At a glance
| Best for | Small plastic components that are obsolete, unavailable, or absurdly priced as a spare |
|---|---|
| Material | PETG — black as standard, white and other colours on request |
| Typical price | £12–£25 for most small parts; drawing from scratch is quoted separately |
| Lead time | 2–3 working days with a file; add a few days if it needs drawing |
| Minimum order | One part — though a spare is usually worth having |
| Maximum part size | 256 × 256 × 256 mm in one piece; larger parts split and joined |
What we take on
- Clips, catches, latches and trim fasteners
- Control knobs, dials and handles
- Brackets and mounts inside appliances and vehicles
- Housings and covers for discontinued equipment
What to send
Two routes in. If a model already exists, we print it. If not, we can work from the broken original.
- An STL if you have one, or found one on a model-sharing site
- Otherwise: photos from several angles, on a plain background, with a ruler or caliper in shot
- Key measurements — hole spacings, shaft diameters, overall length
- The make and model number of whatever it came out of
How the price is worked out
Printing is priced from the file like any other job. If the part needs drawing first, that is quoted separately as a one-off before any work starts, and you own the resulting file — reorders after that are just the print cost. We will always tell you the design fee up front rather than folding it invisibly into a part price.
Where this works well
- Parts under about 250 mm in any direction
- Geometry that can be measured accurately from the broken original
- Components where a slightly different finish does not matter
Where it doesn’t
- Parts that carry serious mechanical or safety load
- Fine threads and very small snap features below about 1 mm
- Anything where the original is missing entirely and there is nothing to measure
If the original is in pieces
Broken is fine, and often better than nothing — a snapped part still carries every dimension that matters as long as the fragments fit back together. Photograph it reassembled, note where it mounts and which way round it sits, and say what failed. A part that broke at a thin section usually wants that section thickening rather than reproducing exactly, and that is a change worth making while it is being drawn.
Questions people ask about this
Can you copy a part that is still on sale?
We reproduce parts for repair where the original is unavailable or unreasonably priced. We will not copy a patented design or a part still readily sold by its manufacturer.
Will it be as strong as the original?
Usually comparable, sometimes stronger, occasionally weaker. Moulding gives uniform grain; printing builds in layers, so a part is slightly weaker across those layers. We orient the print so the layers run the right way for how the load falls.
Have the file already?
Price it now. If you only have the broken part, use the contact page instead.