is great for kids in many ways. Since she was little, I've always told her: "The best toys are the ones you build yourself." and I'll spend much more freely on supplies at the craft store than crap from Toys-R-Us. 3D printers are just an extension of that theme.

  15. Add a Kinnect by EEPROMS · · Score: 2

    Add 2 x Microsoft Kinnects and you can not only scan the subject/item in 3D but make a copy of it and you can do all this with FOSS software.

    Imagine in 10 years you break your car wing mirror, no worries scan it in and print a new one for $2 using recycled bottles with no shipping fees.