I’ve been dreaming for a while about my own 3D printer and this month that dream came true. I had on pre-order a Micro 3D printer. I got the green one.

While the print volume isn’t great the user experience is pretty great. For a beta product 🙂 …

And so I entered the world of making your own stuff from biodegradable plastic.

As I was printing a hook to hang towels in the bathroom I realized something; IKEA makes all these things that make life easier. I suspect they have some Swedish superstar designers working for them. And I love that. But browsing Thingiverse I realized there are some great hobbyist designers out there, too! And some of them take cues from IKEA’s great objects.

Now, IKEA is known for making you assemble your stuff on your own. But what if they took a step further and publish their smaller objects as open source 3D models?

It would be cheaper for them, for us the consumers and more environmentally friendly. The most used printing material is PLA, a biomaterial made from starch!

What do you think?