{"id":7086,"date":"2017-02-17T06:40:15","date_gmt":"2017-02-17T12:40:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/krisbunda.com\/blog\/?p=7086"},"modified":"2017-02-17T06:43:58","modified_gmt":"2017-02-17T12:43:58","slug":"how-to-get-a-simple-replacement-part-made","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/krisbunda.com\/blog\/2017\/02\/17\/how-to-get-a-simple-replacement-part-made\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Get a Simple Replacement Part Made"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you handy and like to DIY your home or equipment repairs?<\/h4>\n

Do you know exactly what you need for a replacement part\u00a0or adapter but don’t have easy access to the sort of machine shop tooling that could turn sketch into part?<\/p>\n

I spend much of my time designing parts which are then processed into reality through the modern magic of CNC lasering, machining, bending; and welding.<\/p>\n

Harness the magic and bend it to your whim!<\/h4>\n

How to start? If you’re not familiar with CAD software and do not want to learn it (many creative, handy types fit this description), but you can sketch out and dimension your parts on paper, then you can find someone to re-create your designs in a CAD environment and\u00a0produce the files and drawings a machine shop needs\u00a0to turn your vision into reality.<\/p>\n

What is a Simple Part?<\/h3>\n

Here’s an example of what I call a “simple part”. Because its design is 2-Dimensional. YES, the finished part inhabits the 3-D universe, because it has the 3rd dimension of Depth. But the DESIGN of its features can be done completely in one view. Its entirety could be theoretically produced by extrusion alone, or material removal on one plane.<\/p>\n

\"SIMPLE<\/a>
SIMPLE REPLACEMENT PART OR ADAPTER – ALL 2-DIMENSIONAL FEATURES<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Not that\u00a0a “simple part” can’t be one that requires more processing, like tapped holes and bores, or features that are machined onto another plane. But at some point a part gets less simple and more processed\u00a0until the setup, programming, tooling, times, and materials needed to produce it mean it would probably be more cost effective\u00a0to\u00a0buy a\u00a0vendor’s replacement part version rather than make a one-off or small batch run.\u00a0Or if it’s an original design and you don’t have a fabrication background and unlimited budget, it’s good to have a person with Design For Manufacturing<\/a> experience help you interpret your ideas into economical models.<\/p>\n

Communicating Dimensions<\/h3>\n

This is a spacer I made to fix a problem when a mechanic installed a new catalytic converter on a car–and he must have cut things a little short. On cold days, or before the exhaust warmed up, it ran loud and would rip annoying tin can machine gun farts\u00a0on acceleration. It took a\u00a0few miles of\u00a0heat expansion to get\u00a0the muffler to muffle.<\/p>\n

I was there, waiting in the shop that day\u00a0when\u00a0they realized the new exhaust wasn’t fitting because the assembly had been shortened too much. So I grabbed\u00a0the flange gasket that came with the catalytic converter kit and sketched it\u00a0as a profile for a spacer. I used\u00a0a tape measure and\u00a0wrote down some of the critical dimensions on my sketch, so I could have a part made later. I brought the finished part to the shop, they installed it, and no more tin can farting on cold days..<\/p>\n

Pencil Rubbings of Parts<\/h4>\n

A tip for accurate part recreation; a small flat part may be easy to lay a piece of paper over, then grab a pencil, and make a rubbing of the part. Then you can tell someone like me \u201dhole A and hole B are exactly 2.5″ apart on center, and they’re both 8mm diameter.” After you scan and email your rubbing, I can take that info and import it into CAD software, scale it by your dimensions of hole size and spacing, and accurately figure the other dimensions.<\/p>\n

If your replacement part has a lot of holes and mating features that absolutely need to line up, making rubbings can be a quick way for communicating accuracy to your designer. So can laying your part on a scan bed, if it’s small enough.<\/p>\n

Here’s Where My Experience Adds Value<\/h3>\n

If all I’d done is copy the profile of the gasket, I’d have ended up with a part like this. It probably would’ve worked alright, but I’m not sure. I’ll explain why in the series of feature additions below.<\/p>\n