Bonsai Labs' 3D printer for kids opens up a world of possibilities for children to create their own toys. Part of what makes 3D printing so awesome is that it speeds up the prototyping process immensely with the use of filaments that rapidly melt and harden. But rather than needing to be heated to a high temperature, Bonsai Labs' 3D printer was developed with safety in mind, with a special machine and filament that only needs to be warmed to about 176°F, rather than somewhere closer to 400°F.
Although the filament's temperature would still hot to the touch, this is a much safer alternative—plus, this ensures that finished 3D-printed creations don't melt into nothing in the heat of summer. The BS Toy Printer was recently unveiled at the Nuremberg Toy Fair, capable of printing toys and trinkets that are about five inches in size.
Kid-Safe 3D Printers
Bonsai Labs' 3D Printer for Kids Operates at a Lower Temperature
Trend Themes
1. Kid-safe 3D Printing - The trend of kid-safe 3D printing presents opportunities for creating child-friendly design software and developing community platforms where kids can share their digital toy designs.
2. Low Temperature 3D Printing - The trend towards low-temperature 3D printing creates opportunities for developing biodegradable filaments for children's toys.
3. Customizable Toy Manufacturing - The trend of kid-friendly 3D printing may give rise to entrepreneurship as more children learn how to design and manufacture custom toys and start their own toy businesses from home.
Industry Implications
1. Toy Manufacturing - The toy manufacturing industry can adopt low-temperature filaments and develop kid-safe 3D printers, thus creating safer toys and more opportunities for children to design and create their own.
2. 3D Printing - The 3D printing industry can develop filaments that can run at lower temperatures, catering to the demand for safer and kid-friendly 3D printing.
3. Education - There is an opportunity for the education industry to provide learning modules that teach children how to design and manufacture their own toys using kid-safe 3D printers, promoting creativity and entrepreneurship skills.