Whether we choose to admit it or not, each of us has owned at least one piece of IKEA furniture. And with each piece of furniture comes a harrowing assembly story, complete with scars. In an effort to change their reputation, IKEA is poised to revolutionize furniture manufacturing and assembly with its snap-together pieces that can be easily assembled and disassembled without any tools. The new IKEA joint, called a wedge dowel, is created using a CNC machine, and it works through a series of clicks.
According to Marcus Fairs for Dezeen: "The innovation has partly been driven by consumer resistance to the often slow and frustrating experience of putting together IKEA products, and partly as a way of saving resources, since it does away with the need for dozens of metal fittings.
IKEA first introduced the wedge dowel in its Regissör storage products and Stockholm cabinets in 2014 to test the concept. It now intends to roll out the system across its entire furniture range, starting with the wooden Lisabo table, which went on sale earlier this year.
The wedge dowel requires no glue, yet can be taken apart and reassembled many times without loss of structural integrity."