3D printing can do more than just create or adjust; it can also mend and fix. A skilled maker can breathe new life into broken items that would otherwise be discarded because a component failed. Our newest contest “Replacement Parts” celebrates this ingenuity! Not only does it save everyone time and money, given the high cost and availability of spare parts, but it also promotes sustainability by preventing waste and efficient use of resources.
Look around your living spaces, whether it’s your home, garden, or workplace. Find those items that have been sidelined due to wear and tear. It could be a kitchen gadget that has seen better days or a garden tool that has lost its edge. Your challenge is to design a replacement part for a specific product and use 3D printing to repair it, ensuring it continues to serve its purpose.
And what better day to celebrate the spirit of repair and rejuvenation than on World Repair Day? Mark your calendars, for on October 21st, we will announce the ingenious minds behind the most useful repairs!
Before you jump into the contest, please read specific guidelines we’ve introduced for this round of contest to ensure clarity and safety for everyone:
- Original shape and look – The replacement part must be as close as possible to the original in shape and appearance. Design changes that are necessary for printability, increased strength, etc. are permitted.
- Detailed Descriptions – When submitting your model, please provide:
- A detailed description and name of the original part, specifying the exact product for which the replacement part is designed.
- A description of the defect and the process of repair.
- Visuals – Include clear and relevant pictures of your repair and also a picture of the original part to provide context for its application.
Additional judging criteria:
- Editable source file and allow others to remix – While it’s not a requirement, uploading editable source files (.step, .f3d, .scad etc.) and choosing a license for your design that allows others to remix, will be viewed favorably by the judges. It showcases a collaborative spirit and enables others to build upon and improve your design.
- Printability – Whether the model has an optimal orientation, whether it is divided into multiple parts so it can be printed more easily (without supports) etc.
- Assembly instructions – If your model consists of multiple parts, we check how easy it is to assemble the final product.
- Your other works – In case we can’t decide between two favorite designs, we often check your other models to see what you can do.
- Photo quality – Well-lit, in-focus, and clear photos help show off your work and help us pick the best designs.
While general replacement parts like ‘cabinet knobs’ or ‘replacement wheels’ are useful, their utility to others is significantly reduced without information about the specific product they were designed for. If you don’t include this information, we’ll unfortunately have to exclude your model from the winners selection.
Let’s dive into this contest and redefine how we look at broken things. After all, in the world of 3D printing, everything can be fixed!
If you are looking for inspiration, check out how creatively can 3D printing give a new life to your products:
 Jabra headset broken hinge fix |
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 Dyson V10 Vaccum Tube replacement Button |
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 GARMIN K-EDGE replacement |
 Remoter Cover Devo 7 Replacement |
Prizes
Our first-place winner will receive a brand new Original Prusa MK4 Kit!
The second-place winner will receive 1050 Prusameters.
Third place will win 700 Prusameters.
You all have a chance to help award some prizes too. We want to see your makes of these designs and the five entries with the most makes (who are not also main prize winners) will each receive 350 Prusameters good for filament and other awesome prizes.
How to participate?
It’s easy to participate in this competition. Just follow these simple instructions.
- Design and create a model or improve an already existing one (“remix”) so that the result fits the theme of this contest. The model has to be printable on an FFF/FDM or SLA 3D printer (any manufacturer and model). This also means that you don’t need to own a 3D printer to participate. When creating the model, keep in mind the pros and cons of various types of 3D printing technologies and what can and can’t be actually done.
- Upload the model to Printables.com and make sure it contains:
- Model in .3MF or .STL file format (print files are optional)
- Photo or render of the model (ideally both)
- Model description
- Add the model to the contest. You will find the new competition button just below the download button on the print’s page after you publish your print. Click the Compete medal and select the “Replacement Parts” contest. After that, your print will be shown on the contest page and you will be in the running.
Of course, you can share your model on social networks (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest,…), and don’t forget to add @printablescom. This can help increase the popularity of the model.
Terms and conditions
- The contest runs from September 08, 2023, to October 11, 2023.
- You can submit up to 5 unique models to the competition and increase your chances of winning.
- Models submitted to the contest must be new models that have been uploaded on or after August 17, 2023.
- The model must contain at least one printed part.
- By entering the contest, you agree to keep your model posted to Printables.com for a minimum of one year. The Prusa team reserves the right to repost your design if it is removed before the end of that year.
- You must be the original creator of the model you upload, please do not repost other people’s models from other sites.
- We reserve the right to terminate the competition or change the conditions of the competition at any time. In case of violation of the terms and conditions or attempted fraud, the competitor will be disqualified.
- Submitting entries that do not fit the contest criteria will result in disqualification and repeated offenses may disqualify you from future contests.
- Results are at the judge’s discretion and all results are final.
Could you clarify :
> Models submitted to the contest must be new models that have been uploaded on or after the XX of August 2023.
Which day of August?
XX is 20 in Roman Numerals, so it would August 20, 2023
17. srpna 2023 nebo později.
I don’t understand why the models can’t be older than 2 months. If we made interesting parts in the past already, we have to reupload them in order to compete, thus breaking stats and history. Sorry but this is a stupid rule which is frustrating… It’s a kind of 3D capitalism!
It is a strange rule. Make me think I should stop uploading stuff as it’s done and just wait for a contest it can be part of.
The idea is to develop a new model for this contest. It’s there to encourage new creations and not have already popular models compete against each other. The “uploaded after” period is most probably only there to easy that “I uploaded the perfect model just yesterday”
Fully agree. This rule doesn’t make any sense and I have the same case.
If someone decide to create something for contest, it is mostly untested quickly made design. The best designs are the one that have been tested for a long time, and improved by several revisions.
This rule cause that only the junk with the best photo wins. High quality design can compete only if you meaninglesly create duplicated model contribution.
+1 — restricting only to models that are brand new is awful. I spent an entire weekend modeling a replacement similar to one of the "inspiration" models for a different brand just a few months ago (in July), but I can't enter it in the contest. Makes me feel like I should stop uploading to Printables altogether, honestly.
I agree, I feel like I should not upload anything to printables right away and rather wait few months for some relevant contest.
This is such a good contest idea; I hope this “replacement parts” theme is done recurrently on annual basis, people are always building replacement parts time to time
+1
Replacement parts are an endless source of utility owning a 3D printer. It’s the primary reason why I still own mine and can justify the time and expense on an annual basis.
Great contest and good luck everyone!
I use solidworks as cad system. It is allowed to upload the files in solid works format, step and stl?
Why not?
i’ve designed so many excellent replacement parts that by now have stood the test of time. i can submit none of them due to this arbitrary time limit rule. it’s frustrating.
I see a lot of people complaining that they dont like the date rule. I think that the rule makes sense as its supposed to be about creating new replacement parts. i also see a lot updated parts in the contest and am just wondering how many of those updated parts are old parts just updated so they can enter the contest and is that acceptable. i am going to enter a couple designs that i created myself but if i have to compete with a bunch of designs that have already been around for a while or are just updated old designs then its hardly fair.
Well, especially for replacement parts it's weird rule. I do design replacement part when something breaks and I need to repair it. I do not want to spend my time designing something that I don't need. Why would anybody at all properly design replacement part they don't need? This way, many models will probably be just contest "stubs" which looks like original part, but are not really functional instead of real proven working designs.
While I agree with you when it comes to the normal contests, I do see the point of the complaints when it comes to repairs. Maybe if this contest becomes a yearly thing (last year had a flash-contest with the same theme around the World Repair Day), I would suggest the time limit be such that you could submit any model made since the previous contest the year before. That way people wouldn't feel left out or feel like they need to hold off on uploading their projects until a contest with a suitable theme shows up (as I've seen some people suggest) 🙂
Honestly, this is what I do now. I don't immediately post new parts that I made and wait for a contest that it is suitable for. I keep a log of "unreleased" models with tags associated to them so it's easy for me to refer back to them.
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I can say honestly I will never waste my time with another one of their contests again. I will still make things but don't waste your time or filament doing their contests. What a joke
Removing models from the competition without any response to mails is quite disappointing. Especially when other similar models remain in the contest. This is all a very arbitrary approach.
Fantastico! Negli ultimi anni la stampa 3D è diventata una tecnologia più accessibile e popolare. Mi piace quando la stampa 3D viene utilizzata per creare accessori che migliorano l'esperienza di gioco, come joystick, supporti per controller, realtà virtuale e molto altro. Inoltre, amo i giochi d'azzardo e di recente ho trovato una lista di casinò europei. Sul sito sono presenti molte recensioni, raccomandazioni e guide per vari giochi. Tutte le piattaforme online presentate sono state verificate e sono completamente sicure per il gioco.
Hallo warum wurde mein (Ersetz Dübel 100mm Außen Durchmesser – 8% sind 8mm – 11% sind 11mm – 12% sind 12mm – 17% sind 17mm – und so weiter) aus dem Wettbewerb genommen ich kenne keinen der nicht schon mal ein Dübelloch zu groß wurde oder ausgebrochen ist und genau für das ist der Dübel um jedes maß anzufertigen als Ersatz der handelsüblichen Dübel wo es nur 6/8/10/12/14/16/20/24 gibt. Es Gibt aber keinen 11/13/15/17 und so weiter für ein ausgeriebenes oder Ausgebrochen Loch und darum Habe ich auch die Flügel rein gezeichnet. Bitte um Antwort Lg Sepp Teubl
How do you upload a model into the contest for judging?
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The sheer number of entries that aren't even "replacement" parts is shocking. Do people even read the rules? An organizer for your tools is not a replacement part. A desiccant holder for your Bambu Lab AMS is not a replacement part. Come on people.
Check that. Nevermind. The winner of the contest didn't even follow the rules, so there is no reason to even care about the contest rules. Noted.