Washing Machine Door Latch
A discontinued door latch clip was stopping a perfectly good washing machine from working. We reverse-engineered the original and printed a replacement that's been going strong ever since.
Outcome
Total cost
£12
Customer saved
~£600
Saved from landfill
The problem
A £600 machine, broken by a 5p clip
The customer's washing machine had stopped locking properly mid-cycle. The manufacturer confirmed the part was discontinued — and quoted £180 for a service call that might not even fix it.
The culprit was a small plastic latch clip inside the door mechanism. It had cracked along a stress point, probably from years of use. The machine itself was in perfect working order.
The design
Measured, modelled, tested
The customer sent us the broken part along with a few photos of the door mechanism. We measured the original carefully — including the flex points and clip geometry — and built a CAD model from scratch.
We chose PETG for the print: tougher than PLA, more heat-resistant, and with enough flex to survive repeated door closures without becoming brittle.
The solution
Back in service the next day
We printed two copies — one to fit immediately, one as a spare. Total cost: £12. The customer fitted it themselves in about ten minutes with a screwdriver.
That was eight months ago. The machine is still running fine.
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