Mattel’s Product Innovation team uses 3D printing to support toy research, design and development.

Mattel, a leading global toy company with an impressive catalogue of children’s and family entertainment franchises, is on a mission to “empower the next generation to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential,” the company says. 

It is aiming to facilitate this through high quality innovative products that are constructed with consumer safety in mind and are accessible to many. Part of this is research and development of the toys of tomorrow, which they are conducting using MakerBot 3D printers.

Jack Peach is key lead innovation engineer at Mattel and the product innovation team support all of Mattel’s portfolio of brands. This includes Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, American Girl, Thomas and Friends, UNO, Masters of the Universe, Monster High and MEGA. He has been working in the toy industry for over 15 years, having previously worked at a toy invention company.

“Being an inventor, I’m most excited to see the sparkle in a kid’s eye when a toy does something unexpected, something ‘magical’. It is a shared experience driving imagination at their level and mine, encompassing ‘What if? Why not?’,” Peach said.

Peach and his team use a wide range of professional digital design software and hardware tools for sketching and rough model layout, mechanical feature design and simulation, virtual model (VR and AR) visualisation and electronic software development.

To build a toy workshop in his home office, Peach acquired two 3D printers. The MakerBot METHOD and the MakerBot METHOD X were added to the mix. 

“In early 2020, I decided to invest in a 3D printer that offered high resolution, high repeatability and was super easy to use. When I started using the METHOD 3D printers, I realised 3D printing parts at home at the industrial level with industry standard material was amazing,” said Peach.

Through an iterative process, concepts can be shared with its brand partners, the Fisher-Price Play Lab and the Mattel Imagination Center for toy testing and consumer insights for feedback. The design is then updated, fabricated as needed and shared again.

Peach said: “If we’re trying to prove out a mechanical function/feature or appropriate sizing for a child, fabricating a model is essential. The prototype can reveal unforeseen issues that need to be resolved or you might discover a new use case or feature that elevates the product.”

The MakerBot 3D printers are mostly used to print early prototype models to prove out an electromechanical function. The team at Mattel are using a mix of 3D printing materials depending on the application.

With most of the work being done for demonstration of a new feature or function, typically the team uses a material that can withstand hundreds of cycles. Recently, they started to use ABS-R for housings and structural features due to the material’s high impact resistance and durability, and Nylon Carbon Fibre for gears.

Printing high-quality custom parts on demand has enabled the tea, to provide dimensionally accurate assemblies that are very similar to injection moulded production assemblies. This helps to prove out a toy’s features quicker and with high confidence of success.

A recent example from Mattel where 3D printing proved useful was when Jack Peach’s team were brainstorming a new feature for a particular line. After pitching a few concepts, the team built a rough mock-up of one of the user interfaces that included lights and sounds that played when a joystick was moved.

The joystick was an off the shelf version and was too large to fit into the toy. A digital model of the toy was modified, and the team quickly designed a smaller joystick that was then integrated into the toy.

After verifying the direction with the brand team, they 3D printed the parts, assembled the model, added the electronics and shot a demo video. The feature received great reviews from the brand team and is now scheduled for production.

“The hit and miss ratio in the toy invention business is crazy. If one out of a hundred of your ideas makes it to the market, you’re doing good,” said Peach. “The MakerBot METHOD and METHOD X have been game changers enabling me to put form to the creation and bring joy and imagination to the next generation of Makers.”

MakerBot recently donated 3D printers to organisations across the United States that support low-income communities, making 3D printing accessible to more students.

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