The drawer slider, a low-cost hinge, the battery cover for the remote control... how many plastic parts throw in the towel before their time? The real problem is that manufacturers usually say something along the lines of "thanks a lot, see you later" when we try to get a replacement, but the My Mini Factory portal comes to the rescue with a very interesting list of My Mini Factory free parts that can be downloaded and printed in 3D.
A door that doesn't close properly, a kitchen starting to lose keys, that vacuum cleaner adapter that vanished into thin air... our relationship with certain plastic parts can be described with words like "hate" and "resignation". Some people accept the challenge and quickly look for a way to improvise a replacement, no matter how crude it is. I've had too many remote controls wrapped in tape to keep their battery covers from flying off, so I speak from personal experience.
Spare Parts for Printing
And manufacturers' responses to these situations are usually disappointing. However, we have a powerful ally: 3D printing. This technology has completely changed the rules of manufacturing and restoration. We've even seen it save lives, a truly extraordinary achievement. Now it's time for 3D printing to prove its usefulness in smaller, everyday things. That brings us to portals like My Mini Factory.
At this page, you can search by brand or explore the catalog. It has a section called "Brands Spare Parts", and it contains a notable number of parts under brands like IKEA, Kenwood, Bosch, and Beko, but we also find parts for the doors of a Peugeot 206, lens caps compatible with Canon and Nikon lenses, coffee maker grilles, Logitech keyboard supports, hard drive adapters from 2.5 to 3.5 inches, and many generic spare parts that can be modified or altered as you wish.
In some cases, the original creator of the model publishes recommendations for the printing process, whether it's the type of material or the level of "infill", but with each part there is always a phase of experimentation.
I don't think IKEA would mind something like this... right? The best part is that My Mini Factory offers all these downloads at no cost. From a certain point of view, the site is shaping up to be a strong competitor for Thingiverse or Pinshape, but this section dedicated to brands really catches our attention, and it wouldn't be bad if the rest decided to create similar catalogs.
