My RepRap is a handy tool in my tool box

I didn’t realize it until last night, but 1 of my windows wouldn’t lock. I can’t have that! It was a 2nd story window, so not a security issue, but the cold air blows through it. I needed to make a shim for the lock.

I happen to have this really cool tool. My 3d printer. It can make parts for me when the weather is too nasty to go to the store (never mind that the stores  don’t carry the parts I want).

Some quickly made plastic shims
Some quickly made plastic shims. They are 2 different sizes because the window wasn’t installed well it appears.

I took a few measurements, wrote a few lines of openscad code, and 30 minutes later, I had some perfectly fitting window lock plate shims.

3d printed window lock plate shims
3d printed window lock plate shims to hold the 2 halves of the lock at the right distance so they can function!

The most tedious part was getting good measurements and working the screws with the window right there. Doesn’t leave much room for tools and hands.

I installed the shim and now the lock engages perfectly and snugs up the window seal so less cold air blows through it.
I installed the shim and now the lock engages perfectly and snugs up the window seal so less cold air blows through it.

The part is so trivial to create that I probably won’t post it to thingiverse… although the new configurator may make it useful for other people.

OpenScad Code Below

length = 71.75;
width = 7;
depth = 3.5;

topHole = 7.75;
bottomHole = 6.5;
holeWidth = 3.5;

difference()
{
	cube(size = [length,width,depth], center = true);
	translate (v = [length/2 - topHole , 0, -depth/2]) cylinder(h = depth, r=holeWidth/2, $fs =1);
	translate (v = [-length/2 + bottomHole , 0, -depth/2]) cylinder(h = depth, r=holeWidth/2, $fs =1);
}

Print Settings for ~ 30 minute print of both parts at the same time.

; generated by Slic3r 0.9.8 on 2013-01-27 at 16:17:39

; layer_height = 0.15
; perimeters = 2
; top_solid_layers = 4
; bottom_solid_layers = 3
; fill_density = 0.30
; perimeter_speed = 60
; infill_speed = 100
; travel_speed = 130
; scale = 1
; nozzle_diameter = 0.35
; filament_diameter = 1.73
; extrusion_multiplier = 1
; perimeters extrusion width = 0.56mm
; infill extrusion width = 0.56mm
; first layer extrusion width = 0.38mm

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