3D Printing Replacement Parts

Last weekend, my wife and I decided that it was time to hang the baby gates as our youngest is just starting to walk.  However, we could not find the metal hinge pieces.  We had bought the gates years ago from a warehouse store.  There was no manufacturer identified on the gate, so we didn’t even know where to go to get the replacement.  

No worries.  

I have a CAD program and a 3D printer.  A few hours later, I had designed and printed replacement hinges that work great.

The picture on the left is the original hinge.  The picture on the right is the replacement.  I had to beef up the design a little bit since the 3D printed ABS is certainly not as strong as the formed sheet metal used for the original part.  

This is one of the things that really attracted me to 3D printing.  I’m frequently working on some little project around the house and find that I just need some little piece to get the project done. I end up going to the hardware store and wandering the aisles.  Typically I find something that sort of looks what I need and chop it up until it works.  Now I can simply design and print exactly what I want.  

Here’s a picture of the whole gate with the new hinges.  I posted the hinge stl files on thingiverse for a free download.  If you have a replacement part you would like made, send me a message and we’ll see if I can make it for you.  

 

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