14 DAY TRIAL // Cartoons may be a medium of entertainment that combines sound with image, but they can be used as inspiration for other things as well, like action figures and other toys. Now, 3D printing technology is adding its contribution.
To be more specific, a Thai company called Minockio has begun to offer 3D printed replicas of its customers, for a small fee.
You see, 3D scanners are all well and good, but you don't really need more than one accurate representation of yourself. Assuming you want one at all.
Getting a cartoon version of you, just a few inches tall, could not only be a good joke, but could be useful if you're a parent as well.
Say you have a kid that you'd love to be with, and who loves to spend time with you, but you still have a job to mind.
You could requisition a cartoonish replica of you and hand it over to your child, so they can “always be with you,” as potentially creepy as it sounds. Even just keeping the figurine as a bauble could add a new flavor to your living room.
So how does Minockio go about it? First off, it uses one of the easiest to use interfaces to make a half cartoon, half bobble head object.
You design your character, choosing important facial features and the preferred stance. Because you don't actually get 3D scanned, it's not nearly as expensive. Not that scanning yourself would be anything but a waste. It's not like you or Minockio are aiming for accuracy here.
Once you've decided on an image, Minockio uses an inkjet powder-based 3D printer to turn it into a physical thing.
It's one of the few techniques that can 3D print in full color, though it does come at a pretty hefty cost. Kind of on the lines of 3D printing a 3D scan of yourself really. In a way, you are simply trading one costly option for another, but it's not like 3D printing technology has reached the stage of miracles yet.
Anyway, the average price of a 4-inch figuring is of $140 / €102, and it takes 15 days to make and ship after you've placed the order.
Speaking of which, shipping is free, worldwide, and you'll get replacements for whatever merchandise is damaged on the way. Not a bad work ethic, all told.
“We believe an end-consumer product like ours can greatly help bring 3D printing to a much wider audience. A lot of people still have never heard about this technology, and very few people have touched and held an actual 3D printed item in their hands,” stated Teerapat Mahasukhon, from Minockio Co., Ltd.