Sliding Patio Door Security Bar Retainer Bracket

thingiverse

This replacement bracket locks in place a security bar (also known as "burglar bar") which prevents the sliding patio door from being forced open. The original retainers' plastic "ears" on all three of our patio doors had broken off after 8 years of use. I decided to tackle this project as a way to showcase the value of my new 3D printer to my partner. My experience with CAD software goes back to ancient times (circa 1980's), so it took me approximately 3 days to learn enough about using OnShape, a cloud-based CAD system, to design the retainer bracket and print out three of them. It is challenging to make a solid business case for making these brackets: $400 for the printer, $20 for filament and 3 days of my time. However, the sense of creativity and accomplishment is priceless. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.