The machine works. The part does not exist.

Why did the part disappear while the machine kept working?

Spare parts have a shorter life than the appliances they belong to. Once a model leaves production, stock runs down and nobody re-tools an injection mould for a handful of orders a year.

This is why the whole thing feels so illogical from where you are standing. A perfectly good washing machine, one snapped piece of plastic worth pennies to make, and a supplier telling you the machine is beyond repair.

The UK Government commissioned research into exactly this problem — 3D printing spare parts for consumer appliances — precisely because so much working kit gets scrapped over one unavailable moulding. And Philips has started publishing printable files for some of its own parts. The idea is not fringe any more.

Which appliance parts can actually be printed?

Plastic parts that are not under pressure, not against a heating element and not structural: knobs, clips, catches, basket wheels, dispenser arms, shelf supports, drawer rails, levelling feet, handles.

The list of what works is longer than people expect:

• Washing machines — control knobs, dispenser drawer parts, door handle components, filter caps
• Dishwashers — basket wheels and clips, rack end caps, cutlery basket parts, detergent dispenser latches, spray arm supports
• Tumble dryers — levelling feet, door catches, filter frames, knobs
• Fridges and freezers — shelf supports, drawer rails, door bin clips, egg and bottle holders (covered in more detail on the fridge and freezer parts guide)
• Vacuums — trigger parts, clip releases, hose cuffs, brush bar end caps
• Ovens and hobs — control knobs away from direct heat, door trim, handle inserts

What cannot be printed, and why?

Anything holding water pressure, anything touching a heating element, anything electrical, and anything structural that carries the weight of a loaded drum or door.

PETG softens around 80°C. Wash water is fine. A part bolted to a heater housing or sitting in a steam path is not, and it will deform slowly rather than fail obviously, which is worse. Pressure seals need the exact material and surface finish the original had, and printing gives you neither.

We turn these down. It costs us an order and saves you a flood.

What should I send you?

The broken piece, if you can manage without it for a few days. It is faster and more accurate than any measurement, and we post it back with the new one.

Second best is photographs: several angles, flat on a plain surface, with a steel rule in the shot so we have scale. Include the appliance model number from the rating plate if you can find it, and a photo of where the part fits.

If the part broke in two, send both halves. A clean break is good news — the original shape is fully recoverable. If a piece is missing entirely, we work from what survives plus the mounting it fits, and symmetry usually fills in the rest.

Not all of our competitors will take the physical part. We will, and for anything with an awkward profile it is the difference between a part that fits first time and one that needs a second go.

Is it worth printing, or should I replace the appliance?

If the rest of the machine is sound, a twenty pound part against a four hundred pound replacement is an easy decision. If it is one of three things failing, we will say so.

We would rather talk you out of a bad order than take it. If the drum bearings are going, a new shelf clip is not the problem worth solving. Tell us what else is wrong and we will give you a straight answer.

Will the printed part look like the original?

Close, not identical. It will be matt black with fine layer lines you can see close up. For a part inside a machine nobody notices; for a visible control knob you will.

Worth thinking about for the handful of parts that are on show. There is more on this in the will it look 3D printed guide, which is honest about where printing shows and where it does not.

Published 5 October 2026.