LEGO has revealed their first 3D printed element that is available for purchase at the LEGO House. It is a minifigure sized replica of the wooden duck toy that was created by LEGO founder Ole Kirk Kristiansen. Not only is it the first 3D printed element, it also has articulation in the form of a moveable beak.

The wooden duck is a pilot by LEGO to gather feedback and to see if fans are interested in more 3D printed parts in the future. It will only be available at the LEGO House for 89 DKK and you’ll have to sign up for time slots at the Minifigure Factory experience to buy it during the next few weekends in November.

The LEGO® Group’s first 3D-printed element available to buy in LEGO House for a limited time

• The element is a LEGO® minifigure-sized replica of the iconic wooden duck crafted by LEGO Group founder, Ole Kirk Kristiansen – and features a moveable beak!
• The release is part of a pilot by the LEGO Group to gather fans’ feedback and inspire future innovation.
• Available to buy from LEGO House during weekends in November only.

The LEGO House, the ‘Home of the Brick’, is offering visitors the opportunity to buy a 3D-printed LEGO minifigure-sized duck for a limited time only in November.

The duck is the first stand-alone 3D-printed element to be released by the LEGO Group. Previously, a 3D-printed element had been included in a special edition set given to participants in the 2019 LEGO Inside Tour.

Ronen Hadar, Head of the LEGO Group’s Additive Design & Manufacturing team, said: “We are excited by the possibilities of additive manufacturing and can’t wait to hear from our fans. We will use their feedback to help shape future innovation as we continue to test the limits of 3D-printing technology.”

“We’ve worked incredibly hard to make sure our 3D-printed elements meet our very strict quality, safety and durability requirements. And as for this duck, it’s gone through extra quality checks to ensure its beak smoothly opens and closes!”

Additive manufacturing or 3D printing will sit alongside injection moulding technology in the company’s factories. Injection moulding allows the company to make bricks at high speed, while the newer technology offers greater flexibility to support product innovation and, in the future, make a greater variety of elements in smaller volumes. All elements are subjected to the same quality and safety checks.

The duck element will be available exclusively in the LEGO House store as part of the Minifigure Factory experience on the following weekends:

• 11-13 November
• 18-20 November
• 25-27 November

Fine print:

There’s limited availability each day during the pilot project event, and guests who wish to buy a Minifigure Factory minifigure (retail price 89 DKK) will have to sign up to purchase one. This can be done each morning on the above-mentioned dates from 9:30 a.m. when the LEGO House retail store opens, while sign-up slots last. You will pay for your Minifigure Factory box when you get your allocated time slot to make your own unique Minifigure Factory minifigure.

Everyone who purchases a duck will be asked to complete an online survey so the team can collect feedback on the element. Purchases will be restricted to one element per household.

About additive manufacturing or 3D printing

Additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a digital file. It is a digital manufacturing technology covering an array of technologies that build a final product by adding material layer by layer.

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