Increase children's creativity by web-based customization possibilities and 3D printing
3D printing technologies are being considered by some innovator leaders as a production method like any other, although some adjustments, innovations and improvements are still required. Additionally, it has been detected that fully functional business models that consider AM technology within its supply chains are not yet available. Therefore, the project iBUS.
- (1888PressRelease) September 07, 2017 - The project iBUS was conceived for the supply of custom-driven customised toys.
First technical developments allowing a web-based customization to generate the digital data needed for the manufacturing of custom-driven custom toys have been already achieved and are shown in the figure below. These developments were made within the H2020 iBUS project. The main aim was to create a virtual environment that is easy to use due to intuitive user interfaces. Just with the shown possible customization options there result 256 different versions of the given ride-on toy.
These customised toys would be manufactured by 3D printing technologies. These, as innovative manufacturing technologies come up with unknown flexibility that enables the economical production of individualized products and components. The development of related business models as well as technical solutions for the toy industry as a branch with a high demand of customization is focused in the iBUS European H2020 project since September 2015. That those activities hit exactly today’s trends in the economical and technical sphere has been emphasized by Jon Cobb, executive vice president of corporate affairs at Stratasys as the manufacturer of most widespread 3D printing machines told Business Insider:
"I think children have a creative need to try to do something different so I think 3D printing with the capability of scanning or taking input from digital data makes it relatively simple to do customization of the product.”
The most challenging aspect considered in the iBUS European Project is toy safety when thinking about customized toys. Minor customizations in terms of changing the colour, adding stickers or names on a toy do not affect safety aspects. The last option shown in the figure below changes the structural properties of a component and therefore of the whole toy. Considering those effects regarding safety issues goes beyond a minor customization and will be implemented in further software modules and iterations. To meet the European safety requirements defined in the EN71 for customized toys will be the unique feature of the envisaged iBUS platform bringing together all stakeholders: Customers, designers, safety engineers, service providers for rapid manufacturing solutions and logistics.
Awaken Interest? Please visit ( @ ) h2020ibus
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 646167.
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