Building the Future: The Journey of The LEGO Group in AM

Additive manufacturing (AM) has forged a foothold in countless manufacturing applications due to its versatility and design freedom, but it is not always the all-in, right fit, right now for some industries. One example being manufacturing millions of end-use products for the consumer goods industry. Still, AM’s digital supply chain advantages have secured its place in the consumer goods value chain. Today, joining Host Fabian Alefeld is Ronen Hadar, the Senior Director of Additive Design and Manufacturing at The LEGO Group. Ronen has a unique perspective on the advantages and challenges of working with AM in the consumer goods industry. He shares the long history of AM within the LEGO Group, how the famous ‘duck’ project came about, and how a limited talent pool may affect new digital technologies. Comments about the show or wish to share your AM journey? Contact us at additive.snack@eos-na.com. The Additive Snack Podcast is brought to you by EOS. Key Takeaways: [:46] In 2010, Ronen began exploring how AM could alleviate supply chain challenges at the LEGO Group. [3:29] From prototyping to on-demand final designs, Ronen explains how the LEGO Group was one of the initial companies to adopt 3D printing for multiple applications. [10:59] Ronen explains why he asserts that AM is not a replacement for injection molding. [12:52] While scouting new technologies, the LEGO Group’s now famous duck was an application to highlight the advantages of AM. [21:05] For the consumer goods industry, Ronen shares what he sees as the biggest challenges for the adoption of AM as an end-user technology. [28:25] How does the LEGO Group handle the small talent pool available to work in AM applications?