10 Fun and Inspiring CNC Toy Project Ideas
Beyond practical design and construction, CNC can also provide fun and entertainment for all ages. Discover our top-ten CNC toy ideas to inspire your next project.
There’s no limit to a child’s imagination. And the good news is the same applies to creating CNC toys. With CNC, you can create all kinds of kid’s toys from various materials, suiting all ages and playing agendas.
So, whether you’re in the toy-selling business or just want a project to delight your little ones, let’s discover what CNC toys you can create.
10 CNC WOODEN TOYS
Wooden toys are making a comeback for their attractive aesthetics and sustainability benefits. Wood materials are also considered a more durable and safer material for toys compared to cheap, mass-produced plastics.
These benefits with CNC’s ability to customise toys with personalisation features provide a compelling opportunity. Get it right, and you could create a sentimental item that your child can treasure for years, passing it down to generations to come.
To give you some inspiration, here are a few wooden toys you can design and fabricate with CAD and CNC machining:
- CNC TOY TRAIN SET
An old favourite for many little boys and girls, CNC toy train sets can keep children entertained for hours with a whole landscape of fun and adventure. Your CNC toy train set can include:
- Trains and carriages
- Train tracks
- Landscape features (Bridges, trees, and animals.)
- Model passengers, drivers, and conductors.
The variation of design can cover intricate train designs for mature children with specific models across history or stay simple and more generic with toy models aimed at a younger audience.
And more than a single toy, a CNC train set can become a project that continues to develop with new track pieces, electronic components, and scenery. If you have the space at home and trains are your thing, then no one is stopping you from making an entire, interconnected railway network!
- CNC TOY CARS
I think we all go through a car obsession when growing up. Whether it’s pushing a toy car along a tabletop with our heads slanted and our eyes glued to the wheels or a large structure we can drive ourselves with pedals, CNC toy cars are a timeless example of playtime pleasure.
Therefore, CNC can create cars of various shapes, designs, and sizes, from race cars to soft tops and Bat Mobiles. With CNC, you can inspire the next generation of racing fanatics who can pass their toys down to the next generation.
- CNC TOY DOLL HOUSE
Like train sets, doll houses are another classic and ideal CNC toy project. With CNC, the size and structure of your toy doll house are customisable to suit all ages and imaginations, from multi-layered Victorian manor houses to haunted mansions and modern design masterpieces.
CNC can create tab and slot/dye-cut dollhouses or quick build, cabinet-grade “glue and nails” variations. And beyond the structure, there are multiple accessories to include with intricate CNC cutting capabilities, such as furniture, families, decorations, supplies, food and even toys!
- CNC ROCKING HORSE
In the face of new technology and innovation, sometimes the best children’s toys are the simplest. Rocking horses provide an ideal play solution, keeping restless, energetic youngsters from bouncing off the walls.
CNC rocking horses allow early years kids to develop motor skills, training muscles to balance and remain upright. When designing your CNC rocking horse, it’s vital to ensure you have the correct materials and dimensions that will hold and balance the weight as your child rocks back and forth.
- CNC MUD KITCHEN
Not a toy as such, but if your child likes to play outside and get messy, then a mud kitchen is an ideal playtime solution with little need for aesthetic concern.
With practical benefits that can occupy their time and energy, the mud kitchen structure can be constructed with cheaper wooden materials and reused kitchen items.
So, while it might mean you have more loads of washing to get through, there’s no doubt your child will stay entertained playing outside as nature intended.
- CNC TOY PRAM
Many young children love to mimic their parents and wheel around their favourite dolls and cuddly toys in prams. CNC design and fabrication can create beautiful wooden CNC toy prams for children that can range in size and style.
- CNC TOY BLOCK PUZZLES
CNC block puzzles are available in numerous forms, from animals to vehicles, superheroes, and scenery. A block puzzle is a great opportunity to customise your design that suits the child’s interests while promoting good logical skills from an early age.
And if the child enjoys a particular block puzzle from early years, you can advance on this enthusiasm with more complex and challenging block puzzles as they mature. It’s a fun and interactive way to help stimulate learning.
- CNC TOY DIGGER
Another favourite for kids, especially those who enjoy moving items from one place to another. So, why not give them a CNC toy digger to enhance their experience?
Like CNC toy cars, diggers can be made small for hands to move or big enough that the child can sit inside and take full control as the operator. You can even enhance the construction site play theme with a CNC toy truck that can store and unload the items that the digger has filled.
- CNC TOY GUN (PING PONG)
For some fun and harmless play, CNC can create toy ping pong ball shooting guns to immerse their endless energy. And if you don’t want the child to shoot ping pong balls at each other, you can provide targets and create a competitive game.
- CNC TOY ANIMALS
A child’s fascination with nature is something to be encouraged and adored. From big cats to monkeys and birds of prey, create your kid’s favourite animals with CNC machining and let their imaginations run wild!
CNC MACHINES FOR MAKING WOODEN TOYS
If you’re now keen to begin making toys, here are the types of CNC machines you can use:
- Milling
- Routing
- Laser cutting
- Plasma cutting
Depending on the machine, you can also use other materials than wood, such as plastics and metals.
UK TOY SAFETY REGULATIONS
If you’re a business looking to sell toys on the UK market, it’s worth looking into the regulations first. The 2011 Toys (Safety) Regulations state the essential safety requirements across general and specific safety that your business must demonstrate across any CNC toy production or manufacturing. Some of these safety requirements include chemicals, mechanicals, electrical, hygiene, flammability and radioactivity.
The toy industry is a competitive market in the UK with a value expected to reach £5.5 billion in 2027. So, make sure you’re ready to take on the world before unleashing the power of CNC design and fabrication.
SPEAK TO A SPECIALIST IN CNC DESIGN AND FABRICATION
At Midlands CNC, we provide high-quality CNC solutions across design, routing and milling. From creation to completion, we can source the ideal materials for your CNC toy ideas before expert fabrication and construction.
With decades of experience, our team of expert CNC technicians love nothing more than turning our client’s visions into reality. So, if you need advice or support in designing, sourcing and fabricating your CNC toys, get in touch today or follow us on Facebook