Discover How Toys Are Made from Start to Finish
Manufacturing toys is a complex but interesting process. In order to manufacture a toy that is safe and fun at the same time requires a great deal of care and precision that should be kept in mind at every stage of production.
Toy factories make sure that the highest possible standards are met to produce toys that make fun time more enjoyable for a child.
Here goes a comprehensive guide about the steps involved in the manufacturing of toys.
Market Research
New toy manufacturing is initiated by detailed market research. Product development teams should actively engage the market for product ideas. Market research provides a clear cut approach about consumer demand, identifies potential competitors and analyzes the best price range for the new toy.
Although comprehensive research is time consuming and expensive, it is effective in making informed decisions about which toy to produce.
Through market research minimize the risk for costly mistakes and increase the chance of an ideal product venture to be initiated.
When exploring opportunities in the toy industry, businesses can significantly enhance their product offerings by collaborating with a reputable Toy Manufacturer.
Design and Prototyping
● Toy prototype design and making
The first stage in the design process is the 3D modeling of the product. This aids model creation and visualization that can be explored from all perspectives before prototyping.
Once the 3D model is decided, it’s time to work on prototyping. The goal of toy prototyping is to develop a working sample of the toy that can be utilized for testing, evaluating for highlighting potential circumstances during the toy production process or issues with the final product. After the prototype is printed, assembly time and testing accuracy is started to make sure whether the toy is ideal for mass production or not.
● Toy prototype durability and quality control
After running a series of durability tests, the research and development team makes sure that recurring problems have been identified and necessary changes are made before prototype approval and toy manufacture steps move down the ladder.
Prototype testing usually consists of three steps, the initial stage includes testing the toy functionality, second test deals with durability of the toy to make sure its rough to play over the time and final stage is the safety test to ensure it is accurate for the physical play and safe for the use of children.
Legal Protection
Most of the cases the toy is being reviewed by the legal team to check for pattern and copyright protection, to ensure the toy does not include any existing trademark or patent. Licensing agreements are also scrutinized to ensure the legal and fair procedures are kept in mind by the manufacturers. This process is crucial to secure the interest of both manufacturers and the licensor. The agreement includes the quantity of toys being manufactured, geographical areas to be distributed and duration of licensing agreement.
Mold Production
Molding is one of the most popular toy manufacturing solutions. Mold production starts with a 3D model completed by an expert design engineer. Mold samples are made to test the quality and dimension of the toy. The molding parts are usually created by aluminum, steel, or alloy. The process is slow and takes weeks to complete.
Injection molding is in high demand because the same toy can be replicated thousands of times. The injection molding process is also quick and requires little manual labor, which makes toy manufacturing cost-effective.
Packaging Design
Designing the packaging for toys is usually a challenging task. This is because there are four major factors that are to be considered – material, function, size and messaging.
● Toy packaging materials challenge
In the toy manufacturing industry , a variety of packaging materials are used but also few additional considerations must be taken into account. First of all, the toxic free material is increasing nowadays due to consumer demand. As the buyers are most conscious about their kids, eco-friendly packaging is durable, safe and environment friendly too.
● Toy packaging function – transport, stack and re-use
The major role of packaging is to protect toys during transportation and stacking but also the packaging should assist in keeping a toy clean. In addition, it is very crucial that the box is reusable because many parents may want to utilize it for storage purposes or might re-gift once children forget about the toy.
● Toy packaging size matters
With current hype in transportation cost, buyers want more compact packaging that can be deliverable across the world. This requires keen attention on the packaging size with creative minds to improve the demands of the product, by creating fascinating packaging sizes that excites the kids.
Attraction with the right transportation size boosts a kid’s interest in the toy.
● Toy packaging message – getting kids excited
The color scheme and images have a significant impact on the purchasing decisions of parents and children. Bright colors are often linked with fun excitement while soft colors convey a feeling of safety and simplicity. Images with appealing scenes also grab consumer attention and create an emotional attachment with the toys.
Production Phase
● Toy parts and components production
The toy production process starts with selecting toxic free ABC plastic materials. Before the molding process starts, ABS pallets are dried in special machine and then transferred to molding machines. The pallets are heated until they transform into liquid and then injected into a mold to force out into tiny holes. The plastics solidify to take the shape of a mold cavity.
ABS is material that has an amazing quality of melting down and providing a perfect shape with chemical degradation making it reusable and recyclable. ABS plastic material offers a great balance of dimensional control, tensile strength and electrical characteristics which makes it strong.
● Toy Assembly
Assembling them is critical for the success of the toy production process. Any mishandling can result in mishap which will pass to the users. To prevent this toys are assembled according to instructions which are according to assembly lines. In addition, it is important that workers who are involved in the assembling process are well trained and strictly follow the rules.
The Quality Check department is responsible for testing toys after they are being assembled. This significant task helps to ensure that products meet safety protocol and are free of defects. The department typically consists of experts with vast knowledge of the toy manufacturing process. In order to test toys, the QC team uses methods, including visual inspection and functional testing.
After that toys are being assembled it has been sent down to the package department. The packaging team makes sure each toy is securely packed with all manuals and instructions. Before distribution, products are being stored in warehouses.
