3D printing for kids

Lego, Barbies and... 3D printers? As additive manufacturing becomes increasingly commonplace, one company has created a playful printing machine just for kids that is part toy, part educational tool.

The brainchild of Mission Street Manufacturing, Printeer aims to "bridge the gap between the screen and the physical world" by letting children sketch their designs out on an iPad before manufacturing them.

The simplicity of the machine means that no CAD (computer aided design) skills are required, as is often the case with standard 3D printers -- instead, users just press the button for their designs to be fabricated.

The printer features transparent encasing so that children can observe the motors, pulleys and other brightly-colored components at work.

A colorful framework gives the invention a playful aesthetic, whilst a removable build platform allows completed designs to be safely removed.

"When we go to demos, kids are drawn to our product because they can see that this is meant for them," says Mission Street Manufacturing Co-Founder Brian Jaffe.

"It's colorful, it's playful, but it's also doing something which is practically magic in their minds."

Currently trending on crowdfunding website Kickstarter, first-batch Printeers will be available from US$499 (RM1,600) for early pledgers. Initial deliveries are expected to ship in September 2014.