By 2018, the iBUS Consortium research project, aims to deliver a digital business model for the manufacture of bespoke 3D printed toys. In this guest column, coordinated by Con Sheahan of the University of Limerick, Josefa Galvañ at the AIJU Technological Institute, discusses the possibilities of additive manufacturing (AM) in the toy industry and the impact of current safety regulations.
Introduction
Consumer expectations regarding customisation are booming. According to Euromonitor International, “While there is a lot more personalisation of ‘mass produced’ items, high-end personalisation is also thriving due to demand for ‘experiential luxury’, the shift from ‘having to being’”. Millennials in particular, value customisation when shopping.
By allowing the customer to participate actively in the design process, 3D technologies are able to gather data and provide a personal experience, which gives customers a unique product that meets their expectations. That is what the H2020 iBUS project (Grant Agreement: 646167) is developing, an internet-based platform for the customer-driven design of safe personalised toys and games.
For the manufacturing of those customised toys and games, a paradigm change in current business models is required. It needs to find the breakeven point among the low costs per unit of mass produced products and the flexibility of bespoke products. It also requires the support of a large supply chain that can undertake the manufacturing of unique pieces. In this value chain, traditional and AM technologies can co-exist.
AM technologies suitable for Toys Customisation
Toy customisation challenges the manufacturer in terms of costs and lead times. Those are directly related to available manufacturing technologies, their capability and suitability for the production of small batches or even exclusive parts.
Choosing the right technology depends on multiple factors such as batch size, material of final product, geometry and targeted accuracy. Three customisation scenarios, depending on the batch size, can be considered for personalised products; a batch size of one product, a small batch size or a combination of mass produced parts.
AM techniques are considered highly suitable for mass customisation and allow for fast design iterations. Nevertheless, they can be demanding in terms of cost and time.
This research has led to hybrid solutions, involving various tooling options, such as the production of moulds and mould inlays for casting. This allows manufacturers to use more complex geometries when compared to conventional moulds, along with conventional materials that have been previously certified for use in toys.
Within the toy industry, it is extremely useful to validate the functionality of the design and product safety. Therefore, these technologies can be used for the production of small batches using the same material that is employed in a full-scale production. Moreover, they can fulfil a short run pre-production stage to perform market assessment or benchmarking of a new product, reducing both time and cost.
Get your FREE print subscription to TCT Magazine.
Exhibit at the UK's definitive and most influential 3D printing and additive manufacturing event, TCT 3Sixty.
Mass customisation of casting parts is also possible through mould inlays without high extra costs. One example might be the face of a doll. The face insert could be produced using AM and inserted into the head’s mould. The rest of the doll would be produced through conventional manufacturing technologies, thus having a customised doll with the face of, for example, your child at an affordable price.
Potential workflow for personalised toy.
Materials
Safety is one of the key issues to consider when talking about toys. Products are regulated within the European Union by Directive 2009/48/EC, one of the most stringent worldwide, which tests physical, flammability and chemical requirements.
When performing a chemical safety assessment, the process involves three stages:
- Identification of the materials or the substances contained within it through the study of available information such as safety data sheets (MSDS)
- Characterisation to determine if they are subject to restriction in safety standards, legal prohibition or restriction or if they become undesirable substances
- Assessment to be sure that exposure of the child to a substance does not present an unacceptable risk
The identification stage has been applied within the iBUS project to a bulk of selected materials to be used in AM techniques (some examples listed in the below table). General conclusions of the identification stage and further required actions are also detailed below.
Geometry: Design Features
While the design restrictions in AM are lower than those applicable to traditional technologies, there are a bulk of common design factors to be considered when creating a part for AM. These include: infill consistency, overhang angle, wall thickness, wire thickness, features size, support material, dimensional accuracy, size of the part, post processing requirements according to the technology/final piece, part density, colour/transparency, machinability of the materials, jointing properties of different parts to be assembled, surface treatment, material strength properties, operating temperature and costs.
Specifically for the toy industry, there is a standing factor to be considered: design safety requirements. For the design assessment of the toy product, three guidelines are considered: child’s age for use, safety regulations (EN71, Directive 2009/48/EC, etc.) and categories of toys.
Some aspects needed to be taken into account for a toy are:
- Accessible sharp edges
- Points and metallic parts whose height is higher than 0.5 mm and/or rounding tip above 1.15 mm
- Protruding parts of a diameter less than 2mm
- Enclosures. Toys where child can enter shall conform a series of requirements related to unobstructed ventilation holes, specific forces of lids, doors, etc.
- Toys intended to bear the weight of the child can carry risks of entrapment, instability, braking, wheel size (120 mm or greater), strength, protruding parts (40 mm or more), etc.
The above list are just some examples as general rules, although additional considerations may need to be taken. In fact, some of the previous must be complemented by a qualitative assessment undertaken by a laboratory. Passing the corresponding test or not is secondary.
As far as possible, virtual testing and the parametrisation of safe factors will be deployed in the iBUS design platform that will serve as the main interface with the final user. Three customisation scenarios are considered for its implementation: minor, parametric and freeform customisation.
Customised accessories using Polyjet printing.
Minor customisation will offer the user the ability to select and combine a range of options for different parts of the toy. Accordingly, interchangeable parts and accessories will have passed previous safety tests.
Parametric customisation will allow customers to change parameters from a preselected design. Therefore, materials, toy type, shape, etc. are already pre-established. Consequently, parametrisation of the safety rules will allow manufacturers to check that modifications still meet the safety requirements while the customer goes through the design experience.
Freeform customisation could involve a free design of the parts from a pre-defined pattern. In the first case, safety validation should be undertaken in the Lab as there are many complex factors to be considered. In this case, it could be useful to parametrise some safety elements that would display an alert in case of going beyond the established limits. In the second case, some previous standard requirements would be pre-established for the pattern.
Conclusions
AM technologies intended for the production of customised toys has become a reality thanks to the research carried out by the iBUS consortium. The batch scenario has been determined to be the most suitable technology for the production of an exclusive part, small batches or mass customisation within the toy industry. Other hybrid solutions are also considered, although outside the results determined in this article.
To launch a toy or game product in the market very stringent requirements must be met, especially those related to design and material of the final product. These challenges are considerable, although a complementary consortium is currently addressing them.
The iBUS platform, with the slogan “Design your play”, is compiling a series of organisations interested in becoming part of the supply chain, that will receive the manufacturing order in a distributed manner. New interested partners are welcome.
