14 DAY TRIAL // Whether or not people wanted to admit it, it was clear that 3D printing technology would eventually make a big name for itself thanks to the toy industry. Ultimaker has decided to take that challenge by the horns.
Well, technically it wasn't Ultimaker that made the action figure in the attached image gallery. The toy was made with an Ultimaker 3D printer though. Also, it is on display in the Ultimaker headquarters, or at least a prototype is.
Aaron Thomas is a graduate in Digital Media from the University of South Wales in Sydney, though he is originally from India. He has always had a passion for science fiction, CGI and 3D robots, so, naturally, when he got into 3D printing he decided to make a robot.
It would have been impossible to make anything too large, though, so he settled for a 10-inch (25.4-cm) tall action figure.
He worked on it for six whole months. You might think there would be no reason to take so long, but the Ronin (which, incidentally, looks nothing like a Japanese wandering swordsman) has over 50 points of articulation.
Also, print jobs can take hours, and they don't always turn out well, so you sometimes have to repeat a project until it turns out alright.
Ronin mecha has 400 independent parts (separately printed) and LEDs for the eyes and the spine. Mass production is next, but through conventional manufacturing methods. The price is unknown.
