How We 3D Printed a Replacement Part for a Local Customer

Last week a customer came into the shop in Aberbeeg holding a small, snapped plastic clip. It was from a 20-year-old washing machine and the manufacturer had long since stopped making spares. Their two options were to scrap a working appliance or find a way to reproduce the part. That's exactly the kind of job we love.

Step 1 — measuring the broken part

We used digital callipers to measure every dimension of both halves of the broken clip. Because both halves survived, we could work out the original length by lining them up. Where the plastic had snapped and lost material, we had to estimate — but for a functional clip that's fine.

Step 2 — modelling the replacement

We modelled the part in Fusion 360, adding a small internal rib along the break line so the new print would be stronger than the original. This is one of the advantages of reprinting a broken part — you can improve on the weakness that caused the failure in the first place.

Step 3 — printing in PETG

Because the clip lives inside a warm, damp appliance, PLA would have been a bad choice. We printed it in PETG at 100% infill, oriented so the layer lines ran across the load rather than along it.

Step 4 — fitting and follow-up

The customer collected the same afternoon, fitted it that evening and messaged us the next day to say the washing machine was back in service. Total cost: under a fiver.

Got a broken part?

Bring it to the shop or send us photos with a ruler in the shot through the contact page. Most small clips, brackets and covers we can reproduce for £5–£15.