All Aboard For Additive! LEGO Makes First 3D-printed Production Part

This year (2025), LEGO has created its first ever 3D-printed production LEGO part as a component of their latest LEGO Icons Holiday Express Train set. The set comprises 956 pieces— one piece of which stands apart as it was manufactured using a different process to the rest: 3D printing via the ultra-fine CO₂ laser of a Fine Detail Resolution (FDR) system. Earlier 3D-printed pieces by LEGO had been limited to small runs or promotional items; but this time the part is produced at retail scale.

LEGO's first step into production 3D printing could ultimately lead to radical changes in the world of toys, where design freedom, increased complexity (such as organic geometries, internal channels and variable textures), and perhaps even repairability, may become part of the toy manufacturer's toolkit.