Why repair with 3D printing?

This article was written as part of the RE.FAB TOUR project, funded by the Walloon Region. Stay tuned for regular articles on 3D printing for repair. Find the whole series here, as well as resources for further study and training!

Lack of access to spare parts (unavailable or too expensive) is indeed one of the most important causes of non-repair at Repair Cafés, and is also a reason often cited by Walloons. 3D printing has emerged as a solution to this problem, making it possible to re-design and manufacture a spare part at lower cost, especially if it is no longer available from the supplier, and to do so locally and quickly.

On the left, the causes of non-repair in Repair Cafés. Combined, 37% of them are linked to difficulty of access to spare parts [1]. On the right, the reasons why Walloons say they have not repaired their appliances [2].

On the basis of this observation, filament deposition printing (FDM), which has become an accessible technology from both a technical and economic point of view, is particularly popular for repairs and is currently experiencing significant growth. 3D printing, for example, is beginning to be considered by some manufacturers, such as the Seb group, to produce spare parts [3]. Others have even incorporated this possibility into the design of their products: the re:Mix mixer is a typical example, being modular, repairable and open-source [4]!

3D printing could facilitate access to certain spare parts, typically small plastic parts that are not produced, more accessible, or too expensive. These can be printed at home, in a shared workshop such as a Fablabs or a Markerspace, or via a professional printing service, and thus increase the repair rate of these objects! And how do you obtain the 3D drawing, the model to be printed? Two solutions: retrieve the part from a 3D file-sharing platform, or redesign the part yourself. This second solution can be a complex challenge, but allows you to create a customized, unique part, perfectly adapted to the specific needs of the repair.

Repairing a kettle knob using 3D printing: the design of the knob has been simplified for the repair [5].

In order to deploy repair using 3D printing, one of the important issues is to train the community of volunteer and professional repairers. Repairing with 3D printing requires skills in Computer Aided Design (CAD) and in the specifics of 3D printing in general (parameters, printing orientation, etc.) and in the context of repair (analysis, redesign and simplification of design, constraints, etc.). As part of the Interreg North-West Europe SHAREPAIR project, in which Repair Together took part, a methodology (3D Printing for Repair – 3DP4R) was developed by T.U. Delft [5], and published as a guide [6], translated by our association with the aim of disseminating the information within the Repair Cafés network.

3D printing for repairs is therefore currently experiencing a great deal of excitement. The enthusiasm that accompanies it should not, however, obscure its limitations. Beyond the promises offered by this new technology, and the double interest, both economic (for the consumer) and environmental (reduction of resources consumed and waste), 3D printing for repair has many limits and challenges. The legal framework, particularly in terms of the intellectual property of redesigned parts, is still evolving [7]. What’s more, the quality of 3D-printed parts, especially via the most accessible technologies, is limited. Repairs are not always robust and durable over time, and not all objects can be repaired in this way.

It is therefore important to remember that the obvious challenge is to prevent 3D printing from becoming a band-aid for a wider problem, a miracle solution promising to make everything repairable – even that which is not designed to be – and ultimately justifying remaining in a logic of (over)consumption.