3D Printer Digger - Replacement Part

Challenge: Student has a model digger (a JCB) which is an important part of his collection.  The front end loader part of the model is plastic and is broken - can he 3D print a replacement piece?

Background: As indicated the front end of the loader was manufactured in plastic.  A replacement piece cannot be purchased without a purchase of the entire model, so the solution which initially seemed a bit daunting for the student was to see if the 3D Printer could be used to recreate the missing piece.    One of the other aspects of this was including the name of the company that the digger was for on the scoop part of the machine - as shown in the photograph above.   This made the print unique to this student and their family which are involved in the business.

Producing a replacement part that integrates perfectly with an existing piece or item is an exact process and as such it proves very challenging.   There have already been numerous challenges that have been created by designing the print.  The dimensions of the print are dictated by the dimensions of the design as seen in the photograph on the left, with the test print mounted on the toy,  with the intention that it should fit perfectly.  This was identified early however the key element would be the clipping of the front of the loader to the bar that connects it, allowing it to be stable when lifting an object.

This proved to be exactly the sort of challenge that we were looking for to extend this student with his designs.  He was able to create the shape easily from the basic Tinkercad interface and worked out the length successfully by interacting with the original design that it needed to attach too.

Level of Difficulty: High if you include the ability of the front of the tractor/JCB to interact in a way that allows lifting.  

Size: The print measured 90mm across and was 60mm wide.  It had a height of 30mm.     These measurements were dictated to by the size of the original toy that this has been created as a replacement part for.

Timeframe: Just over four hours at present which includes some rafting to protect the integrity of the print.

What we would do differently/Next steps for students: The student has not been satisfied by the locking mechanism to attach the scoop to the front of the JCB.  The original model/toy it has a specific lifting role of various farm items and the student who owns the model wants to be able to replicate this perfectly.   

There is the design that is going to go into the displays that are potentially on the front of the digger - using the 3D Printer brings in the potential to make something unique that has a direct reference to a particular local business which would be impossible without 3D printing.

There is further work to be completed on this project however it is already at the stage that it is ticking a huge number of boxes as a worthwhile student directed project involving creativity and real life problem solving.