Replacement Valve Holder

prusaprinters

I can't imagine that this component will be useful to too many people.  But I think it is a good illustration of the value for designing 3D printed replacement parts.  It was much easier and cheaper for me to 3D print my own part than it would have been to try to find a replacement part to purchase.  So hopefully it will prompt some analogous ideas for others.We have a device that is at least 20 years hold that sits outside our home.  When I went to repair it, one of the metal components that holds a water valve in place was so rusted that it crumbled in my hands.  I wondered how I was going to squeeze some more life out of the device because I knew no replacement part would be available for purchase.  Then I realized that it would be quite straight forward to just design and print a new one.The photos show the old component and the replacement part.  The replacement part is printed in nylon.  I tried to reproduce the original component as closely as possible.  The hardest part was getting the peg at the top of the bar to line up with the screw hole exactly. I got it working and installed.  Afterwards, I realized a slightly different design would be functionally equivalent but have a wide tolerance for the distance from the peg and the screw hole.  That design is uploaded as well.