"Our partner, Prusa Research, is based in the Czech Republic, so we are reaching out to its community to join us. We know that 77% of Europeans would prefer a repair to a new product, but the majority end up buying a new one anyway. Especially Czech consumers have a very positive attitude towards repairs and we are happy to support them." (automated translation)
I'm someone who repairs a ton of things, but consumer 3D printers aren't practically useful for the majority of repairs. Injection molded plastic is significantly stronger than consumer 3D printed plastic (yes, even ABS.)
What that means is that if the original part breaks, the replacement will break too. Even if you just go for equivalent strength, the replacement has to be significantly larger and in many cases is simply not possible (as printed objects are quite weak along layer lines.)
I'm sure there are all sorts of counterexamples people have posted online, but the evidence is out there. Look at thrift stores or eBay or whatever. You can find plenty of objects repaired with traditional methods (epoxy, fillers, metal plates, glues, rivets, screws, plastic welding, etc) but I have never come across any used items repaired with 3D printers.
Perhaps in five or ten years we'll all be printing high strength nylon or continuous fiber parts at home, but for now I'm chalking this one up to marketing.
al_borland · 9h ago
It’s not always about breaking. I could see a blade guard being something that is easily lost, or forgotten while traveling. It’s probably not something that happens often enough to make it worth sticking and selling them on their own, but enough that it’s a pain point for consumers.
For something like that, this seems like a very pragmatic solution.
owenversteeg · 9h ago
Huh, that's a good point, thanks. I suppose models for easily lost parts that don't require strength could be fairly helpful.
fennecbutt · 13h ago
Posturing. We can model these in fusion in a few hours, no biggie.
If they released circuit schematics, etc as well then I'd be impressed.
schmiddim · 19h ago
That's an amazing move from Philips. Designing / Downloading and printing Components is one of my primary Use cases for the Printer.
"Our partner, Prusa Research, is based in the Czech Republic, so we are reaching out to its community to join us. We know that 77% of Europeans would prefer a repair to a new product, but the majority end up buying a new one anyway. Especially Czech consumers have a very positive attitude towards repairs and we are happy to support them." (automated translation)
And this seems to present itself as an official place to dowload the (1 for now) model: https://www.printables.com/@Philips
What that means is that if the original part breaks, the replacement will break too. Even if you just go for equivalent strength, the replacement has to be significantly larger and in many cases is simply not possible (as printed objects are quite weak along layer lines.)
I'm sure there are all sorts of counterexamples people have posted online, but the evidence is out there. Look at thrift stores or eBay or whatever. You can find plenty of objects repaired with traditional methods (epoxy, fillers, metal plates, glues, rivets, screws, plastic welding, etc) but I have never come across any used items repaired with 3D printers.
Perhaps in five or ten years we'll all be printing high strength nylon or continuous fiber parts at home, but for now I'm chalking this one up to marketing.
For something like that, this seems like a very pragmatic solution.
If they released circuit schematics, etc as well then I'd be impressed.