Use 3D printing to make appliance parts

[clemmf]

Hi !

I do think it is possible to replace plastic rare parts of washing machine thanks to 3D printing. I am working for MyMiniFactory, a curated sharing platform for 3D printing where all uploads are tested to guarantee a high standard of quality. We have more than 250,000 users.

We are building a comprehensive and well organized spare part category here where people can easily find and print the replacement parts they need for free. I think that fits your vision of the Repair world, and it may be helpful for you to know this platform. https://www.myminifactory.com/category/brands-spare-parts

You can have a quicker access to cheap pieces, difficult to find in shops. 

Don't hesitate to create an account and download the objects. If you are a designer, please share your designs because there are other people who need the same spare parts as you do.

Thank you!

Edited June 8, 2018 by Whitegoodshelp (Andy)
I've just edited the title to make it more likely to be found by people looking to print appliance parts

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Hello there. Yes it could be potentially very useful. I can think of parts that could be printed like this. How do they get printed though unless someone has designed a printing programme specifically to print them? And if that is how it works and presumably only very commonly asked for washing machine parts are likely to be available to print?

[clemmf]

Thank you very much for your answer

Actually, we already do have some washing machines parts. Our designers are people like you and me who need something quickly and they can test the piece at home. Most of our designs have pictures to show the object printed in function. (https://www.myminifactory.com/category/washing-machine-dryer)

If you could give me some pieces you think could be printable in 3d plastic, it could be very helpful, to let know people which parts they can design on their own.

To print them, I know some services exist like 3D compare (https://3dcompare.com) where you can upload the file of the object and choose the material you want, and they find for you a supplier. Otherwise, physical 3D printing shops exist across the UK.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

This is very interesting. I member seeing news articles about 3D printing coming to the home and thinking this could genuinely revolutionise things. It seems to be one of those things that hasn't caught on much yet in that I certainly don't know of a single person was bought one. But it is still early days yet in the great scheme of things. How exactly does it work? I understand that once some programme has been written then it's just a simple matter of printing it out. But how does someone go about printing something when no program exists to do so? In other words, say I had a 3D printer home, and a broken plastic part that I couldn't buy any more. Would I need to enlist the services of a specialist programmer to design the print programme?

It would be marvellous if we could just pop a part into a scanner, and after a few minutes of scanning, the printer burst into life and started to print an exact copy.

[clemmf]

We do have designers who solve their problems by designing the parts they miss. And we do have users who thank them for sharing their design on our platform. More and more people have 3D printers, or a lot of shops or post offices provide 3D printers for personal use.

You have to design on a CAO software (Solidworks, Catia, Fusion360, Blender....) and convert it in an STL file, to download it on a 3D printer.

We know that not all people have skills to design on such software, that is why we suggest to design it for you, for free : https://www.myminifactory.com/pages/request-a-free-spare-part

Scanners already exists, but it is quite expensive, but very useful !