It is official. 3D printing turns out to be the trend of this year’s DIY toy fans, all over the world. After the recent news about several designs being released for free download, to the public, Microsoft is releasing a printable yoyo collection for all yoyo collectors and kids alike.
It becomes more than obvious that Microsoft is in fact very interested in the recently developed 3D printing technology. In fact, their efforts in this direction are showing lately, and the idea of integrating 3D printing and scanning into their products is no longer a secret.Recently, during a preview of Windows 10, they showcased the development of 3D design for the purpose of 3D printing as if this was simply a natural way for the future of Windows.
Since then, the market was looking forward to some official announcement that would reveal a specific collaboration or a partnership set for the development of a 3D printed project. In return, Microsoft is still testing the market, most probably trying to gather some important information on how many of those people who have a 3D printer at home would actually download and print a specific 3D design.
Microsoft Yoyos
So, Microsoft has released four free 3D printable files on Thingiverse, just a few days ago. Each of the four designs are giving the opportunity of creating a personalized and fully functional yoyo. If you are a fan, you can find all four here. The four options feature different basic designs, all of which are perfect for further customization, and can be 3D printed in a few pieces – two halves and a connecting piece. Some 3D print with support, some without.
Though it may seem simple to an amateur, designing and manufacturing yoyos is actually a complex process that crosses the thin line between art and scienc. The expert yoyo-er will therefore probably be disapointed by the playing qualities of these Microsoft toys. For the 3D printing enthusiasts, it is nonetheless a very fun object to make (and even more fun to use as gift). Expert yoyo-ers can obviously use the available 3D designs as a base for further modeling and improvement, if interested and passionate enough.
It is, indeed, a very interesting development of the 3D printing technology since you can now see a giant company release a couple of these files under its official label. The future of 3D printing is surely here.
