Upgrade Your IKEA Experience with New Assistive 3D Prints from Enable 3D and Uppgradera « Fabbaloo

Enable 3D and Uppgradera have released a new set of assistive 3D prints designed for IKEA products.

“IKEA” hacking has become a worldwide thing due to the availability of IKEA products. They are common household items that all have the same designs, regardless of where you are.

However, some of the IKEA products also have usage issues, again a worldwide phenomenon. This has triggered many to develop add-ons or mods for various IKEA products to make them function better.

Enable 3D is a non profit organization that promotes the development of assistive technologies. They provide an index of dozens of unique 3D models for helping disabled or semi-disabled folks.

Consider the case of a person with hands that shake: they can find it challenging to use many common items that require precise motion. Enable 3D provides a number of 3D printable models that help stabilize and guide the motion in these cases.

Enable 3D just announced a new set of five assistive 3D models that have been added to their collection. These were produced by Uppgradera, the company of designer Adam Miklósi. They explain:

”Additive manufacturing studio Enable 3D has teamed up with Adam Miklosi to make his third series of designs come true: Uppgradera Collection 3. The five new products are available for free to download and print right at home. From cheese graters to clothing racks – this collection covers some IKEA bestsellers and showcases a new level of design where consumers improve the brand’s designs.”

“Uppgradera” is the Swedish word for “upgrade”, which is quite appropriate in this case: the printable hacks “upgrade” the IKEA products to more useful forms.

Here’s a short video explaining how Miklósi produced the designs, with examples:

One example is this tumbler stabilizer. It clips to the IKEA tray and holds the IKEA tumbler from sliding around if the carrier is unstable. A simple design that fixes what could be a troublesome problem for some individuals.

Another example is for the IKEA cheese grater. Using the cheese grater often results in many stray bits of cheese that fall to the side. The mod here provides a small wall around the grating area to prevent loss of cheese and allows them to be easily poured back into the container.

As you can see, some of these designs are appropriate for everyone.

All of these designs are provided to the public at no charge. However, you will have to buy the corresponding IKEA items as necessary.

Via Enable 3D and Uppgradera