We have printed seals before and it seems to work great.
(I don’t remember the name of the material)
Comment on I need a cheap part to fix a bread machine that's under warranty. "We can send you a new machine."
Jerb322@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Is it something that can be 3D printed?
x00z@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Ajen@sh.itjust.works 3 days ago
Probably TPU (thermo polyurethane), at least that’s what I’ve used.
Chocrates@lemmy.world 3 days ago
A rubber gasket might have to be fabricated, but I bet it’s still doable
PancakesCantKillMe@lemmy.world 3 days ago
I’ll bet you could use some type of modern sealant to make a “rubber” gasket. Spooge it out onto a glass or stainless surface, shape it and let it dry. Trim to fit and viola. Bob’s your auntie.
In light of the hard times coming down the pike, we’ll all need to be more resourceful with mending and maintaining all the products that were planned to be scrap after one year (or warranty expiration).
Cort@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Maybe food safe tpu printed gasket?
franzfurdinand@lemmy.world 2 days ago
One option is 3D printing a mold to fill with silicone sealant. If this is a part that fails regularly, the mold may be worth it. You then have a pretty broad array of food safe sealants you could use and don’t have to worry about your 3d printed part harboring bacteria.
Chocrates@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Not sure about TPU, but can any FDM printed material be food safe? I thought the layers (even with sanding) harboured bacteria.
Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 3 days ago
To be honest, I’ve 3d printed parts for other things before, but I don’t think it would work here. Great idea, though!
This is a high-heat part that needs to be some kind of silicone/rubber. The seal itself is shaped (not just a round washer), but there are other metal parts that appear to have broken/deteriorated. I don’t actually think my seals are broken, but the “seal kits” you usually find have all the parts I’d want to replace.
Ajen@sh.itjust.works 3 days ago
You could print a mold and cast it out of food grade silicone.
Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 2 days ago
At what point would the effort and expense be “too much”? LOL These parts are normally available for under $10 for the seal, bearing, clips, and metal post.
On the other hand, we have a shower faucet knob where this internal piece would always crack. We replaced that part many times with the official component, but I ended up 3d printing it, and it hasn’t broken once in at least the last 6 years!
Ajen@sh.itjust.works 2 days ago
That depends… I watched a video where a guy spent hours casting and machining a small part out of aluminum in his garage to avoid paying the manufacturer $30.