Infographic: The State of 3D Sex Toy Printing

May 8, 2014

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Create your own X-rated toys at home with digital technology.

A 3D printer creates a small dildo. 3D printing has become all the rage, opening up a sea of possibilities for do-it-yourself designs at home and in the workplace. The cheaper models sell for just a few hundred dollars, making the technology more affordable than ever.

Of course, it hasn’t taken long for the sexually curious to tinker with it and create 3D models for the bedroom. Right now, it’s possible to print life-size replicas of your own genitals as well as someone else’s. For those smitten with teenybopper culture, custom designs of Hello Kitty and Justin Bieber are also available for vibrators.

Be aware: 3D-printed objects often have rough surfaces that can collect bacteria. Yet, many companies are working to adapt and improve the technology so they can be safe and fun.

Check out this thorough and funky infographic from Pink Rocket below. It shows how the industry for 3D-printed sex toys is developing.

Infographic source: Pink Rocket
Image source: Marius Kintel

Jenna Owsianik

Jenna Owsianik is a Canadian journalist and sex tech expert. From 2014 to 2022 she was Editor-in-Chief of FutureofSex.net, the world’s leading publication on how technology is changing human sexuality, today and tomorrow.

Her expertise covers state-of-the-art sex technologies and the major fields driving innovations in intimacy: robotics, virtual reality, remote sex (teledildonics), immersive adult entertainment, human augmentation, virtual sex, and sexual health.

A trained journalist with a Masters of Journalism from The University of British Columbia, Jenna’s reporting has appeared on Futurism.com, Al Jazeera English, CTV British Columbia online, CBS Sunday Morning, CBS 60 Minutes, Global News, and CKNW Radio in Canada and the United States.

As a sex tech industry consultant, she is especially passionate about helping companies deliver accessible services and products to people with disabilities and other underserved communities.

Jenna also runs the sites SexforEveryBody.com, a sex-positive, body-positive online magazine that promotes inclusive sex education; and DisabledSexGuide.com, an adult resource on sex, disability, and erotica.

In 2013, Jenna won two Canadian Online Publishing Awards for her work on The Pain Project, a multimedia site on global access to palliative care.

She won second place at the 2011 Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism’s Public Health category for her participation in the documentary Freedom From Pain.

Jenna has an Honors BA in Women’s Studies and Feminist Research as well as a French minor from The University of Western Ontario. She spent a year studying at L’Université Lumière Lyon 2 in Lyon, France.

2 comments

Mark Zimmerman 9 May, 2014 at 00:30 Log in to Reply

‘These layers give any printed sex toys a rough, uncomfortable finish’

Sometimes, that’s the appeal 🙂 Seriously, though, they can be dipped and sealed after printing and it will get rid of the ridges and gaps that can hold germs. Even molded toys should be washed thoroughly after use. Or so I’m told 🙂