Questions tagged [manufacturing]
Questions about the industrial manufacturing process of brick toys or related materials.
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How has the basic brick changed over the years?
The basic 2x4 brick has many versions. For example the modern one has thinner walls and funny shaped tubes compared to an early 1980s brick. What were the changes over the years and how did they ...
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Lego with hollow posts underneath - dates?
When did TLG change the small posts on the underside of the modern bricks and plates , eg 1x6 and 1x4, to hollow ones?
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What will LEGO do when all the crude oil on earth is used?
When crude is no longer available (which is in 53.3 years) what will LEGO do, since oil is needed in order to make plastic? Is there a plastic alternative, or another type of material that is strong ...
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Why did LEGO switch the direction of flag elements in 2008?
Having just gotten back into LEGO this year, I noticed that the flags in my new sets are mirrored from all the flags I used to have. On the left is a green flag from 4162 FreeStyle Multibox from 1995, ...
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If we threw every single LEGO piece ever manufactured into a pile, how big would the pile be?
My cursory research of LEGO tells me that the manufacturing of plastic LEGO bricks began in Denmark in 1947. If we were somehow able to obtain every single LEGO piece ever created since 1947 and make ...
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Is there difference between different colors of LEGO axles?
There are a few different colors of LEGO Technic axles, but not enough to really use for artistic variation - black, grey, some beige, and recently I have started seeing blue.
The particular color ...
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Is there a reason why there's sometimes multiple "Bag 1" bags in particular sets?
When building some of the larger sets from Lego, there are sometimes cases where there's multiple large bags having the same number. This ends up being a bit of a challenge when the build space on my ...
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Have any Lego sets been released with errors/mistakes in the build instructions? If not, why not?
I was thinking about the documentation process of a large set like the Death Star and it got me thinking; surely at some point Lego must've released a set of instructions that contained a mistake?
...
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Has anyone made their own custom LEGO bricks?
As I've just learned, LEGO bricks are made from ABS plastics.
I wonder if it would be possible to make some simple molds at home, get some ABS pellets, melt them up and make your own custom bricks? ...
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Is a brick with a smaller Lego logo real?
I recently bought a set from Bricklink, and noticed while building that a couple of pieces had a slightly different logo placement and size. The larger logo matched all my other bricks, but the ...
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What material are older soft (plant) parts made of?
I've carefully searched through SE and web and haven't found the exact answer.
This 2018 announcement states that new plant parts are made of plant-based polyethylene. It also implies that plant ...
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Why is LEGO kit name not on the box or booklet?
Curious to know why LEGO set boxes and instruction booklets carry a number and age recommendation (Eg 7-12 41317), but not any marketing name (Sunshine Catamaran)?
To get the name, I need to visit ...
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Why are there scratches on new bricks?
When I assembled the new bought "Old Fishing Store, Item No: 21310-1" I noticed a very unusual imperfection of parts. On every one of the 43 tiles "1 x 8, reddish brown, Item No: 4162" I found ...
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Cutting Lego-compatible studs, +-axle holes?
TL;DR: Advice on how to machine/refine studs and +-axle holes on home made Lego-compatible parts.
I've been really enjoying designing and 3D-printing my own Lego-compatible custom parts to supplement ...
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Has LEGO ever been used in an assembly line or a manufacturing process?
With LEGO Technic and LEGO Mindstorms becoming ever more sophisticated, I wonder if it has ever been used in a real commercial setting to automate parts of an assembly line or manufacturing / research ...
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Under what conditions are the LEGO boardgame dice unfair, and by how much?
For LEGO's board game line, they have moulded a LEGO die, with a 2x2 stud pattern on each side.
Obviously, weight distribution is going to be thrown off if you use a full studless plate on one side ...
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Is it possible to build Lego bricks with a makerbot replicator 3D print?
Is it possible for plates, tiles or small pieces ? Is it possible to use MLCAD with a Makerbot replicator?
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What would be the origin of these 1x1 bricks with the top part and stud having a different color?
Last weekend while visiting Legoland Germany, we found the following pieces in the discount crates:
They are white 1x1 bricks, with the top part (and stud) in light bluish gray.
What would be the ...
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Why is this piece notched?
It's nowhere as deep as the garage door notches they designed to let the doors slide up and down.
How does the notch fit into the initial set that the part was first introduced and does this shallow ...
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Does Toy 'R Us (or more expensive-than-average) retailers have more extra parts than average?
I haven't bought LEGO sets for a while, as my kids are just getting old enough to make the sets, but I am assembling the LOTR sets which I find impossible to resist.
I bought Gandalf Arrives (9469) ...
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Is there a logic to the way The LEGO Group fills the plastic bags?
When opening a new box, most of the pieces are in closed plastic bags, and sometimes inside those plastic bags is another plastic bag for smaller pieces.
I find the pieces, for the most part, rather ...
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Do LEGO prototypes have production numbers on them?
Basically I've found a rare prototype piece for sale, one of the red Vader helmets, and I want to make sure it s real. The description says that it has no production number printed, which makes sense ...
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Where are the cloth / fabric minifigure capes / cloaks in my set?
I purchased The Mines of Moria (Lego Lord of the Rings item 9473) directly from The Big Store in Legoland, Florida. When I opened it up at home, the capes / cloaks for Pippin and Boromir were missing....
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What material is used to make capes and cloth in LEGO sets and where do I get it?
It seems like a conspiracy to keep everyone from knowing this.
Custom cape sellers don´t say what it is, the women from the draperies I questioned always say something along the line of "coated ...
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When did LEGO stop using perforated plastic bags and switched to simple ones?
I'm talking about those sophisticated bags used to pack the contents of the sets in 90's.
Here is an illustration of such bag:
Could anyone tell when LEGO started to pack the majority of their sets ...
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What kind of plastic are LEGO bricks made of?
It’s rather obvious that Lego bricks are made from plastic, but there are many kinds of plastic.
Is the recipe for LEGO bricks plastic secret?
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What causes these 'bite marks' that appear consistently on new bricks?
I purchased a set (second hand) which has the following defects on the 75°-sloped, inverted 2x1x3 blocks:
I assumed they were teeth-marks and asked the seller for replacements, and he found and ...
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Are LEGO bricks recyclable?
Yes, I know that it is kind of a dumb question, as no one would want to dispose of LEGO bricks.
But it's a curiosity thing: are LEGO bricks recyclable?
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What are LEGO baseplates made from?
I want to lasercut a green LEGO baseplate for a project, but cannot cut a plastic with the laser if it contains PVC or Vinyl.
Does anyone know if the green baseplates are free from these materials.
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Different surface roughness of tiles. Quality issue?
Recently, I filled a PAB cup in the nearest LEGO store. Among other parts, I also took a lot of light bluish grey 2x2 tiles. The following image shows some of these:
However, reflected light reveals ...
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What is the difference between the plastic used in mainstream minifigs and the plastic used to make the popular collectable series of minifigs?
What is the difference (if there even is a difference) between the plastic used in mainstream minifigs and the plastic used in the popular collectable minifig series?
It seems to me that the ...
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Where are LEGO parts made?
Are all LEGO parts made in a single factory, or are there multiple factories? Where abouts is it/are they? If there are several, are there different factories for different pieces/sets, or do all ...
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How many copies of each set are produced?
Is there any way to find out how many copies of a set were produced? I would like to know how rare some of my older sets actually are.
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How are LEGO bricks packaged?
This week I got a LEGO set gifted and while I was building and unpacking I thought about how the single pieces might come in their respective little bags? I had some fun fantasizing to the point where ...
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Why do many minifigures have printing on their neck pegs?
Why do many minifigures have printing on their neck pegs?
For example:
I also remember most (if not all) of the minifigures from the classic Space, Town, and Castle sets from the 1980s having ...
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Why are LEGO minifigures getting more and more expensive?
I am a big fan of LEGO and collecting for 30 years now. But while the "normal" sets seem to hold their price, LEGO minifigures are getting more and more expensive.
I can remember, when in Germany one ...
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Will The Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine come back in stock at retailers?
I see this set, 75902 the Mystery Machine, from 3rd party sellers on Amazon for $10 or more above retail, but it's out of stock at most retailers I have looked at. I'd like to know if there is a way ...
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What electrical contact material is used for PF Connectors?
I'm designing my own PF electrical connector and I want to have the same functional characteristics as the original Lego brick.
Could you please let me know which electrical contact material is used ...
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Factories that could make off-patent bricks?
I'm quite interested in finding a factory that can produce a small-ish run of high-quality plastic bricks that I can use in my classes and possible to re-sell as stand-alone kits. I only need a few ...
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Why are old LEGO bricks more brittle than new ones?
My vintage LEGO sets (circa 1980) are difficult to unbuild. Some pieces are prone to break. Did the plastic recipe change with time or are the bricks simply degrading?
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How much does an average LEGO brick cost to produce?
I know that LEGO bricks approximately sell for 10 cents per piece but what does it cost to make an average brick?
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Is it possible to make inverted slopes with solid studs
Many(all?) of the inverted slope pieces have solid studs and hollow studs( e.g. 3665) and a void around the stud. This(void & hollow) looks very inelegant, is it really that difficult to make ...
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Are there LEGO compatible CAD Files For Injection Mold Manufacturing?
I've designed some fun building brick sets that are compatible with LEGO but I know the market for them is smaller than what LEGO would be interested in. I've contacted some manufacturers at alibaba....
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Cost of different works in a LEGO set price?
What percentage of a LEGO set's price goes toward research, design, manufacturing, marketing etc.
It's just my curiosity since all my minifigures (from Series 3) are made in China and I don't know if ...
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Are coloured bricks used by Set Designers recycled to make black bricks?
I heard on a podcast of the Adam Savage Project that the master builders (designers of 'sets' of LEGO) are allowed to use as many blocks as they need to design a certain set. All of the bricks they ...
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Is it possible to create your own wheel?
After my other question, i pretty much have a bicycle design all planned. My problem now is with wheels.
None of my LEGO wheels are big enough to work on a bike. And, the biggest ones are all pretty ...
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What's the best way to machine LEGO pieces on a mill?
Does anyone have experience with modifying LEGO pieces on a mill? Any suggestions on cutting speed?
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What kind of metal/alloy were on the old LEGO 9V train tracks?
LEGO's train tracks (the actual rail part) were made from some kind of metal alloy that does not seem to oxidize, and seems to have good electrical charateristics (low resistance).
Any ideas what ...
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How does LEGO decide it needs a new element?
Aside from the need to add licensed series specific pieces, how does LEGO decide it's time to introduce a new shape to the element palette?
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Why is there such a small supply of dark red 1x4 bricks?
I've recently been thinking of building in dark red because it looks so nice, but as I've been looking at how much it would cost to get the bricks, I found that 1x4 dark red bricks are almost non-...
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