How is Lego made?
The history of the world-famous Lego constructors began back in the last century, back in 1949, when the first parts of this wonderful toy were born in the small town of Billund, Denmark. The small plastic blocks were designed in such a way that they could easily be connected to each other due to the presence of special elements. The basis for the entire further variety of components of the designer were small bricks of several sizes, equipped with tongues and grooves that connected the parts to each other.
Gradually, the range of parts expanded, the sets began to include wheels first, then figures of people and animals were added, and then, as technological progress developed, even miniature electric motors and various sensors. Therefore, now from Lego parts you can assemble not only houses, as originally intended, but also spaceships, airplanes, pirate frigates, cars and even moving robots. True fans of this wonderful designer are interested in knowing literally everything about it. It is for them that we will tell you how Lego is made.
LEGO factories are located in three countries - Denmark, Mexico and the Czech Republic. In these giant factories, about 60 tons of colorful thermoplastics are turned into several million cubes every day. Myself technological process The production of parts is quite simple, there are no special secrets in it.
What and how is Lego made of: the manufacturing process
1. The birth of a new Lego set begins with an idea. The company's developers decide which new set should be put into production based on market conditions - a pirate ship, a robot, or a fire station.
2. When the project is finally approved, design engineers get down to business. They create mock-ups of the necessary parts, and on their basis, special metal matrices are made - molds into which the thermoplastic will be poured. There is no need to make matrices of all parts every time, because most of the blocks are standard. They have been used in all sets since the sixties of the last century. Therefore, it is only necessary to create again the molds for the exclusive parts that are unique to the new set. It is worth noting that Lego molds are very expensive. We are talking about amounts of tens, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Therefore, all matrices, even those no longer used at the present time, are carefully stored in the factory warehouse, because who knows, maybe they will still be needed.
3. The finished matrices are transferred to the factory, and the next designer is put into production. Its basis is modern injection molding machines, which under large; Pressure and at temperatures above 200 degrees, parts are stamped from molten multi-colored plastic.
4. High-quality acrylonitrile-based plastic arrives at the plant in the form of granules - transparent or red. The granules are stored in a special bunker, from where they are fed into molding machines. There, the plastic is melted, mixed with the necessary dyes and literally injected into matrix molds under high pressure.
5. After water cooling, the molds open and the finished bricks fall onto the conveyor belt.
6. The process of creating parts is almost completely automated and does not require human presence. The robot collects Lego fragments from the conveyor, packs them into bags and weighs them. The robot even attaches heads and arms to the figures and draws facial features and costume details for them.
7. After this, the finished parts of the designer are sent to the packaging department. Boxes for the sets are designed by high-class designers. They feature colorful designs that match the theme of the set and the Lego logo. A special machine takes the printing blank, bends it in specified directions and glues the box together. Then the robot places a set of parts sealed in a bag into it. The next machine closes the lid and seals it.
8. Now all that remains is to pack bright, elegant boxes of six pieces of construction sets into large cardboard boxes, cover them with plastic film, and fresh Lego will be ready to ship.
Now that you know how Lego is made, it's time to open a new set, pour bright pieces onto the table and immerse yourself in an exciting game!
In the popular understanding, LEGO toys are a way to keep kids busy for a while with exciting and educational games. They assemble buildings, roads, cars, robots and other forms from plastic bricks. Inexpensive. Interesting. Children develop their thinking better.
And children in many countries even submit letters to manufacturers with ideas about what can be made from LEGO, and they respond by releasing new construction sets. It only added to the worries of parents: collecting the scattered parts of the construction set.
Brief history
But few parents think about where the game came from. Little is known that in 2000 beautiful crafts from LEGO even amazed its British competitor, the Toy Association: it recognized LEGO as the Toy of the 20th century.
A carpenter foreman from a small Danish town formed the LEGO group in the early 1930s and began producing children's toys made of wood. 17 years later, the company, having barely recovered from the hardships of World War II, switched to the production of plastic components for construction. All kinds of photos of LEGO crafts convince adults that play can be a serious activity for children.
Lego in Danish means “play well,” and in Latin and Italian it means “collect.” Until now, the first plastic bricks are compatible with all those released in different years children's constructors. And they allow you to make crafts from LEGO of varying complexity.
At the same time, the developers meet from the very beginning three tasks that children have to solve mentally and practically: modular assembly, assembly and disassembly skills, and bring kids closer to the concept of repairing equipment.
There are also more complex assemblies for teenagers with the inclusion of microcontrollers and electric motors in the construction kits. Below we will conduct a master class on crafts from LEGO, we will tell you what can be assembled from plastic bricks. For example, a case for a flash drive.
Flash drive
Children simply adore various gadgets (in English they mean “device”, “trinket”, “stray”). Today we will offer a project easy creation original LEGO packaging block for the flash drive.
These electronic devices are produced without bells and whistles, and also in the form of anything externally - a lighter, a keychain and even a bullet. But even in the form of a LEGO block, the flash drive will look very unusual and quite original.
To work you should have on hand:
- Flash drive
- Plastic parts-bricks
- Instant glue
- Light silicone
- Sandpaper
- Paint (but not watercolor or artistic oil)
Start of production - installation of the USB flash drive housing. Select two 6x3 rectangles (can be replaced with 4x3 and 2x3 pieces). Cut carefully sharp knife(plastic cuts well) the walls of all the bricks that will come into contact with each other. Glue them together. Next, install the flash drive inside the created block in the cut hole.
The main stage of skillful work is strengthening the USB drive inside the case. For fixation, use transparent silicone. Through it you will need to observe the blinking of the diode “light bulb” - an indicator of the gadget’s operation. Fill the entire void with silicone.
The final part is polishing and painting. Glue the back of the block. Carefully sand the gluing areas and joints with fine-grained sandpaper M63 or M50, or more simply five or four, so that the entire surface becomes smooth.
Paint the entire unit without touching the protruding USB connector using a brush or spray. Cover the connector with paper. The can should be held firmly in your hand and the nozzle should be directed only at the product. It is advisable to wear any glasses to protect your eyes from accidental contact with the spray jet.
spinner
A toy for adults and children to relieve stress. Factory layout made of metal, plastic, paper. We provide instructions on how to make a small craft from LEGO. Designers are made of metal, plastic, paper.
For creativity according to our instructions, select from the designer an axle, a pair of round disks with 6x6 and 4x4 holes (2 pieces), as well as with a hole for the axle and another flat one. Set aside 8 3x2 and 4 2x2 blocks. Rotak plates: a large one between two smaller ones; install flat on the axle.
Note! 
Place the assembled part on top of it, secure it with a flat washer, and fasten it with a 2x2 piece with a cross-shaped hole. Attach 2x2 and 2x3 block weights to the center. Use your fingers to grasp the axle at the top and bottom. The spinner is ready to spin.
House
You can create something from any construction sets by mixing blocks from different boxes. For example, a luxury house is our proposal on how to come up with a DIY craft from LEGO.
A few tips on "architecture". Choose several platforms - one for the floor, the other green one will become the yard. If the house is large, then allocate space for the kitchen, living room and bedroom, and, of course, the nursery. If it’s on two floors, take it away flights of stairs. We wish you success!
Photos of Lego crafts
Note! 
Note! 
The LEGO constructor has long ceased to be just an educational game for children. Tens of millions of cubes are used to build full-fledged amusement parks for children and their parents. LEGO has made inroads into the film and gaming industries. Creative individuals use parts to create paintings and sculptures, and passionate engineers use them to make car bodies. Looks impressive! Indeed, the limits of the use of famous figures are limited only by human imagination, and it knows no boundaries. In this article you will learn about unusual uses of LEGO bricks in everyday life.
Coin Sorter
To distant Soviet times my mother worked as a salesperson and dealt with kilograms of coins every day. I helped her sort them by face value. On the one hand, it was very cool to occasionally find memorable specimens, on the other hand, the boring activity quickly became boring. It’s a pity that in those days there wasn’t either the LEGO constructor itself or something like this. interesting recipe use of its parts. The mechanism can be adapted to any coin diameter.
Stand
During the hot summer, my computer likes to shut down due to overheating. Touching the surface on which the laptop is standing will result in a slight burn. Therefore, it is necessary to create an air “cushion” under it to provide greater ventilation and better cooling. Several cubes are ideal as a stand.
The solution can also be used to save space in the kitchen. In the same way, the baking sheets can go into the dishwasher.
Small items organizer
Forget about searching for keys, wallets and other pocket small things with the help of an original organizer. If you're too lazy to drill holes in your bricks, LEGO sells pre-punched keychains.
Educational game
Why not kill two birds with one stone? Combine the development of children's fingers and thinking with learning to read and count. Use a regular marker to write words and numbers onto the cubes. Learning grammar will become much more interesting.
Task Manager
No successful undertaking is complete without planning and setting goals. A design studio from the UK offered its original approach to controlling the movement of projects. The basis was formed by Lego parts.
But any concept is really good if it can be translated into reality. The Lego calendar is successfully used by some companies to plan the work of 20 employees.
Lens cap holder
Do you like photography or video shooting? Then you are familiar with the “problem” of a loose or lost lens cap. Attach Lego pieces to the lid itself and the strap - a simple and practical solution.
Office hacks
Place tiny magnets in the cubes and your paper clips, staples and holders will find a home. The mess on the table is over!
No magnets? No problem! You can make stylish cups for pens and other office items.
Rack
For any nonsense, usually lying around anywhere, you can make an unusual stand. For example, for a phone...
... joysticks, and even...
... shaving accessories!
Picture frame
Can a photo frame surprise? Certainly! Flight of thought and Lego pieces will help you.
A flower pot
Lovers of indoor plants should love the idea of a designer pot. Usually rapid growth flower is accompanied by worries about purchasing and replanting into a larger pot. With Lego you can modify any existing pot to the required size.
Theme house
Why waste time with pots when you can speed up a whole house! Perhaps this will be a playroom for children, but adults will also want to visit it at all costs.
And what unusual options Do you know the uses of Lego?
All parents know about the benefits of construction toys for a child’s development. In stores today you can find a wide variety of them. Why not use them to make interior decor?
Original crafts made from construction sets can also be a wonderful gift. The main thing is that the parts are securely fastened together, otherwise the product will fall apart at the most inopportune moment.
Constructor "Zoo"
It consists of flat square parts, fastened together by means of grooves and teeth located around the perimeter. Some of the squares are hollow in the center. The easiest way is to assemble a rug from them, fastening them together in one plane. This rug will serve as a decor for a nursery or bathroom.
The parts of the Zoo construction set can be connected in three planes, resulting in cubes and parallelepipeds. And from them you can assemble robots, cars, buses, boxes for storing toys and various small items.
Designed by Friedrich Froebel
It got its name from the name of its creator. Strictly speaking, this is not really a construction set, and you can’t buy it in a store. But it’s easy to make it yourself with your child.
You will need regular dry whole peas and wooden toothpicks, sharpened at both ends. They can also be successfully replaced by sharpened matches. After the peas dry again, the parts of the craft will be securely fastened together.
The peas need to be soaked to the point where sharp sticks can easily be stuck into them. Toothpicks can be inserted into peas at any angle, creating three-dimensional shapes. Excellent material for studying molecules and atoms with children.
Crafts from construction sets for children can be created in a matter of minutes. Connect 8 peas and 12 sticks in the shape of a cube or parallelepiped - you get the base of the house. A prism-shaped roof was added to the top and the house was ready. and an infinite number of such three-dimensional figures can be created.
Lego
Even a novice designer can make cool crafts from Lego with his own hands. If there are children in the family, they must be involved in work. Comes with every set detailed instructions for crafts from the designer.
The company produces dozens of different series, and all parts are compatible with each other. When some of them are lost, children usually combine several sets and collect everything that comes to mind.
Why don’t adults take an example from them and create decorative items or useful crafts for everyday life? Below is a master class on crafts made from Lego.
pencil
To make it, you will need a square plate approximately 10 x 10 cm. Around its perimeter you need to build 4 sides 10-12 cm high from linear and corner parts.
The result will be a cube with one plane missing. In such a cube you can put pencils or spoons and forks in the kitchen.
Flowerpots
Nondescript flower pot can be lowered into a Lego planter by constructing a cylinder without a bottom. It's even easier to make an octagonal or hexagonal prism.
Hamster house
If a child has a furry pet and has accumulated a lot of designer parts, you can offer him to make a house with a spacious entrance. The hamster will hide in such a house from prying eyes.
Housekeeper
On a flat rectangular panel lay out a pattern, any drawing or inscription made from colored parts. Attach several parts to the bottom of the panel by first drilling holes in them and inserting hooks on which the keys will be hung.
Attach the craft to the wall in the hallway. The hooks can be detached from the adhesive base. These are sold at any hardware store.
Dresser
It will require a lot of parts, tens of thousands. Attach several square Lego plates of the same size to a wooden or plywood base.
Build sides on three sides from linear and corner parts. At a height of 15 cm, make a horizontal partition from thin plywood, on which to also fasten panels for the construction of the next floor.
The partition can be made as follows. On the bottom side, make holes around the perimeter so that Lego pieces can be inserted into them. For reliability, use glue. Now the partition can be attached to the walls of the first floor. For boxes also use plywood and plates. The main thing is that they are easily inserted into the niches of the frame.
Watch
To make them you will need a clock mechanism, a square plate and 12 square Lego pieces. You need to drill a hole in the center of the plate and insert the clock mechanism. Attach 12 parts symbolizing numbers on the panel in a circle. The clock is ready.
Framework
From Lego parts you can make frames for photos, mirrors, children's drawings, placing them on rectangular or square plates.
Chess
Place on a square plate checkerboard pattern the cells are 8 x 8, and from the details of black and white flowers build chess pieces.
Take a closer look at the construction toys your child is tired of playing with. Don’t rush to throw them away, but give them a second life by creating useful and beautiful crafts.
Photos of crafts from the designer
The Lego company has been producing children's construction sets with the same name for many years. For the first time, this company patented its plastic products back in 1958. The set includes plastic parts of different sizes, each of which can be quite easily attached to another part using pins located in its upper part. Over the years, models of these sets were improved, and many were interested in the question - what can be made from Legos?
Today, the range of these construction sets is very wide: on store shelves you can often find a variety of additional parts for such a construction set: figures of people, birds, animals, as well as coins, trees and other attributes. In addition, the designers themselves may belong to a specific theme, for example: wizards, pirates, etc. characters and everything that accompanies them. But the most popular model is a city or Lego city.
Before you start making anything from this construction set, you, of course, need to purchase it. A standard set will do. In order to assemble a machine gun, pistol or other weapon, you need to start with small parts. By the way, another advantage of this construction set is that even a one-year-old baby can play with it, because its parts are not so small as to penetrate the child’s respiratory organs. But for the most part, the vast majority of sets are recommended for children aged 5 years and older.
Any Lego comes with instructions for making a particular element (robot, machine, etc.). After reading it carefully, you can special effort and labor to assemble the constructor. The main difference between such instructions is the most clear description of the assembly stages, and the color pictures will make the assembly process clear even to a small child.
With Lego City, the situation is somewhat different: to build it, most likely, you will need more than 1 set, because here you will have to construct buildings and structures, as well as other elements of urban or rural use. This toy will captivate not only children, but also adults!
By the way, for the details of this designer there is 1 more little unusual application, namely, household. For example, such products can become excellent ice cube trays! To do this, simply fill them with water and place them in the freezer, and then use a knife to remove the contents from them. In addition, you can use Lego to make refrigerator magnets, candles, soap molds, or other useful household items.
Now the company is actively producing new kits, with the help of which you can create figures not only from simple parts, but also from gears, chains, various connecting elements and even a programming block.
The company does not forget about its many fans. In this regard, she opened a number of amusement parks, which are somewhat similar to Disneyland, located in Paris. These parks are called Legoland and Legosity. In them, kids and adults can look at unusual buildings, ride on attractions and even create structures and entire cities on their own!
DIY Lego crafts: options
Lego is an exciting educational game that is especially popular with children because of its bright colors and colorful designs. But its main advantage is the many different variations in the assembly of parts. Anyone can collect what they like best: from weapons like a pistol or machine gun, to cars, robots and even buildings!
But before you start assembling the construction set, you need to unpack it and look at the manual - instructions, where the work options will be indicated. This guide is step-by-step, so you won’t have to think long about how to properly assemble this or that structure.
If you have already tried all the assembly options suggested in the instructions, then you can create a special model or design using, for example, video tutorials.
But a situation may arise when you do not have any of the necessary parts, then you will need to purchase 1 more set of the designer. But you can immediately buy Lego “Freestyle”, thereby supplementing the original construction set with a large number of different parts.
The Lego Technic set is very useful for child development, but first the baby should be taught how to fasten the main parts together, and then you can give free rein to his imagination. By the way, this Lego set includes, in addition to the main parts, quite specific ones, for example: motors, gears and chains. Therefore, you need to carefully monitor your small child while he is busy constructing so that he cannot swallow small parts.
Work on complex structures sometimes it takes quite a long time, so if your son or daughter is under 7 years old, it can get boring very quickly. To ensure that the search for the required scheme takes the shortest possible time, you can search on the Internet.
But you need to know that different sets have, respectively, different sizes. For example, when purchasing Lego Duplo, next time it is better to purchase a construction set from the same series if your plans include expanding the parts. There are also sets for older children, and also for those who like to rack their brains, such as Lego Mindstorms. Here you will find software modules, many small and connecting parts, and even electronic sensors, with the help of which you can easily assemble a robot or a car!
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Lego crafts: video