Impact of DIY Home Manufacturing with 3D Printing on the Toy and Game Market: Difference between revisions

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Source

• Emily E. Petersen, Romain W. Kidd, Joshua M. Pearce, Impact of DIY Home Manufacturing with 3-D Printing on the Toy and Game Market. Technologies 2017, 5(3), 45; doi: 10.3390/technologies5030045 open access
  • MyMiniFactory
  • Lulzbot Mini - source code: http://download.lulzbot.com/Mini/
  • Save the planet board game

Abstract

Through reduced 3-D printer cost, increased usability, and greater material selection, additive manufacturing has transitioned from business manufacturing to the average prosumer. This study serves as a representative model for the potential future of 3-D printing in the average American household by employing a printer operator who was relatively unfamiliar with 3-D printing and the 3-D design files of common items normally purchased by the average consumer. Twenty-six items were printed in thermoplastic and a cost analysis was performed through comparison to comparable, commercially available products at a low and high price range. When compared to the low-cost items, investment in a 3-D printer represented a return of investment of over 100% in five years. The simple payback time for the high-cost comparison was less than 6 months, and produced a 986% return. Thus, fully-assembled commercial open source 3-D printers can be highly profitable investments for American consumers. Finally, as a preliminary gauge of the effect that widespread prosumer use of 3-D printing might have on the economy, savings were calculated based on the items’ download rates from open repositories. Results indicate that printing these selected items have already saved prosumers over $4 million by substituting for purchases.

Keywords

distributed manufacturing; additive manufacturing; 3-D printing; consumer; economics; open-source; toy industry

See also

• Emergence of Home Manufacturing in the Developed World: Return on Investment for Open-Source 3-D Printers
• Life-cycle economic analysis of distributed manufacturing with open-source 3-D printers
• Quantifying the Value of Open Source Hardware Development
• Open-source, self-replicating 3-D printer factory for small-business manufacturing
• Distributed manufacturing with 3-D printing: a case study of recreational vehicle solar photovoltaic mounting systems
• Global value chains from a 3D printing perspective

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In the News

• 3-D Printing Sweeping Toy Industry Off the Shelves - MTU News, MTU Facebook, Eureka Alert, Newswise, Phys.org, Science Daily, ECN Magazine, R&D Magazine, MihanMag
• Researchers run the numbers on cutting the cost of toys by 3-D printing them at home - Geekwire, High Tech Newz
• How DIY 3-D Printed Toys are Impacting the Multi-Billion Dollar Toy Market - Globalspec 360
• Should Toy Manufacturers Be Worried About 3D Printing? Engineering.com
• DIY 3D printed toys are taking $60 million a year from major manufacturers, according to recent study -3ders
• 3D printing becoming major competition for the toy industry - Earth.com
• How 3D printing toys and games saves users $60 million a year - Long Room

International

• Stampa 3D manda in crisi mercato giochi- Ansa (Italy, 1908), Tiscali (Italian) (2476)
• La stampa in 3D minaccia il colosso Lego e il mondo dei giochi -Tiscali (Italian) (2476), Attualita
• Spielzeug aus dem 3D-Drucker: Selbermachen ist bis zu 90% billiger Win Future (German, 9308)
• Stampa in 3D: a breve potrebbe mandare in crisi il mercato dei giochi MeteoWeb (Italian 42086
• Macht 3D-gedrucktes DIY Spielzeug Herstellern Konkurrenz? - 3D Ruck (German, 215000)
• Pearce quotes - Euro News (3512)
• Home 3D printing poses a threat to toy makers - The Weekend Australian(8790)

Social Media

• 3-D Printing Sweeping Toy Industry Off the Shelves - MTU Facebook,
• DIY 3D Printing Demolishes Costs of Toys - Slashdot