Citations › Citation ID: 86

C86. BOOK: Daniel Konstanski, The Secret Life of LEGO Bricks: The Inside Story of a Design Icon (Unbound, 2022), p. 176.

By 1982 the line had become well established and was rebranded LEGO Technic. At the same time, a new part was added that greatly aided construction. Previously, the single snap invented by Jan Ryaa and Eric Bach had been used as the primary method of connecting various LEGO Technic bricks together. With an eye towards rotating functions, the two designers had designed the snap to fit securely but loosely in the hole. It was free to rotate without a lot of friction. While great for certain movements, it was less sturdy in some of the structural applications in which it was now often used. Accordingly, a new, tighter-fitting snap, known as a friction snap, was introduced, allowing for more secure model construction.

The Friction Pin was introduced in 1982, alongside the LEGO Technic brand.