It is International Left Handers Day!  We are celebrating how the role of 3D printing services is helping lefties design a world around them.  

Left-handed people make up around 10-11% of the earth’s population, that is a lot of people however it is clear to see that we live in a right-handed world. Many daily items are not made with lefties in mind, everything from can-openers to scissors, keyboards and tape measures prejudice our sinistral brothers and sisters with non-inclusive design.

Here at 3D Printworks we believe that it does not need to be this way and that 3D printing services will put personalisation in the hands of those who need it. 

A fantastic example of this are these “reverse thread” containers we found on Thinyverse.com.

The container is sturdy and  functional as well as customisable for size. Although it may look like a regular cylindrical container it is in fact leftie specific and features a reverse lid which is “righty-loosie” and “leftie-tighty”. It gave us a chance to use up some odds and ends of spare filament.   From bottom to top, we used; Vibrant Yellow, Midnight Blue, Tangy Orange, Flame Red, Purple Mica, Snow White, Pine Green and Dark Grey. 

We had our left-handed expert Christine investigate these containers to give us some feedback on what she thinks . She reported that on the one hand (the left one) she loved the concept and noticed a reduction in stress on her hand. On the other hand (the right one),  that although this was a leftie specific item, it was still counter intuitive to her learned inclination to screw the top off using a rotation to the left. Like everyone else, her natural predisposition is "righty-tighty" and "lefty-loosie".  This is understandable and a fair criticism of such items.

If only there was a technology which easily allowed people to customise everyday items to their personal needs. Oh wait, there is! 3D printing services is allowing people to easily and affordability manufacture personal items. Furthermore, 3D printing can empower people with specific support needs, from the trivial left-handed items to more essential designs, such as 3D printed medical implants.

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