BrickNerd - All things LEGO and the LEGO fan community: Back in 2022, I wrote an overview of the materials that LEGO uses in their products. Though I’m not a materials expert by any means, I do enjoy researching and discussing LEGO minutiae, and in the years since that article was published, I have found a few more historic sources for materials used, made some corrections, and been pointed towards other resources by like-minded fans.
3 comments:
I have had Legos for most of my life, and I have noticed that the various blocks and pieces have different feels. Up until seeing or reading this article I hadn't given this fact much thought, but it makes total sense that the various pieces are totally different materials. I suppose when I was younger that I thought all Legos were made from the same 'Lego' plastic, but as an adult I must have subconsciously that all Legos were made of a list of different plastics. Regardless seeing the images attached to each plastic or material was very fascinating, and due to my knowledge of the various blocks it gave me context for why each blocks purpose was connected to the material it is made from and the properties of said material. This understanding of materials properties is something that I would have not seen in previous parts of my life, but from working on shows and in classes at CMU I have gathered a basic to complex understanding of certain materials. This knowledge plus by knowledge of lego have combined for this article, and this connection recall caught my attention.
I think it was so interesting to read about the different types of plastic that Lego uses in their bricks and other products. I Knew that Lego used ASB as their primary plastic for their bricks, however I was completely unaware of the large variety of different plastics used in their products. I think this article points out a much more generally applied concept which is using the right material for the right job. I think it's so easy to get comfortable with one type of material and to really try to only use that, but when you're willing to diversify to different materials you are much more likely to be able to find the most effective and most efficient ways to create things. I think this is especially interesting and applicable as 3D printing becomes more accessible, and how we choose what types of filaments we use for the different types of work that need to be done. I also think including candy Lego bricks at the end of the article was a fun touch.
I've been playing with Legos for most of my life, and I didn't know that they were like 10 different types of plastic that went into making all the different pieces over the years, for this fun rainy day activity. My favorite type of plastic they use is polyethylene because I feel like it makes the most fun and pretty pieces, but it's not all about it being pretty; it's also about the practicality. But this also kind of puts into perspective how much plastic they are generating into this already struggling environment, and I wonder if there's a world in which Legos can become more eco-friendly. I understand that the plastic brick is kind of their trademark, so I'm just curious. However, I love Legos, and I have a Lego set in my room that I need to finish building, but I really just didn't know how many plastics that used to make their different types of pieces and Lego sets.
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