Hi Reddit! I'm The CEO of Toybox the 3D printer for kids to print their toys! We posted to Reddit two years ago with a concept, and after tons of work, we're now ready to manufacture and ship worldwide! I'm here to answer any questions you might h...

What if my kids want to play with tv and video game character toys?

Good question. We currently don't offer copyrighted content in our own catalog. However, as we grow we plan on offering negotiating deals with companies like Disney to get those wonderful characters in our platform.

For now, to print copyrighted content, you would need to download the toys from a 3rd party and then load it on to the printer.

what do you know now that had you known before, would have saved you the most headache and unnecessary trouble? which services exist now that didn't before that would have also been helpful?

Probably how complicated manufacturing is and distribution is! I think we've spent a good part of the last year figuring that out.

are there companies out there who specialize in shepherding people through the process that would have helped, or do you think this is something everyone has to figure out on their own?

ple through the process that would have helped, or do you think this is something everyone has to figure out on their own

There absolutely are! But like everything in business they cost money. So it's all about how you allocate your cash. We wanted to keep our prices low so we formed a strategic partnership with an existing manufacturer and did a lot of the grunt work ourselves :).

Will the printer be on sale after the indiegogo date? or is it exclusive to crowd funding ( I see the 37% discount!).

Yes, the printer will be on sale after the Indiegogo date, but it will ship after the Indiegogo batch and without the steep discount.

What's the biggest difference from a normal 3D printer? Why would I buy this one instead of the M3D?

I think the biggest thing we offer is simplicity and fun. We built Toybox it so that kids can start using Toybox without any training. It works from a simple phone app. It's super intuitive!

I think the biggest problem with M3D was that their printers weren't reliable. I had one at it shipped with a broken nozzle and they didn't have any safeguards on their printer so it's very easy for a novice user to spend 5 hours printing something only to find out that the prints won't work on their printer.

What about the myriad of tinkering and adjustment needed with 3d printing? Even my lulzbot mini requires technical knowledge when it comes to filament changes, cold pulls etc

To combat leveling issues we actually hard level the printer in the factory, that, coupled with the small build volume keeps it from getting unlevel over time. If it does, there is one tiny screw in the back that you can twist to fix it.

We use our own filament changing system. Pretty much the way it works is that the filament is changed completely through the LCD screen. It does all the pushing and pulling of the filament for you so kids can't mess the filament up by pushing or pulling too fast.

Are there safety measures for children using the product?

Yup! We found that typically all injuries that come from 3D printing come from people using a knife to remove the print from the bed. To fix this we spent a lot of time developing a removable printing bed that can be easily bent so you can easily peel prints off the bed.

Any reason to not go with a removeable sheet?

Yes, we find that this doesn't warp over time and is a lot easier to peel off the small prints. It also helps account for larger tolerances in the Z axis since it's made from a squishy material.

How did you think of this idea?

We really liked Legos as kids cause they let us easily build things. We thought a 3D printer would be more powerful.

Do you plan to have any way for kids to design toys themselves?

Absolutely!

If you watch our Indiegogo Video you'll see two apps. One is a simple draw mode that lets kids draw their own toys, another is an action figure builder that will be launching when the printer ships. We have a bunch more planned in the pipeline.

How will having a 3d printer in the house affect our health?

It will help your mental health by making you more creative! :)

In all seriousness though, Toybox printers are only meant to print PLA. This is a non-toxic, fumeless, biodegradable plastic made out of corn!

But what about particulate matter?

PLA is completely safe. It's the same stuff that dissolvable stitches are made out of when people get surgery.

What's the coolest thing that's in the printing catalog?

My favorite thing is the disk launcher cause it actually shoots really far!

But i think right now most peoples favorite is the modular castle pieces since kids can build huge castles.

Does the printer support using other modeling software and slicers to design our own toys?

If so, what tools do you recommend?

Looks great!

Yes, we have our own tools mainly to make it easier for kids to get started.

We still accept models from outside sources. If you're trying to do something simple to get started. I like tinkercad and sketchup. For more complex character modeling probably something like Zbrush.

Yes, all the tools the come with Toybox come with the guarantee that everything you design on the tool will be able to print. However, if you're more advanced, you can design your own as well.

I'd recommend Sketchup or Tinkercad for beginners.

how did you decide on the name of toybox?

Because it's a bottomless Toybox that keeps producing toys :)

Are the designs of the toys in your catalogue designed by your company or can random people upload designs? Also, is it possible to make something compatible with lego?

Our catalog leverages the best of open sourced designs and peoples submissions. We only put things on the catalog that print very reliably on Toybox. So that way you are guaranteed everything you see will print.

Absolutely. We spent a ton of time designing these Lego Compatible Bricks that print extremely well on Toybox printers.

Can kids make their own toy designs? And how much is additional printer food?

We do make it so kids can make their own designs. We're the only printer to offer such tools and we make it super easy.

Printerfood is cheap. It's $9 a roll and that can print hundreds of small trinkets.