While 3D printing has been around for a while now, there are a number of designers and developers just starting to learn how much they can do with the new technology. The news is full of public discussion about the development of a printed gun, while we’ve even seen 3D printed dresses hit the red carpet in recent months.

However, we’re most interested in the less mainstream uses for the 3D printer, as demonstrated by a handful of designers and printers across Europe who have come together to produce some more unusual printed inventions.

Hailing from ELAt – the Eindhoven-Leuven-Aachen triangle spanning Belgium and the Netherlands that prides itself on its hi-tech reputation – three printing companies have moved into London recently to coincide with the release of a new 3D-printing magazine. One of these companies is Freedom of Creation, headed by Alan Nguyen, who recently designed and printed a pair of shoes with an iPhone holder in the side.

Mr Nguyen said he produced the item to test copyright laws around 3D printing, and added: “We are like DJs, because they take other people’s things and make something completely new.” He referred to the shoe as a “mash-up”, taking the designs of several items and combining them into one.