How Does LEGO Design and Construct Building Toys?
The Lego brick is one of the most popular toys on the earth. They can be found in a variety of shades and can be blended to generate buildings, robots or cars.
The organization started out while in the workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen in Billund, Denmark. He named his organization LEGO once the Danish phrase leg godt, indicating “Participate in perfectly”. In 1949, the business commenced producing a plastic Model of its signature interlocking bricks.
Background
The Lego model of building-block toys very first took form in 1932 in the Billund, Denmark, workshop of carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen. He named the corporation once the Danish phrase leg godt (“play perfectly”). In 1947 the Christiansens built a crucial financial commitment: they bought a plastic injection-molding machine, and shortly immediately after started manufacturing plastic bricks with interlocking studs on best and tubes on bottom. The bricks had been successful, and the company continued to increase through the years.
From the 1950s, the organization begun experimenting with new forms of plastic to improve its items. The Kirk Christiansens have been devout, and as head of the company, Ole prayed with his workers day-to-day and taught Sunday college. He also donated dollars to the YMCA and YWCA. It was Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, the business's junior controlling director in 1954, who recognized that Lego bricks could function a toy process that supplied infinite possibilities for Artistic Perform.
Following the achievement of the patented bricks, the corporate introduced sets that contained each of the pieces necessary to Develop distinct styles. During the nineteen seventies the corporation introduced the Duplo sequence, which was bigger than common LEGO bricks for youthful children. Nine yrs later, LEGO introduced its iconic minifigures, yellow humanoids with posable arms and legs and helpful smiles. The business ongoing to extend through the years, opening LEGOLAND concept parks in Europe, introducing themed Lego lines like city (1978), castle (1979), Room (1980) and pirates (1989). In 1999, Lego introduced its Mindstorms programmable robotics line of items.
The business also developed a completely new sequence identified as Technic, which was geared towards Innovative LEGO builders and allowed For additional specific modeling of mechanical programs. Also, the company launched the first at any time LEGO Laptop video game in 1994.
Elements
Since the start, LEGO bricks happen to be made out of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS plastic)—a strong content that retains as many as compression, shear, and stress, the forces that architects and engineers layout properties and bridges to withstand. It’s also non-poisonous, fewer prone to warping or discoloration, which is proof against chemical compounds, salt, and warmth. A several years ago, LEGO started exploring sustainable solutions to ABS.
In 2018, they declared which they were being previously using sustainably sourced bio-polyethylene (bio-PE) to mould botanical components, but this accounts For less than two% of your stock available to LEGO merchandise designers. The company incorporates a team of a hundred and fifty people engaged on discovering far more sustainable methods, and some months ago they claimed which they experienced attained a prototype of the LEGO brick comprised of PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) recycled plastic.
Nevertheless, this isn’t a alternative to the common ABS brick—it may’t present the interlocking functionality that the first bricks did, so It will probably be a while prior to deciding to see LEGO’s new green plastic in your child’s hands. The corporate also states that it'll just take several years before they could use a hundred% renewable Vitality to electricity their factories.
It is because the raw products that make up the Legos by themselves, together with crude oil and pure gasoline, have a substantial amount of embodied Electricity—that is, the level of Electrical power which was made use of to create them in the first place. In the meantime, LEGO is Doing the job to improve the effectiveness of its producing procedures. It truly is aiming for a higher recycling charge and to generate its very own electrical energy through a wind farm, assisting to balance the energy it consumes. It's also experimenting with approaches to lessen the quantity of Uncooked supplies it utilizes in its production, that can even more cut down on Strength use.
Layout
The Lego design procedure can be a crew work by using a focus on the user encounter. Design and style sketches are used to develop CAD designs, that may be altered at any level in the process to improve the remaining product. When the CAD design is approved, it is sent to production, the place it can be laser-Slice and assembled with plastic.
Each Lego brick is created to an extremely large standard of precision. The interlocking studs on the top and tubes on The underside will have to match jointly specifically, but be very easily disassembled. To obtain this, Every component should be made with tolerances of just ten micrometres. The result is that each section matches with ideal adherence, even if assembled below Intense pressure.
Though Lego is most effective noted for its setting up sets, the business also has a variety of other products. Certainly one of the most popular is Lego Architecture, which allows buyers to make scale versions of legendary buildings making use of Lego bricks. The sequence involves booklets that present recommendations, workout routines and style and design techniques from architects such as Sou Fujimoto Architects, SOM, MAD Architects and REX Architecture.
Besides the architecture line, Lego also provides a programmable robot known as Mindstorms that may be programmed working with simple programming languages. This robotic has long been employed by educators to show kids Computer system skills. Lego has also partnered While using the UNICEF to introduce Engage in as a method of furnishing psycho-social support for conflict-affected youngsters.
Lego Electronic Designer could be the Formal bit of software from Lego that allows people generate their particular electronic Lego designs. This system is absolutely free and requires an Connection to the internet. The application is a snap to learn and gives a variety of options for buyers. By way of example, it's got teams that let consumers to avoid wasting a collection of bricks, which include Individuals for car or truck wheels, rooftops and plane wings. What's more, it has templates that enable buyers generate specified kinds of buildings rapidly and easily.
Innovation
As the business grew, LEGO was continuously experimenting with new technological know-how and items to maintain rate with altering consumer demands. But In keeping with David Gram, a previous senior innovation director for LEGO and founder of the strategic innovation company Diplomatic Rebels, the corporation ultimately overextended alone. "They were being introducing merchandise plus a theme park and every one of these different things," he tells CxO. "It was a whole lot to soak up and it was tough for them to achieve success at all the things."
In 2004, the organization employed a whole new CEO, Jorgen Vig Knudstorp, who refocused the Corporation on its core values and commenced to streamline its solution line. It also started to experiment with alternative ways to interact shoppers. For example, the LEGO Strategies System allows admirers to post Strategies For brand spanking new sets and strategies. If an notion will get 10,000 votes within a 12 months, it is actually reviewed by the company and, if accepted, could possibly be reworked into an item.
The initiative is extremely thriving, bringing about numerous popular new toys. For instance, the Females of NASA established was a large strike and earned the toy maker a lot of publicity. Also, the organization has labored with MIT Media Labs to produce the MINDSTORMS solution line, a programmable robotics kit which was originally introduced in 1999.
To aid the initiative, LEGO has made a Neighborhood of above a hundred,000 folks to help you style and marketing campaign for sets. The company also does in-property experiments to better know how Young ones Enjoy and like this connect with their toys. These insights don’t essentially tie proper back again into another toy that LEGO will create, but it’s element of a larger innovation procedure.
Revenue
A sizable Section of LEGO’s sales method happens within its retail shops, which have the flexibility to stock a variety of goods. Also, the corporation’s on the web platforms offer an interactive model expertise. The company’s Fb website page has thirteen million followers and on a regular basis posts images of new releases and innovative creations from customers. This demonstrates the effectiveness of social media marketing in driving buyer engagement.
In addition to the brick-and-mortar shop design, LEGO has branched out into other types of retail outlets. Its LEGOLAND concept parks are identified world wide and showcase the organization’s philosophy of Participate in. Its Motion picture franchises and movie game titles advertise the manufacturer in a singular way when preserving its philosophies of creativeness and structure.
Additionally, the company has also invested in electronic engineering which is ramping up recruitment for its tech and electronic groups. This will permit the company to create extra goods more rapidly and develop platforms for integrated Enjoy. This tactic is especially critical for the corporation,