How 3D Printers Are Changing DIY Home Repairs and Custom Fabrication
Homeowners are increasingly turning to 3D printers for practical household repairs and custom accessories, saving money and hassle by printing replacement parts themselves.
When Travis Rogacz bent over a steaming pile of dog waste in his backyard in Iowa, he heard something snap. The tabs connecting the scooper to his new dog-waste disposal contraption had broken.
Rogacz, 35, obediently set about clearing the lawn with a plastic bag wrapped around his fingers. But he was not ready to discard a scooper that cost $30, so he used his 3D printer to create a custom replacement part.
"I just printed it this morning, fixed the contraption, and now it works great," said Rogacz, a drafting supervisor at a construction company. He added that the contraption is now even stronger than it was before.
Rogacz is part of a growing group of people turning to 3D printers for highly practical purposes. They operate printers in their homes, local libraries, or community makerspaces to print door locks, furniture hinges, storage containers, and appliance parts.
According to enthusiasts, making parts themselves allows them to bypass the hassle and expense of searching for hard-to-find items. Here are a few tips to help you get started.
Fix It Yourself
Corey Miller's 3D printer is essentially his private hardware store. He started with a $100 printer making small items like Christmas ornaments and puzzles, but has since upgraded to more expensive printers to perform a variety of home repairs.
When the release handle on his sofa broke, Miller's first instinct was to search Amazon for a replacement part. But instead of paying $30 for the piece of plastic, he spent a few cents on raw filament and printed a custom solution himself. The repaired handle is still working four years later.
Miller, a 41-year-old drafting technician at a steel company in Missouri, also manufactured a protective cap for the sharp end of his push broom in the garage. Now he can comfortably grip the handle while sweeping dusty concrete floors without worrying about the sharp edge. "It's fun to fix the little things that annoy you," he says.
Start From a Template
Although Miller has a professional background in drafting, he first checks free digital design repositories for pre-made templates. If he cannot find what he needs or is dissatisfied with existing options, he designs the part himself.
That is how Chris Adcock, 54, solved a kitchen dilemma. When the control knob on his expensive mixer broke, Adcock searched for a printable solution and a model to base it on. He downloaded a template created by another user, sent it to the printer, and installed the new part on the mixer. He noted that the repair cost mere cents, much less than what the manufacturer would have charged.
Adcock also designs and manufactures many items himself, including an entryway coat rack with a built-in glasses shelf, an AC vent cover, and a clamp used to hold parts together while assembling cabinets and other furniture. For those wanting to move beyond using templates, he recommends experimenting with computer-aided design software such as Autodesk's free Tinkercad.
As for the printer itself, when you are ready to move beyond the local library's machine, Adcock, who lives in North Carolina, recommends investing in a model from a brand like Bambu Lab. He owns a P2S model, which can cost up to $800. Cheaper models from Bambu, Creality, and Elegoo cost around $200.
Trial and Error
3D printing is an incremental process of experimentation and learning, and more complex designs may require several rounds of fixes and adjustments.
Different materials, such as liquid resin and various filaments, suit different applications. One guide recommends beginners start with polylactic acid (PLA) filament, a material generally considered non-toxic and made primarily from cornstarch or sugarcane.
Next, consider structure, shape, and size. Dan Miller, a 43-year-old software developer from Raleigh, North Carolina, printed banana hangers for underneath a cabinet, but discovered they were not strong enough to hold certain weights.
When repairing the plastic connectors in his washing machine support rods—which function similarly to shock absorbers—he first printed a test part, made adjustments, and only then printed the remaining parts. He tries to avoid wasting printing filament, though small parts typically do not generate much waste.
Sandy Gunther uses a 3D printer to create custom accessories that help keep his home organized.
Gunther, an operations manager in Saskatchewan, Canada, maintains a running list of items he wants to create. Among his biggest hits so far are a belt rack and an under-sink towel rack. "As stupid as it sounds, it's one of those little things we use every single day," he says of the towel holder.
Sure, he could buy similar products locally, but he notes they can be flimsy and fail to fit their intended space precisely. By contrast, the cutlery trays he designed himself are tailored exactly to the length of his spoons and knives.
Matt Swannigan, 37, designed a custom lock for a pair of French doors that his dog kept crashing into. Four versions later, the fixture is sturdy enough to withstand the full force of Lenny, an 8-year-old mixed-breed Labrador.
Swannigan, a small-business owner from Chesterfield, Michigan, takes pride in the creation process. "I think it's pretty cool when I look around the house and say, 'Yeah, I printed that. I made that.'"
