38mm Webbing Buckle

thingiverse

The buckle on my _The North Face_ suitcase failed. Their warranty seems very responsive and good, but there was some confusion and they sent me the wrong part! Am sure they'd try again but I fancied trying designing a replacement myself - it was a good lesson in TinkerCAD but also in learning to use my slicer better. The buckle is for 38mm webbing and the original says "Dual Stealth 38mm" on it. I tried with less in-fill but realised I needed 100% to give strength to thinner parts. 2 shells meant more in-fill which is laid in different directions and therefore even stronger. I printed using rigid.ink PETG which is excellent. I went a slightly hotter than normal and with no fan which meant a little stringing but gave a ridiculously strong print. It works brilliantly but I've yet to see how long it lasts at the mercy of baggage handlers! Unlikely it'll be of use to anyone else, but you never know. I've got a lot out of Thingiverse, I thought it only right to share my stuff!