Versatile, Downloadable 3D Printed Joints for Customized DIY Furniture

Additive manufacturing has a lot of potential to democratize design by disrupting the way designs are being produced and distributed. With a digital file, one can use a desktop 3D printer to create and prototype things quickly -- objects that may even further allow people to build larger things that may have traditionally required some skills to craft, such as furniture. That's the idea behind Print To Build, a collection of 3D printed connectors that you can download to use as pre-made, adaptable joints for DIY furniture.

Ollé Gellért/CC BY-NC 4.0

Ollé Gellért/CC BY-NC 4.0

Ollé Gellért/CC BY-NC 4.0

Ollé Gellért/CC BY-NC 4.0

Ollé Gellért/CC BY-NC 4.0

Created by Hungarian designer Ollé Gellért, these variable joints allow people to create their own functional furniture, without tools, nails, glue or fancy skills. He explains that by focusing on the smaller components, it allows anyone to create larger structures. He continues:

I optimised my joint collection to 3D printers. It is allowed to connect 8 millimetres plywood sheets to each other in different angles. It contains 90, 45 and 120-degree elements. One important feature of the design is that you do not have to screw or glue the parts. It is possible to build furniture, installations, partitions and anything else. It only depends on your creativity. With these experimental objects, I wanted to draw attention to the importance of changing our thinking as to how to build something with 3D printers.

Ollé Gellért/CC BY-NC 4.0

Ollé Gellért/CC BY-NC 4.0

We've seen previous examples of this idea, and it makes sense as most people can't (and don't want to) afford a 3D printer big enough to print out a full-sized table or chair. Though it's too bad that these joints only hold such thin pieces of sheet material; nevertheless, these would be useful to anyone wanting to customize and make their own furniture. You can download the STL files for USD $19, and you can see more over at Ollé Gellért's Behance.