Assemble your IKEA furniture in a snap (literally) without any tools
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."
About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
Connect with Alexis on LinkedIn
