Creating a LEGO-compatible brick that doesn't exist

[@tim..indeed]

> has the opportunity to create any Lego piece he wants > creates a flat, black 1x15

[@uiopuiop3472]

yeah like me at the fanuc robot klub they said i can make any robot my friend akos made a tricolor cleanroom robot with a beige base and a ipendant that looks like a terminal from the 80s with amber colored text and everything and i made a grey robot with a grey ipendant thats on a black base

[@uiopuiop3472]

@@strider_hiryu850 yea if i had 100 euros left from ALL THE FORCE10 NETWORK SWITCH BUYS I DO id buy 650 new lego pieces made by. them.

[@julesharris6383]

K😊

[@ryles5069]

> it doesn't work

[@richardpike8748]

my goals are beyond your understanding

[@obscurity3027]

The tolerances of LEGO parts are so small, it’s actually insane.

[@al_eggs]

that’s the cost of using non-flimsy plastic unfortunately

[@SwNero]

Lego is by far not that impressive anymore. There are a lot of other companies creating better bricks with higher quality

[@MizukiNoDoragon]

@@SwNero wouldn't necessarily say higher quality, but definitely high quality enough to be nearly unnoticable

[@bastiist5479]

@@MizukiNoDoragon i would definetly say better than lego though specially in color quallity

[@randelmatt]

Maybe... Not as critical as engine components though as there will be a bit of play in the plastic. Probably a relatively wide Margin especially if you have plates with more than one stud to spread the error

[@nothinggoldstays8092]

Of all non-existent Lego parts, I think minifig tacos deserve to be mentioned. Why have they not made these yet? The curve of the minifigs hand would perfectly grip a taco shell.

[@UnaturalShadows]

what the hell youre right

[@verifios]

wtf those dont exist!?

[@gen2mediainc.577]

Nah cuz they wouldn’t be able to hold the taco vertically it would spill

[@nilsdock]

no taco Tuesday

[@BrickBending]

Truer words have never been spoken

[@gnomeandgarden6157]

Instead of a 1x15, imagine a 1x16 with 2 missing studs (1-12-1). That would give you an actual connection at the end instead of just an overlap, and much freer hinging. Then progress through other lengths missing those penultimate studs.... Or even just alternating studs for the whole length (more difficult for even lengths, obviously) Then show how useful they are and petition LEGO to make official ones.

[@Vandueren5]

Yeas, I was thinking they would create plates with all the even stud missing to get extreme scissor angles :-)

[@BrickBending]

We are on the same wavelength. There is a v2.0 of this build that is bigger, and heads down that road of removing interfering studs. Well spotted.

[@billkeithchannel]

@@BrickBending Back when I was a teen in the 80's I used a knife to remove studs that were in my way.

[@remotepinecone]

I remember friends would cut pieces if they didn't have the right one. savages!

[@foopolo]

I’ve needed a 1x5 so many times

[@LeVraiPoio]

May I suggest a thin coat of spray varnish on these custom parts ? That could adress both the mat finish and the clutch if you're lucky.

[@BrickBending]

I will look into that. Thank you!

[@lukearts2954]

@@BrickBending in my search for cheaper bricks I came across a Chinese manufacturer who offered to use their lego brick die maker to make custom dies for me. The only catch was they had a minimum quantity of 10,000 per brick type (except for bricks they already have dies for. (In other words, they offered me bricks they were making for other customers whose initial 10k order had covered the die cost.) Never went through with it because of changes in import restrictions (tariffs) which suddenly made them over 3 times more expensive than original LEGO.

[@Alex-zi1nb]

@@lukearts2954 just fly there and smuggle them home lol

[@grahamwaldo331]

I’m pretty sure that that would overshoot the tolerance. Lego tolerances are crazy tight for plastic parts. Even a super thin coat of varnish could easily mess up the fit.

[@lukearts2954]

@@grahamwaldo331 he could electrocoat it with layers of just a few micrometer at a time... I believe The Thought Emporium is the channel with a video series on such a device, where he covers a butterfly with metal. Absolutely stunning.

[@greenstonegecko]

In essence, LEGO is so simple, but if you're trying to replicate it, you'll notice how hard it actually is to make it

[@theredoctopus3196]

Actually there is tons of other companies selling these bricks. Some even in slightly better quality than what lego does. The issue here comes from the plates being custom so there is no quality control outside the actual testing here in video form

[@ausburnesdumbaltaccount9676]

lego's simplicity being fairly difficult to replicate is like the other side of "If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter."

[@sanjuanfromsomewhere]

Glad you didn't give up and use the kragle

[@BrickBending]

14 years in and I have yet to do so

[@sanjuanfromsomewhere]

@BrickBending Wow!!!

[@stavinaircaeruleum2275]

Nice reference

[@Pixomite]

I haven’t watched that movie in ages

[@carlinday1015]

​@@BrickBending I have to say, why are you doing it nine years later?

[@sambauman69]

Competitor brands have a "double studded plate" with studs on both the top and bottom, or anti-studs on a double anti-stud brick. This allows you to very easily switch to building upside down in a standard construction. I want LEGO to officially make one of those.

[@amaryllis0]

No thanks. Snot building is an art form, with lots of techniques to choose which fit different contexts. Having a stud reversal brick would just be incredibly boring. No interesting techniques or part usages, just trivial

[@LutraLovegood]

@@amaryllis0 Then don't use it

[@ellie8272]

​@@amaryllis0But wouldn't it allow even more complex builds that are even harder to make?

[@TwiliPaladin]

​@@amaryllis0Translation: "It makes certain things easier thus leading to new ideas that were tedious or impossible before, so I don't want it."

[@Purple11011]

I have a random 1x1 rounded double studded brick, just one, and I have no idea where it came from. It even has the LEGO logo printed on it.

[@JonathanHagen-if4pt]

The twelve point star would make an interesting clock.

[@tiagotiagot]

Lego has put tons of work in their design and manufacturing processes to get the tolerances consistently just right. It's really not surprising that a first attempt of matching their connection characteristics didn't land 100%

[@Stupidsamhjfuhrngeh]

wow 18 year old account thats insane

[@ypthemc]

@@Stupidsamhjfuhrngeh Mines a little bit older.

[@Voron_Aggrav]

@@Stupidsamhjfuhrngeh meanwhile mine is closer to 20 at this point *edit* checked, hmm surprising mine is younger, not sure how pretty sure it should've been closer to 20...

[@NickCombs]

The studs on the custom piece look much shorter than the official studs. I'm pretty sure that's what is causing the lack of "clutch".

[@SandBox86]

Well.. you’re pretty wrong 😂

[@FACEDUMMY]

​@@SandBox86I know yuur looking to start some beef but you really gonna say yes wrong whit no proof at all, not even word proof of it?

[@JusteazyGames]

​@@FACEDUMMY The clutch comes from the thickness of the studs combined with the tensile strength of the material. A real Lego brick halfway pushed in still has more clutch power than these JLC pseudo-bricks.

[@denisl2760]

@@FACEDUMMY Length would be a very tiny factor compared to the width of the studs

[@asteroidrules]

I was not expecting the revelation that you have a voice.

[@whar3]

Real

[@Stupidsamhjfuhrngeh]

i thought he was an ai

[@damienlemongolien5303]

This is an AI voice

[@whar3]

are you sure it’s ai 😊

[@damienlemongolien5303]

@@whar3 100% listen at 0:26 you can hear the artifacts

[@0Defensor0]

Try spraying the printed parts with a few layers of clear coat, that may increase their thickness just enough to stick properly, and would give them the missing shine too.

[@coasterblocks3420]

Top of my wish list: A) 1x1x3 round brick with axle hole B) 1x1x1 hinge

[@SupersuMC]

Been working on a model where that hinge would be so useful.

[@abnormalweapon922]

You know what brick id make? ANYTHING as a 1x5. Geez man, i cant even tell yall how many times ive needed to make a connection where only a 5 long thing would work. A stud and 1x4 wouldnt connect it right, an a 1x6 is too long, so just give us more 1x5

[@Dewdrop0-6]

I believe those exist. Though I'm not sure how many colors they come in.

[@BrickBending]

The 1x5 plate is new, and it is SO useful. I did a little happy dance when I first got a hold of them.

[@zackbuildit88]

1x5 plates are so cool tbh they should be everywhere

[@billkeithchannel]

As a teen in the 80's I have cut a 1x10 in half using a coping saw to make two 5's.

[@abnormalweapon922]

@@billkeithchannel glad to know it's not a new issue, haha. Pretty good solution too

[@PTMoozr]

I teach a 3d printing class and the final project is to model and print a 2x6 ‘Lego-compatible building block’ given the exact dimensions.

[@AndrewBryan-n3h]

3:33 this right here Broke my brain when you did this

[@The-amazing-speaker]

I was acualy expecting that lol

[@Hi-xi3bu]

Same

[@jobobminer8843]

I think I prefere the all-lego one. The finish of the pieces, in my opinion, is worth the extra size.

[@BrickBending]

Fair. I could see using printed bricks as an interior scaffolding, but the final look of the finish is really important.

[@FreshApplePie]

yep, plus despite the thickness, the amount of parallel lines you see show up from hiding the lower layers when you look at it from a flatter angle looks really cool.

[@fire5281]

Honestly, I grew up buying fake Lego, and this "loose clutch" issue is very common. Sometimes, the opposite happens: it gets so tight together I had to use a razor blade to split them apart. if anything, you could modify the Lego model sizes when you upload to them, specifically the stud size, by around ×101%

[@ooc329]

Can confirm on that last statement... sort of. I can't speak for bricks with studs, but I 3D printed a bunch of custom technic-type parts back in college. It took a bunch of fiddling with the size of the connections, but I'd say that the final iteration I made has pretty good clutch power. The pins do break somewhat easily, but I'm sure the stuff that JLC3DP makes is considerably better in that regard.

[@Alfred-Neuman]

I think you guys should invest in some professional injection molding equipment. The quality of your DIY Lego pieces would be so much better. If you have 250.000$ laying around you should really consider trying this technique... 😋

[@Mike-mf3ed]

Building this in white or light blue would make for a good snowflake decoration.

[@wigglyfruit4708]

Ooo or do it in green and make a bow for a cute Lego wreath. I’m a little late for Christmas but it would make a really nice Christmas wreath

[@AnonymousFreakYT]

TIL that the sound of LEGO plates clicking and clacking is my perfect form of ASMR.

[@dashielleheidt7223]

I rly like this process video where there is an explanation as you're building it. Would definitely love to see more of this!

[@BrickBending]

Thank you! I will definitely do more of these.

[@blockshift758]

4:29 since 12 pointed wasn't really in tension that means the original 7 pointed star was never in tension since it the is a lot of wiggle room. As seen on the 16 long plates(?)

[@BrickBending]

Because the smaller motif can hinge, none of the variations are under any significant tension. Some are probably zero.

[@MrLordZenki]

I think this video does a good job demonstrating why Lego imitations are never quite as good lol

[@Goernio]

There are quite a few competitors that make at least the same quality of bricks ( Clutch Power ) if not better ( in Terms of color and Print quality ). Just dont buy straight up ripp-offs of existing sets, those are mostly Made with cheap ass bricks. Cobi for example does awesome sets, produced in the EU.

[@goininXIV]

Except the "imitations" that people actually use aren't 3d printed? Get some Go Bricks and tell me how they're worse than Lego. ("imitations" in quotes because all the patents Lego had on the system are long since expired. And if you're coming at it from a moralistic point; don't forget to mention that Lego copied the basic brick system from Kiddiecraft to begin with)

[@phoenixdblack]

​@@goininXIVThe current Go-Bricks Iterations are insane quality.

[@F1R3B1RD_Gaming]

What about Mega Blocks ._.

[@BlazingSun72]

Pausing @12:41 to say maybe gloss black paint maybe solves both cosmetic and functional problems?

[@IonNight]

I have made my own stuff. 6 years ago I made gears with every tooth from 16 to 40.

[@theobserverfan]

Me too, I made shorter technic studs.

[@freshstat1csnow]

so you could theoretically make a 17:31 gear ratio if you wanted? wild

[@theobserverfan]

@@freshstat1csnow i don't know why anyone would do that

[@cmyk8964]

This is also unintentionally a good answer to "Why are LEGOs so expensive compared to compatible competitors?"

[@HowGamersPlay]

My favorite part of these videos are seeing the copy machine in action. Watching the build parts exponentially get bigger is extra satisfying for me! Keep on building!

[@KingTalion]

it would be interesting to see the same design with entirely jlc printed bricks, so that the plates of all lengths have the same connections

[@lilyrooney]

do you think itd be worth modelling a slight outwards taper on the printed studs? so like, the very top 1% of the stud is oversized and "plugs" the hole and gets a little squished to keep it in there. or maybe multi material printing where the stud is completely oversized but printed in a softer material so it has some give.

[@NickCombs]

I think they just need to be as tall as the official studs.

[@BrickBending]

I'm going to play with different materials to see how that affects things. There's also a small 'bit' on the underside that can be sized up. But I'm not sure just how much fine tuning is possible. I am a novice in this arena.

[@Jaysin412]

You're channel is amazing. Been here since the beginning. Don't get to see every video, but I think this is the first time I've heard your voice. Keep it up man!

[@BrickBending]

Cheers! Thanks for sticking with me on the journey. It's evolving, but I'm still having fun. : )

[@TheMegamaster44]

I think it would be funny if Lego actually adopted the piece but only released it in Lego police cars

[@BrickBending]

That would be awesome and hilarious!

[@alfadorfox]

@6:47 "two-thirds the height of a standard Lego plate" *two-thirds the height of a brick, twice the height of a plate

[@IONATVS]

as an engineer, a large part of the clutch power from lego comes from a slight interference fit, called a press fit. IE the studs are SLIGHTLY bigger than the hole you jam them in. different materials with different give need a different amount of interference (overlap) for the same effect, but you should be able to achieve it with trial and error (iteratively increasing the stud size and decreasing the hole size *just* the tiniest bit each time until it has the same "feel") if JLC3DP's process has the tolerance for it.

[@Chris_Cross]

This just gives me a whole new appreciation of the insane precision they manufacture Lego with

[@yeetmcmeat]

Lego really has their manufacturing down to an art, its nearly perfect. Ive never seen any lego copy/spinoff/replication that works quite as well as genuine lego does.

[@Infernoblade1010]

I really like that design. I've always been fascinated with geometric design and a neat thing is that if you look at it just right, you can see a series of right angles.

[@turtleb01]

In the 7-pointed star, one element has an angle of 90°-2*sin(1/3). 1/3 comes from the side, which has an angle of one stud per three studs. Multiply that by 7, it comes to 367.5°, so the elements aren't squared

[@sage5296]

Yes, he said there was a small amount of strain in the build but it's about as close as it gets to unstrained / perfect 90

[@GardensAndGames]

After reading the title, I gotta say: "1x plate, but longer" isn't what I was expecting.

[@bensnipes7288]

You, sir, are the Bob Ross of Legos! Such great Lego art / creations and such calming educational narration. Keep up the great work!

[@ezekielrobinson1776]

4:48 I genuinely did not know that. Really interesting, you would think there would be but I guess there hasn't been a Lego set that's needed it yet.

[@rerere284]

I was thinking you were gonna want a plate that only has studs every 3 studs, so you could do more than 12 of those modules.

[@oliviashepherd-uq1ji]

I happened to have classical music playing on the radio in the background, and your voice was relaxing too

[@LittlePixelTM]

Sweet - looks like the 80s Technic Arctic Explorers logo :)

[@The-amazing-speaker]

You missed the 5x1 bit when you put them in line “yes it does exist”

[@WeyounSix]

My god… you actually used wriggle vs wiggle correctly…. Insane!! Oh yeah nice build too lmao

[@TactiDM]

this is my first time hearing your voice and omg, it's so soothing. Combined with the LEGO sounds, your videos are perfect to sleep to

[@OversizedPringleToe]

I was just 3d modelling my own offbrand Lego bricks to 3d resin print today! What a coincidence!

[@handsomerob1223]

It’s very generic of an answer but odd number plates and “skip stud plates” so say you have 1010101 and 0101010 so you could have tighter acute angles and not running into studs.

[@BrickBending]

You are speaking my language. An array of plates like that (along with other double 00 variations) would be a dream come true.

[@handsomerob1223]

@@BrickBending if the olden times went differently I bet we’d have just such parts but in the modulex? line from Lego in the 60s. It was an architectural design “tool” ment to mimic scale accuracy for architectural mockups.

[@NatsuDragn33I]

Mannnnn, coming up with lego parts? As a kid I'd thought of it, but LEGO is just so darned good at what they do, I ended up never actually getting serious about it at all.

[@juleo1000]

I actually like the matte effect on the jlc one

[@RaymondHng]

18:33 They look like Olympic emblems.

[@SammyBFilms]

Not sure if it counts, but my custom brick would be windows for technic cars. The older technic cars had gaps everywhere, but the newer ones are designed with far fewer gaps and much more accurate looking bodies, so I'd like to see them have windows as well (I think😅)

[@TheAruruu]

Well, there's a sentence I never thought I'd hear someone say... "My lego bricks are rusting."

[@YensR]

Interesting adventures! I have 3D printed (PLA) some lego parts, mostly studless beams. The pins you use to connect those are much more tolerant of tolerances (ha!) than the stud-antistud. Many different things factor into the tolerance of 3D printed pieces. It's definitely possible to get decent clutch. But you'll have to finetune the CAD-STL-slicer-printer chain. And you probably want to assess that after a couple of test pieces and *not* find out that the 100 pieces you printed don't clutch.

[@erobwen]

Add a layer of clear coat. First it will make the brick shiny like ABS, and the added material on the surface will increase clutch power.

[@wesallen3926]

If it wasn't for the "clutch power" issue, I think that between the fact that the inner-most points are one layer thinner than the rest of the piece as a whole plus the fact that the color is slightly off actually looks pretty cool. because it accents and defines the extra depth... Also you might be able to fix the clutch on the inner points by using Le-glue, it's a water-soluble glue made specifically for Lego, I'd just recommend brushing it on very sparingly as it tends to day an opaque/tan color which might really stand out and look a bit EWW if it squishes out from between the bricks. you can find it just by googling the name. " Le-glue "

[@jtubach]

If you spray it with a clear coat, it should solve the finish and the tolerance problems

[@leodrews3128]

its been a while since I've seen your videos, looks like your quality of content has only gone up. I love it.

[@marchawkinson2548]

Towards the begining I was really thinking you'd have a 1*15 made with the second stud missing on each end to enable a tighter attachment angle.

[@Indolent_Canadian]

i can feel the "i cant let my sponsor look bad" energy

[@shotybumbati]

holy smokes, if you prototype an internal combustion engine in legos, then have them all recreated in stainless steel, that would be an interesting experiment lol

[@Birdie.mp4]

I’d make a brick that could connect 2 tiles together without using cheese wedges

[@TheGreatSteve]

I'm still waiting for the perfect pulley.

[@colonelgraff9198]

Thank you for the Lego ASMR

[@zackpoppers2842]

Wow I just found this channel for the first time as someone who hasn't used legos for 10 years and just wanted to say. This is some cool ass content. Thank you for giving me a reason to procrastinate another 5 hours on my college work

[@Chick14595]

I wold make a 66 by 66 gray baseplate to not have to get like 32 tiny backplates when I’m trying to make a Star Wars build

[@TheAbsoluteBean]

There's something poetic about this arrangement of 1x12s resulting in a 12 pointed star at it's most full

[@heavywave81]

Hey really glad to have your commentary now. Its nice to hear your thoughts on things as we watch you build these wild creations.

[@ubergamer0198]

Probably the most useful pieces i could think of are butt-to-butt and Nut-to-Nut adapter plates. N2N - a plate with studs on both sides B2B - a plate with anti-studs on both sides.

[@axolotlgaming9144]

it would make so many illegal techniques arbitrary

[@Yhaenger]

I believe the better option for printing these plates is to use resin printers. They may give you even better shine results.

[@viquezug3936]

I would design technic bricks where the holes are neither aligned with the studs nor halfway between studs, but instead a quarter of the way between studs. It would allow exact meshing of gears of all sizes, eg 28T with 16T, which require center spacing of 2.75 studs.

[@remingtoncomp4873]

I love hearing you talk through your thoughts as you make your desigh

[@AugRing]

the sound of lego pieces sliding on a table is so maazing and ive never really appreciated it until now

[@skmgeek]

You have a really nice voice! You sound like you have a lot of experience recording your own voice :3

[@giggaboy2619]

this video is actually amazing. no flashy editing or music or overused cuts. its simply amazing.

[@nathangamble125]

This is honestly a great demonstration of the impressive design of LEGO bricks. It might seem trivial to replicate them, but it isn't.

[@progoproductions]

Haven’t watched vid yet but I’d want a 1x1 plate with a clip on 2 sides rather than just one!

[@BrickBending]

That would be cool

[@scottevensen2615]

17:51 Whoooa Duuude that's metal! 🤯

[@PatrickKniesler]

When I saw the title for this I was split between thinking you were going to do something crazy or just filling the gaps. Perfect choice

[@bertkoerts3991]

I 3d printed Lego pieces and had the clutch issue too. I used very thin paper. Invisible and solved the issue! 👍😊🇳🇱 Keep on working on it, I will follow!

[@stug77]

Legos were for a long time some of the tightest tolerance high pressure injection molded plastic available to consumers. Try making the studs diameter 5μm (0.2thou 🍌) oversized for a tighter interference fit.

[@michael1234252]

I've 3d printed a few 2x4 and 2x2 bricks on my 3d printer at home using files I found online. I've found that the ones I printed have that same clutch issue. Now the thing is that I printed them out in PLA with an FDM printer VS the SLS printers that JLC3DP uses.

[@yellowslotcar]

This is such an introduction to your channel, im glad i found it!

[@potatlerr]

THE ONE PIECE IS REAL ahh brick

[@wabbledee5229]

what do you mean 😭

[@JoBot__]

@@wabbledee5229 The One Piece is real. What more is there to say?

[@wabbledee5229]

@@JoBot__ the 1x15 brick is hidden on raftel

[@emilyrln]

That stainless steel brick is gorgeous!!! You should polish it up till it shines ✨😊

[@giga-ratsey1420]

You could also save money by using a Cobi piece, equally high quality as Lego with way more unique pieces.

[@evilotis01]

a smooth transition from the 45° slope to the 33° slope

[@carllinden533]

The ultimate goal of lego hashbrowns comes ever closer to reality

[@zach_boi8872]

Please do more voiced content! Hearing the design process added a nice layer to this

[@likeaboss.studio]

in my mind when you dropped it I heard a parrot called Apollo joyfully declare it is metal

[@Steeeved]

Godspeed in your search for a better material for that added clutch. A 15 would have been great for some of the things I was doing in the past, the extra height from a constructed longer piece just didn't work out well at all.

[@skylark.kraken]

Feels like building with MegaBlocks and Lego

[@seanrea550]

Old megabloxs, yes. I need to see with mega constructx.

[@RolandTheJabberwocky]

7:34 strangely satisfying

[@dethdukk]

I know the end goal is to have a piece that can be used in standard lego builds, but for a large part of this video I was thinking "time to break out the Kragle".

[@Gamer100y]

"I already know where this is going to go." *Breathing intensifies*

[@Damaniel3]

If this video demonstrates one thing, it's that Lego is built to insanely tight tolerances and that making your own is always going to be a challenge (though the ones you got are pretty respectable compared to some attempts I've seen).

[@primalmonkegaming2275]

the.. one piece you could say...

[@0r1on]

0:09 PINK FLOYD REFERENCE??????

[@philopharynx7910]

Your mention of angle is interesting. What about a plate with half of the number of studs? Say a 1x15 with eight studs placed twice as far apart? You could geta much tighter angle with that.