Parts that are good candidates
- Clips, latches and catches on appliances, cupboards and car interiors
- Knobs, dials, caps and end covers
- Brackets, mounts, hooks and spacers
- Battery covers and access panels for remotes and gadgets
- Parts for older items where the maker no longer sells spares
The best candidates are small, rigid parts that hold or locate something. If the original part is still in one piece, even if it is cracked, that makes matching it much easier.
How do I measure a broken part?
Lay the part on a flat surface next to a ruler or tape measure and take a photo straight down from above, then one from the side. If you have calipers, add the key measurements: overall length and width, hole sizes and where they sit, and the thickness of any tab that clips into something. Where a part fits onto another part, a photo of that mating part helps too.
If you are in Perth, you can drop the part off in Quinns Rocks by arrangement and it can be measured directly.
Which material is used?
Most replacement parts are printed in PETG. It is tougher and handles heat and the outdoors better than PLA, which matters for anything in a car, a laundry or the sun. PLA suits indoor parts that need a crisp finish. The materials page compares the two.
Will a printed part be as strong as the original?
Often it can be made stronger, because the design can be thickened where the original failed. A 3D print is built in layers, though, so it is a little weaker along the layer lines. The part is oriented on the plate so the load runs across the layers rather than between them. Anything safety critical, such as brake, steering, seatbelt or load-bearing parts, will not be printed.
What if it does not fit first time?
Working from photos means the first print is sometimes a millimetre out. When that happens the design is adjusted and reprinted. How reprints are charged is set out in your quote before you agree to anything.
What sizes can be printed?
A single part can be up to 256 x 256 x 256 mm. Larger items can sometimes be printed in sections and joined.