Tap Spline Drive

thingiverse

I've been dealing with a peculiar problem in my bathroom lately - my mixer taps have started to come apart on me. Specifically, five of them have developed this issue, resulting in a total of ten malfunctioning spigots. Each tap has a small plastic insert that fits snugly into the handle and features a distinctive "D" shaped internal hole that aligns with the spindle. Once these components break, the handle becomes loose, making it difficult to turn on the taps. As you can imagine, I was unable to find replacement parts online, and even Home Depot didn't have anything similar in stock. Faced with this challenge, I decided to take matters into my own hands by modeling a solution in Inventor - a process that required several attempts before I finally succeeded. To ensure the durability of the new components, I chose to use HIPS (High Impact Polystyrene), which we'll see how well it holds up over time. I opted for 100% fill to maximize strength while minimizing plastic usage. Fortunately, one design can be used for both right-hand and left-hand taps, eliminating the need for separate models. If my DIY solution helps just one person avoid replacing their mixer taps, then I'll consider it a job well done.