Replace broken items around the house with 3D printing

Got something broken around the house? Why don’t you measure, model and 3D print a free replacement part. In this video, we replace a snapped IKEA wardrobe clip, 3D printing a perfect replacement with no cost or hassle.
Viewer Jason sent me some additional tips on measuring pocket holes. You can benefit from them here: pastebin.com/attp1e12
I’m using Onshape as my CAD software: www.onshape.com/
I have an Onshape playlist suitable for beginners: • Onshape 3D Modelling
Fusion 360 is the most popular CAD software and there are tons of tutorials online: www.autodesk.com.au/products/...
My CAD file if you’re interested: cad.onshape.com/documents/bcb...
Some general CAD principles I follow:
Plan the creation of your object before starting: this part extruded, this part lofted, etc
Use detailed sketches to generate multiple 3D operations
Use lines, arcs and circles to draw the shape, before adding detail and accuracy with constraints and dimensions
Focus on accurate measurements for the regions of the model where fit is vital
Print a cut down version of your geometry early on to test the measurements are correct
When you think you are done modelling, pick up the real life object, look at it from every angle and simulate its function to make sure you haven’t missed any important details
Buy quality and affordable filament from X3D. Buy 3, get 1 free and a free sample pack with every order: www.x3d.com.au
Get Quality Resins from 3D Printers Online. 5% off storewide for Teaching Tech subscribers [Code: tech5]
3dprintersonline.com.au/
Take a look around and if you like what you see, please subscribe.
Support me on Patreon: / teachingtech

[@daniel-goodwin]

Having had a 3d printer for only a few months and just learning CAD design, fixing things around the house has been my favorite use. I’ve designed and printed a switch for a small hand vac that broke, and most recently made a new bracket for a telescope mount that broke. It’s an empowering feeling to look at a broken whatever and say “I can make that, I can fix that.”

[@StormBurnX]

after a very small test square to get levelling right, the very first thing I printed was half of a clip for my bike headlight. the bike half of it had snapped and the company didn't offer replacement parts. It felt nice using the printer for something good :)

[@apersonontheinternet8006]

I got my Ender 3 v2 in late September or early October for about $300 to my door. After a handful of test prints to dial in settings over the next week or so I printed a guide rod retainer for the window regulator in my Jeep that had broken. The way I saw it was that I had three options; I could buy the entire regulator for $300, buy a 3d printed retainer off of a guy on a Jeep forum for $40, or buy my own 3d printer and go to town. I told the wife I was spending $300 to fix the Jeep window and she said cool but when the 3d printer came she all but said wtf. Now that we've fixed and created a few things with it she thinks its pretty cool but she was not very thrilled with me initially.

[@lloydrmc]

Bravo!

[@iantaylor1341]

11:50 NO ! "All that remains ... "is to now run around the house, boasting to your missus, kids, neighbours and anyone who'll listen about how you can repair anything, through your own skills, design and your 3D printer. Then invite your family to inspect your new creation and marvel at it in awe. (at least that's what I do).

[@whatisyouremailid]

Hahahaha...agree 💯

[@abdulazeez.98]

I always want to do that 😂😂

[@Doughy_in_the_Middle]

Mickey and the Beanstalk: "SEVEN WITH ONE BLOW!" Me: "FIVE HOURS IN FUSION 360 AND TWO HOURS ON THE PRINTER!"

[@bymitten1]

Ian Taylor It was like I was reading something about myself. 🤣

[@--Nath--]

That goes without saying. Sheesh - building 10c parts with expensive 3d printers and spending a whole day of development time on it is brag worthy! :)

[@Shn1fty]

This is the video that most people need to watch and try but don't.

[@spearfysh]

Very true, and while watching we hope 3d scanning catches up with affordable printing......

[@FuriousImp]

@@spearfysh Actually, with a 3- step freeware chain, you can already make good photogrammetric copies

[@bikeknife2238]

@@FuriousImp I've seen decent tutorial on photogrammetry. Do you have any additional resources you can share? I hadn't tried it yet but it looks pretty cool. kzbin.info/www/bejne/amanYaN8mdaJndk

[@jasonguthrie4691]

How do you know if someone has a 3D printer? They get excited when something breaks.

[@Sarwiz1]

Like me. LOL

[@je-fq7ve]

How do you know if someone has a 3D printer? They will tell you.

[@bigbiemacaw]

There not even that expensive now, I've seen some for under €500 trough my dropshipping suppliers..

[@jackshett]

I actually print out things for coworkers and friends and am happy to find out it broke so I can figure out how to make it better. Of course I let them know ahead of time just in case.

[@akselsrli8821]

@@bigbiemacaw you can buy the "ender 3 pro" 3d printer for around 230 dollars. i bought one 2 months ago, and its working perfectly.

[@davidalbertopozaaguilar4698]

3D printing will always make more sense when in hands of someone with CAD abilities and some hardware skills.

[@Benjicmm]

more sense then what?

[@alejandroperez5368]

@@Benjicmm more sense than those people just printing figurines and pretending they know CAD

[@bymitten1]

I hear ya

[@3DJapan]

I always feel like people who only use it to print stuff they get online are only getting half the use of of it.

[@Cias_artist]

I've only recently started thinking about getting into 3d printing precisely because I can't get the storage and custom functionality that I'd like for my work, lucky me I've learned 3d modeling way back, now I just need to step up and learn CAD. Can't wait to get into it.

[@iandrake4683]

Simpler method. Take a picture of the part, import the picture in fusion360, and calibrate it with one measure. Then draw your sketch over the features in the picture. It's not perfect, but it's fast.

[@butsukete1806]

Works in FreeCAD too.

[@S0Fr3shThisKid]

Photogrammetry OR 3D scanner and you can import it as a 3D model 😉

[@Deses]

@@S0Fr3shThisKid Photogrammetry usually sucks ass and good 3D scanners are expensive.

[@Sarwiz1]

But all you need is a pic, dont complicate things

[@Doughy_in_the_Middle]

If it's a flat enough part, sometimes I'll just toss it on my normal flatbed scanner. Nice, clean well-lit scan.

[@lloydrmc]

The step-by-step of your CAD process was highly edifying. Thank you so much. I am getting ever closer to the point of taking a crack at it myself, and your videos are proving to be key in helping me finally getting there.

[@felipelando6918]

Most of my printings are repairs or improovments for home stuff. It is so satisfying having the possibility to fix things in a low budget. Thanks for sharing such a great content

[@greembow]

One of my favorite 3d printing projects was when i successfully printed an obscure plastic clip for the dash of an old car. I took the old one and re-modeled it and then printed it. On this same car, I have printed: The piece that holds the grill in place, the rear wiper outer cover, a piece between the hood and windshield, grommets for accessory wiring, a center console storage tray and a headlight adjustment tool. I've more than paid for my 3d printer in time waiting for obscure and hard to find/describe parts that I needed that day.

[@shmafoo]

I actually had to replace this exact same part when I was completely new to 3d printing and CAD software. Back then, I failed miserably and just used the wardrobe differently, even forgot about it. Now I see this video and remember this broken part and I guess I will do it again, now that I have much more experience in both areas. Thanks!

[@bulletproofpepper2]

Thanks for sharing! very useful info. I was into 3D printing years ago a had a mono price mini the first one. After the controller board fizzled out for the tenth time, i had enough and started saving up for something better and bigger. I had a great year and a bonus from work. I got a snapmaker 2,0 A350. it is everything I expected and more. I have been using my time to lean more about CAD.

[@leeo.alexander2324]

This is a great real-time application of 3d printing. Just like your automotive video. I am working a part for my computer room to create a USB pod for a triangular unit. Now you have given me the courage to make a part for my wife to fix a livingroom curtain bracket. I have not used Onshape, but I am using Freecad 0.18 at this time. Thanks again.

[@javeronh.3996]

another example of where it comes in handy was my wife and I couldn't find shower curtain hooks our curtain wouldn't come off from. after the carbine style hooks failed I made a simple shower curtain hook that was so tall the curtain stays on, and thanks to the edges I gave it, the hooks slide over the pole seam well and don't cause problems

[@Doughy_in_the_Middle]

Just did this a few weeks ago. We have two upright cabinets that we repurposed for the lack of kitchen pantry storage. I had a bunch of wire shelving that you'd typically use in a closet, but didn't have enough brackets. I took a bunch of measurements much in the way you did and duplicated the cups the wire shelving fit in, as well as designing some rough extra supports that weren't used if it was closet shelving. Now, we've got a nice wire rack in between the shelves and have storage for sheet pans.

[@mrclown7469]

2:19 You can use the back of the head to measure heights too. Took me years to realize that one 😅

[@daniel-goodwin]

I’ve definitely never thought of that... seems like it would work better in a lot of instances.

[@witchking64]

Good point, easier for external dimensions. And the bottom for measuring height in smaller spaces

[@tomaskonkol8894]

Tail its mostly for measuring deepness of the holes and cavities.

[@moo083]

Nice job! I had a wireless carplay adapter with a dongle. Of course the dongle is the part that broke. Bought a usb-c breakout board and hooked it into the board but now the two boards together didn’t fit in the original case so I designed and printed a replacement case. Also had a bottom door for my leaf blower break. I modeled and printed a replacement.

[@shaunmorrissey7313]

A wardrobe pole bracket was the first household repair I knocked up in CAD, I was so proud of myself 😊

[@jasonjulian1]

I once used TinkerCad to model a furnace humidifier drain component that had broken. The original part was some 30 years old and no longer available. New 3d printed part snapped into place first try and has been in service for almost a year now. I've also replaced the temperature control knob on a mini fridge where the factory part was about 10x the cost is should be and was a week away. About half an hour in software and a 45 minute print later, it worked! I think I'm going to try OnShape now and check out that early videos!

[@dougonutube]

Great to see someone else using Onshape. I've been using it as a 3D printing hobbyist for 4 years, and I Love it - particularly it's entirely on-line nature, so I can start on a design in my office, then pick it up on my laptop in front of the telly :-) - I'm still a novice, though, and you've given me some ideas (like the separate part, joined later using a "boolean" - never knew that feature existed!)

[@SystemsPlanet]

Did it used to be free? Now it's $1,500 per user, per year

[@rtulpe]

@@SystemsPlanet that is exactly what I asked myself when I checked it out. Also I could not find any mention about free for non-commercial use - shame really

[@squidcaps4308]

When replicating objects and pretty much all such things that need to fit something that already exist: use construction paper and cut 2d shapes, test them in place and when they fit, measure the difficult bits from that. And prepare for the eventuality that you need to print the object again. It will happen, it is quite rare that the first print comes out exactly right unless it is really simple thing..

[@bymitten1]

My most useful print is a gable vent for my shed. It was installed a few months ago and has held up to some hot weather. The project lead me to discover and use PETG and that's pretty much all I print with now.

[@jon9947]

This is another great video, and I understand why you made the parts the way you did to show how to do it in the video. The only thing I have to add is stuff like this, it probably would have saved a tun of time and work to just create something simple from scratch instead of making an almost perfect replica. This isnt a part that requires near perfect replication as you replaced both sides, it just needs a part that works.

[@sst9364]

Great job. Thanks for explaining this. Very advance for me but like to see how this is done. Maybe some day!

[@Andy-Fairweather]

Great video, I made a wall mount for a Bang and Olufsen remote control, they were too expensive at the time to purchase so I made it in Blender (although will check out onshape since I'm fat more used vector graphics work). I designed it by tracing the exteriors at the largest point digitising it and as a pdf in illustrator tidying it before taking the path to blender and using an extruded volume of the remote to design the holder around. So not quite the same as replicate a broken part but similar skills and your approach is really useful to understand how to do things properly.

[@andyspoo2]

This is why I bought my first 3D printer. A hinge bracket on my bathroom cabinet had broken. Parts were not available and the cost of a new cabinet was V expensive compared to the cost of a 3D printer. I took the plunge, purchased and then built the printer (it was a kit version), created and then printed the part and saved myself quite a bit of money in the process while feeling pretty good with myself for doing it. I've never looked back and now 3D printing is my main hobby!

[@jjdawg9918]

A lot of good tips in here! I do hope people start moving to FreeCAD however to get more mindshare around it.

[@MrCybergladiator]

This is exactly why I got a 3d printer. My favourite print I've done, similar to this was the air diverter valve/piston in my pheunatic brad nailer. It was a 20 cent part that wasn't sold anymore and without which the nailer didn't work. I was up for another $80 for a new brad nailer. 3d printed part worked perfectly and it still in use a couple of thousand nails later.

[@michaelbujaki2462]

Thanks for the tip on the boolean Union. Now for a tip of my own, I name the sketches based on what they represent so that I can find them easily. Also, you can add folders so that you can divide the sketches into various stages. As for my most useful 3D print, it's hard to choose because that is what I usually do. I would have to say that the most cost effective 3D print that I have done so far has been the top gear for my Bernina 730 Record.

[@BigDan1190]

Although i've muddled through on my own and picked this stuff up i know this video is SO useful to beginners that are too intimidated to start and instead resort to begging on facebook groups... One thing i'd say, when re-designing these parts you don't have to always make perfect copies - this would have been a great opportunity to add a big chunky chamfer to that piece that the bar rests on (the bit that broke first time) to make it much stronger for next time. Also, for total beginners it might be difficult to re-create that flex clip part, in which case you could just have it so the pole slots in from above instead of from the side. Sometimes you have to be imaginative and you can't always teach that haha

[@Virulentviper]

I needed to modify my cheap orbital sander to have a vacuum attachment because it just came with a bag attachment out of the box and always created a mess. So instead of just buying a more expensive orbital sander that already had a vacuum attachment, what did I do? I bought a 3d printer and picked up a new hobby of course.

[@Virulentviper]

@@darekmistrz4364 I couldn't print what I originally planned on printing until I printed all the mods to my Ender 3. I didn't realize what I was getting myself into. Now I'm in too deep. Please send help..

[@artiem5262]

BIG THANKS! Another big reason for 3D printing things for around the house, both repair and solving other problems -- each of those tasks is a goal to help you learn those CAD tools, and expand your skills in using them. And you showed one of my favourite prototyping approaches -- doing one (or more) quick partial prints to prove out critical dimensions and/or functionality. Do that quick five minute print to be sure you've got things right, and when you have, keep refining. Saves the trouble of aborting a print two hours in when you see that it won't work...

[@javeronh.3996]

I do the 'test print(s)' method anytime it is complex or tight tolerance (especially assemblies). just had a project (well finishing it up anyways) where I had to print test articles. partly because of how tight everything was, but also because the housing I was 'replicating' was practically disintegration as I was working on it. so it was hard to get good dimensions at times

[@Tal1m]

I'm actually printed broken items in the past that I design by myself with calipers, and one of them was very challenging, It was a bracket for the refrigerator handle, it wasn't perfect like in the factory but I can say it was 90% the same so it good enough for me :)

[@Teklectic]

Most of the things I use my FDM printer for are practical prints like that. I've made a headset holder, test lead organizers, battery dispensers, battery packs, replacement parts for my kids toys, alignment jigs, tools, etc. I'm hoping to be able to get into resin printing soon too, the precision you can get is astonishing, but I haven't been able to justify the cost yet.

[@BrandonGraham]

Excellent video. A large part of my job involves CAD and I like to put as little into a sketch as possible. Complicated sketches can be hard/confusing to move around or make big changes. My feature tree might be longer, but it's very clear and adaptable. I'm not saying that I'm right. Just saying that new people should be open to keeping things simple.

[@whatisyouremailid]

Awesome video Michael...I have so many people ask me " how do you do these things on a 3d printer?" And I have a hard time explaining how simple it is. Henceforth I am just going to send them a link to this video.

[@mateusz4r]

Ha! My first 3D project on my first 3d printer which I just purchased was printing a replacement for the broken window blinder nylon string holders (a hook locked at the bottom of the window to tighten the nylon string). BUT I not only replicated the broken part. I also implemented a series of improvements which have given additional strength and stability to the element.I have absolutely no experience with 3d printing, but by logic this seems like the rule No 1 when replicating broken parts.

[@Jason-on4hg]

Probably my simplest print was the end of a retractable clothes line. The original plastic part broke so I printed a replacement. That bright red peice had been hanging with tension for over a year. I would have thrown the line away otherwise! I've also done brackets for old blinds and even a part to fix my 30 year old washing machine! 3d printing is so useful!

[@snarkfinder2621]

That part would be able to hold weight better and be less likely to break if it was rotated 90 degrees, so that the "U" shape sat on the cupboard wall as a cup. As it is, it is only a matter of time before the rod gets pushed out the back.

[@ianbrown4242]

I came here to say just that - I don't think the part would have failed in the first place if it were rotated 90 degrees.

[@ShadowVipers]

Not too long ago I did my first house item fix. I modeled and printed new chair foot caps for my parents' lawn chairs so they wouldn't scratch the paint off the patio. It took a rubber mallet but they friction fit perfectly. Before that I also designed a headphone holder that clamps and clicks into a groove on my computer desk, but this wasn't so much of a fix as much as it was creating something I didn't have yet.

[@charlessweeney2061]

Excellent work.

[@maximthemagnificent]

Whenever I repair simple stuff like this it's always oddly satisfying.

[@davidpp9999]

I do this type of things all the time. You could add in another video using a photo of the desired item as canvas and scaling it. In that way I get the best results.

[@davies287]

Had a long pole hook with a cross-head to unlock the attic door and pull down the attic ladder which took a fair bit of force to overcome the spring holding it in the roof. The original injection moulded hook end had been glued back together multiple times having snapped in multiple different places and even being nailed to the pole at some point. 24hrs after the hook snapped off for good, there was a brand new, stronger designed, PETG hook epoxied on in its place. Handy thing to have around 3d printers.

[@BadgerRobot]

This is where a 3d printer really shines. I've printed a customized bathrobe hook for my kid, several closet rod holders, picture frame brackets, replacement leg on my ergo keyboard, filament rack shelf brackets, Victorian styled shelf brackets for my wife's figure collection, replaced all lame dated knobs and handles with custom ones, and much more. And I only needed free software to do it. TinkerCad. My son just made a set of hooks to hold our masks by the front door, and got school credit for. :)

[@JoshStribling]

Awesome video! I'll have to check out your OnShape series... I've been using it on and off for several years, but mostly for measuring angles and offsets for various things, and a few simple models. The assembly system seems somewhat different than what I remember in SolidWorks, so there are some areas where I could benefit from some proper tutorials. Now that you have this part modeled, if the part breaks again, you might try rotating the "U" shape 90 degrees so the open side is towards the top, and then extend out the screw holes so that one is above and the other below the "U" shape (perhaps skipping 1 or 2 screw holes where the "U" is placed in between). Then the part should have some extra strength since it will not be supporting the weight on an open edge, and the weight will be centered on the screws, rather than hanging off of the screws. You could even add a rib or two under the "U" shape for even more strength. Cheers!

[@javeronh.3996]

thanks for the video. a neat thing to keep in mind is in some cases it is possible not only to replace broken parts, but improve. for example with this particular example I would make it so the screws are above the pole and add more meat under the circular section (which also means the spring tab is no longer required). maybe I would do something else if needed. replacing as it was is great, sometimes there is still room for improvement/customizing

[@DavidBaumgarner]

Agreed. My first thought would be make the fillets a larger stronger radius, to compensate for 3d printed vs injection molding.. not to mention you already know where its likely to break. put a rib under there if there is clearance of course.

[@ElClipster]

I have a lot of 3d printed proyects around my house, I love when I finaly manage to make something work myself.

[@angelo3d]

Nice class! Thank you.

[@mikediamond3697]

The first 3D model I made with fusion 360 was a hook and cross head 'screw' tool to open my loft hatch and pull the ladder down, the original tool had broken years ago and I had an old curtain rail in the wood pile so made a new tool sized to fit on the curtain rail, it worked perfectly and certainly far simpler than trying to find somewhere that stocks the replacement part for a 30 year old loft hatch.

[@seabeepirate]

I make one-off parts all the time! Replacement knobs and bushings are pretty common around here.

[@goonbreathfpv]

Phenomenal and inspirational

[@bluegizmo1983]

I can't even count how many things I've fixed around the house with 3d printing.

[@mynameiswayne.]

Ditto

[@kokxje]

I can easily count this. I just have to count the number of files in the folder dedicated to this.

[@alejandroperez5368]

Things you could've probably bought on Internet

[@Eunostos]

@@alejandroperez5368 You can indeed often cheaply replace things instead of repairing them. Because screw bothering with trying to be ethical.

[@angiegracie6954]

The CAD is my hurdle. :(

[@clausnymann5527]

Measuring tip (for digital calipers) to measure center-to-center distances of two holes of the same size: Measure inside diameter of one hole. Leave calipers in position, but zero the measurement. Now measure outside edge of one hole to outside edge of other hole for center-to-center distance.

[@barrabjj]

so obvious after reading your comment but damn if I haven't been guessing and triple checking

[@clausnymann5527]

@@barrabjj 😄

I'm using this in my Ikea printing cabinet as a filament holder :)

[@AlexusMaximusDE]

The good thing about being able to make your own part is that you improve instead of just replacing. I don't know why anyone would spend the time to create a model of the same bad design that failed even when injection molded.

[@barrytelesford5265]

so you could buy a new one from them

[@lloydrmc]

His printed parts seemed plenty sturdy, (and he has two complete sets of those, plus the original white one that didn't break), and did you miss the bit where he said he had the CAD model so he could very easily reinforce it if it broke again?

[@AlexusMaximusDE]

@@lloydrmc His printed part is the exact same thing that broke, except produced with a method that weakens the part compared to the original. And printing something twice because you made a bad choice is nothing but wasteful. If you can't recognize that, I really can't value anything you say.

[@lloydrmc]

"Remember to keep comments respectful and follow community guidelines" @@AlexusMaximusDE

[@AlexusMaximusDE]

@@lloydrmc 😂😂😂

[@ridhwaan1199]

Freaking awesome video I am just learning how to model so this type of vids help Thanks

[@kayakuprising5914]

This was great!

[@Stolz3D]

great work!

[@pacificcoastminiatures]

I replaced the broken ventilation flap on my Toto wash let by modelling it in Tinkercad and then printing it in white filament. Because I didn’t have the original I went through about 5 versions until I got it to fit. Luckily it as very thin and small so it only took about 10min to print each time.

[@Rubbernecker]

Great video!!!

[@Deses]

A corner of my mosquito net broke a while ago and I 3d printed another one. That was one of the most satisfying things to make!

[@KieranShort]

I replaced a metal door lock lever with parts designed by me and test printed with my Prusa mk3. i modelled and iterated in PLA (and metal actuating force against plastic, it actually worked enough to successfully test it). Once done and known to work, i sent the STL to be printed in metal. It arrived, and worked first time, perfectly! It's an antique lock and you can't get it any more.. there are sort of similar ones, but they are $400+ and not as good. Metal printing the part cost $36AUD from shapeways, delivered.

[@rickysakintnl]

Again, a great video. Thumbs up!

[@reaperssteel9338]

Made a headlight part after breaking my own. Before the headlight would sag down making seeing infringement of me rather difficult but after word the headlight aimed straight and true

[@nicholaslau3194]

Easier method: take the hole measurement inside the wardrobe, then take the radius of the rod. Design your part around those. Much easier to do than model an existing part which you dont have the cad file. Replace the part on the other end while you’re at it because it will break sooner or later

[@stevenryall3186]

The Facebook group 'F**k that, I'll just print it' is a group choc-a-bloc full of these kinds of prints! ;)

[@corty1980]

Great video & great use of 3D Printing, I have used my 3D Printers to print functional parts and also used it to replace broken plastic parts on one of my 3D Printers. For anyone that has a Wombot Exilis XL printer and wants the files for the plastic parts if you head to Thingiverse & Myminifactory and search for RobsVirtualCave you can find these and other files.

[@davidevilla9051]

Very interesting video as usual! @teaching tech why did you choose to print the object in that orientation? Were you not afraid about layer adhesion? Have you used any specific setting to improve layer adhesion? Thank you again!

[@DidiWidyaUtama]

Nice work, if i were you, i will add strengthening ribs to anticipate breakage in future 😊

[@spikekent]

These are the sort of projects I enjoy most too, repairing or upgrading existing things. I does seem odd to me that the original part is fixed 'on it's side'. It would have been stronger if it had been oriented upright, so the pole sits in the bottom of the U shape. I would have designed the replacement part in the upright orientation.

[@Sarwiz1]

Have been using Fusion360 to make parts for a lot of things around the house for the last year or so. It is very easy to measure anything with a good digital caliper and a set of drafting calipers. I have made gears for a coffee grinder, on to door hinges for a kitchen aid storage box. This is the best use for our CAD and 3d printers. on the holes, just measure from the left edge of hole a, to the left edge of hole b, that is your hole spacing. And on complex geometries, dont be afraid to draw a "strike" line on the old part, and take all your measurements from that line. A strike line is a crosshair type starting point."

[@column.01]

My Dad's bathroom drawer had fallen off its slide. Upon closer inspection, the drawer's retention slider had worn through and no longer gripped the metal part on the cabinet. The day after I bought my printer, I set out to fix that issue. I designed and printed a replacement part and after just over an hour of design and printing, the drawer now functions properly again. I even printed a second one and preemptively fixed the drawer on my Mom's side of the cabinet. It was a proud moment to prove to myself and my parents that the printer wasn't just for useless knick-knacks.

[@TimsBitsnPieces]

Michael, you make it all look so simple when watching this... I would love to learn how to do this as I have several items I want to recreate for my house and for my 4wd. I am just curious as to why the bracket is fitted sideways I am sure it would be much stronger if fitted with the opening at the top instead of on the side.

[@danandrei96]

great video. For small parts like this I would print the rough design on paper instead of 3d printing a flat version. Faster and less wasteful. Still a good idea for more complicated designs though

[@javeronh.3996]

the idea, I think, is to make sure the printer is printing what you expect as well. if you print on paper the scaling may be off. even at 100% scale I have had the printed picture measure a noticeable amount different than designed

[@SophiaTellman]

Need one of these to print a remote control battery compartment cover that I lost 10+ years ago.

[@S0Fr3shThisKid]

Honestly THANK YOU for this!!! Do you not recommend 3D scanning for parts that need accurate holes and such like this kind of complex-ish shape?

[@lilracerboi]

My most useful case for a problem like this was getting my new (at the time) GPU mounted into my PC case. I have the Thermaltake Core G3 that situates the GPU vertically and parallel to the motherboard via the metal bracket and a couple plastic mounts that hold the other end up. The new GPU I got was/is the MSI GTX 1080 Duke which is massive. Problem with it is one of the plastic mount completely covered the power in on the GPU. I had to whip out my laptop to model it in CAD and shift the mounting point over a little. 1.5 hours later I was able to finish the upgrade and the best thing is I'm still using that same printed part in my PC to this day.

[@macswanton9622]

I surely would have doubled the thickness of the failure points, and replaced both brackets

[@Guardian_Arias]

And rotated 90 degrees so the round portion would bear the load instead of a flat "floppy" end of course the screw holes would need to be vertical still but not a big deal when still in the CAD phase.

[@polmenya2040]

@@Guardian_Arias The engineering game " I can design this thing better and more suitable for 3d printing " is my favorite game too. (ICDTTBAMSF3P for short)

[@rtopz1]

@@Guardian_Arias 100% true, design a better part if you can vs this poor original design

[@WoLpH]

Wouldn't an injection molded part be stronger than a 3D printed part? I'm not sure if you would win anything by replacing it

[@0LoneTech]

I've replaced the plastic of some magnetic cupboard latches similarly. I did alter the design to be more robust when one broke again a year later.

[@ianide2480]

Great example of a fix and useful 3D print. One small note, you could have made the fixed piece a complete circle, the rod only has to clip into one side, they are sold in pairs like this at most any hardware store, one side a complete circle, the other side a slot to clip into. Though you do have the model for easy access if the other side breaks. I've lost count of my creations and fixes for items from a tape measure real handle, floor trim on a radius wall corner, paper towel holders, or just stupid chip clips with small amounts of leftover filament. Never throw away those small pieces of filament at the end of a roll, just make chip clips because at least one (or more) kid is gonna toss the damn things and you always need more.

[@m3vm3]

i wish you could 3d print magnets, adhesive and velcro lol. ill just have to add those after like you did with the 2 screws

[@SKWDiesel1]

I have also printed fish tank hoods, rewards for children, various clips and gadgets for teachers, as well as many tools for my workshop!

[@Citizen5000]

Its often a good idea to try to reduce the part to its absolute minimum version that still works. This often makes printing easier and the part more robust. That locking mechanism could have been made simpler or possibly even omitted if the seat would be rotated 90 degrees so that gravity and friction hold the bar.

[@mememeet4140]

underrated, the U-shape being rotated 90 Degrees is such a stupid structural design flaw...

[@ArturB993]

Fyi, if you use the free version of onshape, everything you create is free to public domain via cloud meaning anyone has access to the files you create to use or edit in anyway. EVEN so, I love how easy it is to use and much of the advice and techniques in this video can be applied to other CAD oriented applications.

[@alejandroperez5368]

No. That's not true. You can choose to make them public or private.

[@Aikano9]

For future reference, Ikea is actually one of, if not the best company at supplying spare and replacement parts, they’ll usually send you small parts like this for free, and larger parts for a very reasonable price.

[@hansmaulwurf8027]

I had to replace the exact same part. Printed it with pla and is still in place.

[@devinkrike5968]

I designed a part we lost from a light fixture, took 3 tries but I managed to make it work. I used inkscape for initial sketch and then 123design to turn it into 3d. However the measurements didn't translate well between the 2 programs so I had to make some adjustments.

[@monkeywrench1951]

I’d be nice to see a redesign of this part designing it specifically for FDM, including the nuisances of layer adhesion and printing direction.

[@Bravo-ry9st]

I have a Pilates machine that I bought in 2005. It is no longer manufactured and I have been able to 3D print replacement parts for plastic parts and including some metal parts that are static with out much wear and tear. I will proceed with 3D printing battery covers that are missing in some of my electric devices.

[@yesmanhk]

WOW, i hope i can do it as well. I know it is a step by step but can you make more simple for 3d printing beginner for next project? thank you.

[@bigcountryvet5984]

I would like to try this. I need 2 hinges for my small deep freeze.

[@ChickensAndGardening]

Good tutorial! Of course, you could have mounted that pole with a couple of nails or wood screws in about 2-3 minutes :)

[@TrackStriker]

awesome. I really need to get away from tinkercad as my designs are always a little ... floppy. Thanks for the inspiration :)

[@twc9000]

"All that remains is to give my part a Swedish name." Made me laugh. Great video.

[@majstor76]

i would make it simpler, with U shape looking up, without retention lip. Sometimes engineers just complicate without any need

[@LordAnubis0909]

i was just thingking the same thing. i don't see why they put them like that.

[@sy5tem]

@@LordAnubis0909 gravity in sweden is sideway!

[@majstor76]

this is how i would do it drive.google.com/file/d/18HW2XzLTp0gvBw9Wh8a8K-orXngBkErt/view?usp=sharing

[@Guardian_Arias]

Seriously, defiantly designed to fail.

[@rtopz1]

@@majstor76 nice, exactly what should be done vs replicating poor design choices

[@Storebrand_]

Great video! I recently got my printer and have been modeling tons. Only issue i have is getting dimensionally accurate parts. I don't know whether to put the tolerances in the model or in the slicing. I want to share models but if I want people to be able to print them and get the same fit on different printers I would want the model itself to contain the accuracy, right? If somebody had a more accurate printer and I oversized a hole, they might no get the intended result. Should I even be considering this? I'm confused. I've been using the free SketchUp but OnShape looks much more intuitive and powerful. Going to try that out.

[@3DJapan]

I have a box fan with feet on the bottom. One foot got lost and the other broke. So I copied the broken one I had and repaired it in the 3D model. Printed them out good as new, exactly like the originals except yellow instead of white.

[@KonJamo]

Good job, but I wonder why Ikea who have my respect for form-follows-function principle didn't make one or two extra holes so the rod holder can be screwed in upright, making for a better distribution of weight onto the whole thing instead of one side only. I've reconstructed and even improved some broken household and car interior parts with SketchUp so far as well as designing electronics cases for my subwoofer builds for i.E. the crossover filter or a small build-in amp with a fan mount where I had to make holes with a heated screwdriver to get the airflow right, something I tend to oversee in the design process. Love your channel, I've made a couple improvement to my ender 3 learning from your videos already

[@TheWright1]

I hope one day I can get good at cad design to do this. right now I look at thingivese to see if some one has already made what I need.

[@699hazard]

I think we all start off like this. To start learning CAD try designing something simple like a key tag with your name on it and then go from there.

[@daniel-goodwin]

I’m a few months into 3d printing and started with thingiverse. Then I started playing with tinkercad on little things. Then I went to fusion 360 and now wouldn’t hesitate to model the post in this video. Just made a telescope bracket last week actually, somewhat similar. You just work your way up. Great sense of accomplishment too.

[@bradrennick2919]

For general "around the house" type repairs/replacements like these would you recommend a Resin or Filament style printer? You prototyped on a filament printer, but your glowing reaction to the resin printed piece makes me wonder what's the best option if you had to choose one?

[@zhollett]

Good job and thanks for the video. I question the design though (not your matching it, the original one). Why would they have the weight bearing section cantilevered out like that, wouldn't it make more sense to have the rod holding rotated 90º (so it drops in from above) and in line with the screws so the load is passed directly to the structure instead of resting on the tiny edge? Probably why it broke in the first place. Anyway, thanks again.

[@Andrew260RS]

I often print small pieces to ensure my measurements. I often print 0 walls, 0 tops and 2 bottom layers. Just print at 100mm/s just to check.