Release of the child-friendly ThingMaker 3D printer, which will retail for less than £300, was delayed until Autumn this year so that Mattel can keep working on the machine and its accompanying app. The 3D printer was first unveiled last year at New York’s toy fair, attracting a great deal of attention from toy and
Release of the child-friendly ThingMaker 3D printer, which will retail for less than £300, was delayed until Autumn this year so that Mattel can keep working on the machine and its accompanying app. The 3D printer was first unveiled last year at New York’s toy fair, attracting a great deal of attention from toy and 3D printing enthusiasts alike. It is expected to be available in the UK soon after the US launch, also in Autumn 2017.
ThingMaker, a collaboration with 3D software specialist Autodesk, will allow kids to design and fabricate their own customized toys, starting with preset designs or from scratch. It will work with non-proprietary PLA filament, with 3D printed toys taking 30 minutes and 8 hours to print, depending on their size.
To create larger pieces with moving parts, the ThingMaker will provide ball-and-joint templates, enabling kids to create snap-together toys with movable limbs and body parts. The 3D printer will be safe for children to use, with an automatic door locking system retractable print head.
Back in the 1960s, Mattel released an activity toy called Thingmaker (or Creepy Crawlers), a series of metal molds into which kids could pour (and then heat) “Plastigoop” to create bug-like creatures in various colors. Thingmaker, or ThingMaker, has now been rebooted by Mattel, albeit in an entirely different form: that of a 3D printer. The machine and accompanying software have been designed to let kids create their own toy characters, which they can then fabricate themselves.
The ThingMaker 3D printer gives you the power to take your custom designs and make them real Have fun creating and playing with figures that you made yourself Right at home! Design with the ThingMaker Design app, available NOW in the Apple App store and Google Play. Choose from a variety of templates including figures, dolls, and jewelry or build your own from scratch!
Using the ThingMaker Design App’s unique interface and built in library of parts, you can easily assemble figures, wearable accessories and other items for you and your family just by dragging and dropping different parts together, very hands-on and great for creative minds who want hours of fun.
Print from the cloud, sending your designs to print straight from a tablet or web browser. Heated Print Head Safety Feature: When printing is completed, the heated print head retracts into a recess that hands can’t reach. Automated Door Lock: The printer door automatically locks when printing begins, making it impossible to reach inside while the heated printer head is in motion. Integrated Filament System: Internal storage and protected feeding system keeps filament out of harm’s way.
Amazon may resume taking pre-orders for the ThingMaker in the US soon, and the UK may follow shortly after its announcement. The very earliest this is expected to happen is at the end of October 2017.
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