Ikea Alex Handle Dust Cover (No tape needed)

This is a dust cover/handle attachment for the Ikea Alex drawers. Unlike most other models on the site, it does not require tape or glue to stick the cover onto the drawer. Instead, it is a press fit into the handle itself. 

I've also included test models to see if the curve and the thickness fit your drawer before you do the full print. There was a redesign on the Ikea Alex around 2024, I suspect mine is before the redesign.

Print Tips

These are just some tips and solutions to issues I encountered when printing the handle. It likely occured beacuse my printer is old, you may not need to follow them.

1. I created a small lip so can use organic supports and bridging instead of adding a bunch of supports. Just make sure that the bridging is in the shorter direction. I had instances where the slicer bridges along the long way instead, in which case adjusting the layer settings can help for some reason.

   

2. Pay attention to the Top Contact Z Distance. Depending on your layer height, the gap might be larger or smaller then expected.

3. The ends of the handle are thin and isprone to curling. Besides lowering the first layer speed or using glue, consider switching from Arachne to Classic for the perimeter generator (worked better for me, but it might be a fluke). Would appreciate it if you can leave a comment on how it went for you, it might just be that my printer needs some maintenance. 

4. This is more of a general tip; consider increasing your bridge flow ratio and decreasing bridge speed so that the bridging is cleaner. For full details, see Make Wonderful Things video for this tip.