3D Printing Repair: Use Your Printer to Fix Everything

Before you make your own fixes, you need to consider a few things first. Although no one would consider 3D printing a bust of Thanos to present any legal issues, 3D printing fixes for your home can present some legal risks and potential challenges.

Answers from Insurance Agents

We contacted two insurance agents, Ryan Smith of the LePage Agency in Missouri and Andrew Goff of Farmers Insurance in Pennsylvania, and asked them a few questions regarding 3D printing and insurance issues. The questions and their paraphrased answers are given below.

HAVE YOU ENCOUNTERED 3D PRINTING WITHIN INSURANCE CLAIMS BEFORE?

Both of the agents said that they had not, however, due to the nature of 3D printing being a new area, damage caused by 3D printed fixes likely wouldn’t be covered under a standard homeowner’s policy. The insurance company in theory could go after a company that produces inferior 3D printing material if that was the ultimate cause of a failure, but this is uncharted territory and therefore would be decided on a case-by-case basis.

IF I CREATE A PART AS A FREELANCER IN ORDER TO FIX A POTENTIALLY INSURABLE OBJECT IN A HOME, WHAT PROTECTIONS WOULD I NEED TO RUN SAID BUSINESS?

The homeowner would need general liability insurance as well as product liability coverage for an object to be covered. In addition to that, the company selling said products would need to be approved by underwriting staff in the company for the object to be covered.

WHAT SHOULD MY EXPECTATION BE IF I FIX SOMETHING IN MY HOME? WILL IT BE COVERED IF SOMETHING HAPPENS?

This depends a great deal on if you’re talking about the object itself being covered or damage caused by the object being covered. If you’re talking about the object being covered, the answer is a potential “yes”, however, you’d need to discuss it with your insurance agent. If you’re talking about damage caused by a 3D print, that would most likely not be covered under a standard insurance agreement, although this is a new area that hasn’t been tested yet.

Potential Health Issues

To learn more about potential safety risks for home 3D printing fixes, we further interviewed Michael E. Goldschmidt, director of Healthy Homes Partnership. This agency produces education for home safety as it relates to home fixes and general home and occupant health.

WHAT ARE THE BIG RISKS IN TERMS OF 3D PRINTING FIXES FOR YOUR HOME?

The big risks include the printing itself of an object that could cause health problems, as detailed in recent articles on 3D printing generating particulates. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as well as ultra fine particles (UFPs) are the main issues when creating a 3D printed object if the printer doesn’t have adequate ventilation. This goes for the two most common types of printers (SLA and FDM).

The director recommends that printers be vented to the outdoors, if possible, and that they not be used in places with stagnant air flow, such as in basements and other areas. In an ideal world, the printer itself should also be UL certified (or equivalently certified in other countries) to avoid fires and other safety hazards.

WHAT ABOUT RISKS FOR USING THE PRINTS THEMSELVES?

Given that 3D printers can deposit small amounts of lead into prints (particularly if the filament isn’t sourced from a reliable vendor), it’s best to stay away from printing objects that will come into contact with food or potable water. While the levels may not be high in 3D printers, the World Health Organization notes that “there is no known ‘safe’ blood lead concentration,” especially for young children. Otherwise, printing failures could be a source of harm or damage in certain situations.

Once you’ve started printing, you should consider the following tips for getting the best fixes:

• Start by printing a “test” version using extremely low infill (1-5%) or print just an important dimension to check for fit.
• Don’t be afraid to do some post-processing on your print.
  • Sanding a part to fit is often necessary when the dimensions aren’t quite right.
  • Finishing a part with acetone vapor smoothing for ABS or using modeling clay finishing for PLA can often give your print the finish it needs to look perfect.
• Print an extra if the part is likely to break.
• Water tightness can be achieved with post-processing and tuned settings.
• Print orientation matters (i.e. print along the axis that will take the highest load).

Example Builds

Here are some example home 3D printing fixes we’ve successfully printed and used:

• Rain barrel connector: This custom connector allows water to flow from a downspout diverter into an enclosed rain barrel. This print required a lot of tolerance work, as the parts contain threaded pieces that require a good fit to be watertight. Additionally, a good choice of PETG was necessary since this was to be used outside.

• Cell phone booster mount: Normal installation costs for a cell phone booster are in the neighborhood of several hundred dollars. This removable cell phone booster mount was printed in PETG since it would need to be mounted outside for maximum effectiveness.

• Wood floor plug: Sometimes you need to plug a hole in the floor to prevent valuables from falling down into the floor never to be seen from again. This print definitely required a few test prints to ensure that the fit was just right.

• Workshop drawer pulls: These drawer pulls have lasted four years and have been a great addition to the organizer. Printing these along a particular axis helped strengthen them for long-term use.

• Glass block dryer vent: This dryer vent fitting was created to prevent heat from leaking out from a basement. Since the glass block had a poorly-drilled hole, printing a custom solution was ideal to ensure air-tightness.

Other practical prints we’ve produced (for inspiration):

• Lamp rods
• Downspout clamps
• Shade hanger offsets
• Shower hooks

(Lead image source: 3BL Media)

by Benjamin Goldschmidt