Volume dominates here for the same reasons a standard sized screw / bolt will be used anywhere possible. (If even needed at all, the analogy falls apart for se

Volume dominates here for the same reasons a standard sized screw / bolt will be used anywhere possible. (If even needed at all, the analogy falls apart for seam welded plastics.) The toys are also designed as make once and trash, since that's their sales model. The environmental costs of the resources aren't correctly factored in to the overall price. That super expensive robot arm is a tool that needs to work, it's economic value is in continued production. Modular components that can be replaced are more valued here to make warranty repairs and out of warranty field service possible. The customers literally demand and pay for that functionality.