Simple Repairs Using a 3d Printer by the Example of a Broken Powerstrip

Yesterday the switch of my power strip bounced in my face, when I tried to turn it on. First I was annoyed because I thought that I need a new one now, but after seeing my precious baby (my 3d printer) I wanted to at least try to fix it. In this Instructable I won't only show my process on how I eventually fixed it using my 3d printer but hopefully give a general idea on how to approach such simple repairs using only the following supplies:

First step will be measuring the broken piece, for that we will probably need

• vernier caliper
• ruler
• sometimes a protractor for measuring angles can be useful

After that we will model it:

• CAD-programm (e.g. Fusion360, TinkerCAD, FreeCAD)

Finally we will print the piece so obviously:

• 3d printer and filament

Ok, to start off we need to know what the problem actually is and what parts we have to potentially repair/replace.

My problem was that the switch of the powerstrip wasn't held in place anymore and the springs underneath pushed it up. This is because one of these little extrusions on the side broke. I then realized that I can seperate the red shell from the beige inside, containing the status lamp and the springs. Well thats easy then, I basically only have to print a replacement for the red shell. To be able to print it I will have to model it first on the computer.

To print the replacement I need the exact dimensions of the part. In my opinion this is the most difficult step, because small deviations can make the part not fit in the end, so be as exact as you can.

I personally like to measure and model at the same time, but you can also make a small paper sketch with the dimensions beforehand. So, grab you calipers and fire up your CAD-program! I personally use Fusion360 because it's super simple and free for makers. Alternatives are TinkerCAD for simple things and FreeCAD as an opensource alternative.

The process in Fusion is quite simple, you start with a sketch and extrude or subtract it. (Yeah this is very simplified but gives a good idea how it's working) For complex projects you can do this many times to get to your final model.

I first created a new sketch on the Z-X-plane, because I will start with measuring the side view. In general you should try to start with a flat face of the broken piece, that you can extrude most of the model of. This way you will need less sketches and operations. Then I began to measure all important dimensions necessary to create the sketch. The sketch that turned out can be seen on top. All dimensions given in the picture are the ones I measured using the calliper.

To create a solid body from the sketch I used the extrude tool of Fusion360. Knowing the depth of the piece it already looked kind of finished. After using the shell tool I was almost finished! Only the little extrusions that will hold the switch in place and previously broke were missing. So I added them and the model is complete

To be honest, this was a very easy model to create, but I hope it gives you an idea on the procedure to do so. If you know the basics of your CAD-programm and always follow the order of measuring -> sketching -> extruding/subtracting etc. it won't be hard to create more complex models.

After exporting the model as an .3mf (better alternative to .stl) file I turned on my printer and loaded the model. I printed it in white PLA to kind of match the color of the power strip and to be able to see the light of the status led through it. The print took around 15 minutes on my Anet A8 plus.

It's normal that your design sometimes doesn't fit first try, and it is completely normal. My first print, apart from turning out meeeh, was too tight to fit the beige piece inside, so I hopped back to Fusion360, decreased the shell thickness and printed it out again. This is the great thing about 3d printing, it costs nearly nothing to change some small details and print it out again.

So there I was, I successfully saved the power strip from landing in the trash, by only using my 3d printer. If you have questions or feedback, feel free to leave them in the comments, I will try to answer all of them. If you want to use the file I created you can find a .stl and .f3d down below