Even though there are plenty of toddler-safe musical mechanisms on the market, the development of Fred Murphy's Fisher-Price records shows how nostalgic today's consumers can be. The UK innovator took on a personal project to produce the old plastic children's turntable vinyls without the 1970s molds. Instead, he opted to make use of one of the most cutting-edge technologies that he could get his hands on, the process of 3-D printing.
Fred Murphy's Fisher-Price records were first successfully manufactured with a CNC mill, but the second challenge was to use much more complex software to sculpt the disks completely on the computer. A program called Visual C# 2010 Express lets you compose and edit your very own simple tune. The notes can then be superimposed and embossed onto the record's rendering in OpenSCAD so that the product can be printed in a variety of materials from an STL file.
3D-Printed Plastic Discs
Fred Murphy's Fisher-Price Records are Innovatively Made Vintages
Trend Themes
1. Nostalgic Consumer Demand - The development of 3D-printed Fisher-Price records demonstrates the market potential for nostalgic products.
2. 3D Printing in Consumer Goods - The use of 3D printing technology to manufacture children's turntable vinyls showcases the disruptive innovation opportunity in the consumer goods industry.
3. Software-enabled Personalized Products - By using software like Visual C# 2010 Express and OpenSCAD to create and customize tunes on the record, there is an opportunity for personalized consumer products.
Industry Implications
1. Toy Industry - The 3D-printed Fisher-Price records present a disruptive innovation opportunity within the toy industry to cater to nostalgic consumers.
2. 3D Printing Industry - The successful use of 3D printing technology to produce plastic records highlights the potential for innovation and growth in the 3D printing industry.
3. Software Development Industry - The integration of software tools like Visual C# 2010 Express and OpenSCAD into the production process opens up new opportunities for software developers in creating personalized consumer products.