IKEA Israel uses 3D printing to help make furniture more accessible

Accessibility is an issue not commonly addressed in the mainstream furniture market. And that’s what IKEA in Israel is hoping to change with its new ThisAbles project. The store worked with Milbat to provide 3D-printed add-ons for its furniture that can sometimes be difficult to use by people living with disabilities. The initial items include easier-to-grab handles, bumpers for cabinets, as well as lifts to raise couches. There are ready-made items in-store, but the designs have also been made available for free online if you have a 3D printer and some filament. You can ask them to make customizations in the design, in case these don’t fit your use case. The company hopes this project would encourage furniture makers to consider accessibility as an important feature—whether making it part of the design or at least available as an option for buyers.

Source: Engadget

HP reveals world’s first production-ready 3D printing system

The recently launched HP Jet Fusion 3D Printing Solution revolutionizes design, prototyping and manufacturing, and for the first time, delivers superior quality physical parts up to 10 times faster and at half the cost of current 3D print systems.

By printing functional parts at the individual voxel level (a voxel is the 3D equivalent of a 2D pixel in traditional printing), HP offers customers an unprecedented ability to transform part properties and deliver mass customization.

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Print your own running shoes with adidas

There will come a day when you can print your own running shoes. And adidas is making sure that happens. The brand just introduced a new proof of concept 3D-printed shoe called Futurecraft 3D. This shoe will be a lightweight, high-performance footwear that you can customize the midsole to suit your cushioning requirements. For example, athletes and their coaching teams can adjust running shoes based on specific events and requirements the runners would need.

adidas partnered with Belgium-based 3D printing group Materialise to help bring this project to life. According to Eric Leidtke, an executive board member of adidas, “Futurecraft 3D is a prototype and a statement of intent. We have used a one-of-its-kind combination of process and material in an entirely new way.” The company plans to release more design innovations for this “Futurecraft initiative” in the coming months.

Source: Cult of Mac

Ford opens online store to sell 3D-printed models of its cars

Want to get your dad his own Shelby GT350R this Father’s Day but aren’t exactly rolling in dough? The next best thing might be a 3D-printed model of said car. Ford just opened an online 3D Store to let you purchase 3D-printed models of its vehicles or the digital files of over 1,000 Ford images. Some of the models available for download include the Ford GT, F-150 Raptor, aforementioned Shelby GT350R, Focus ST, and Fiesta ST. These models are available to order at 1/32^nd the scale in plastic for US$39. If you opt to buy the digital files, you can scale them to the size you like and use the materials you want. Digital files go for $3.99.

TurboSquid worked with Ford to develop the site and help fulfill the orders. More Ford models will be coming to the store. You’ll be required to register on the site and promise not to use the items commercially.