Connall De Silva
Concept
Creating a replacement door button for a LG Microwave using an existing broken door button
Design Process
Design Concept
Research
First off was to research how the button mechanism works and how the old button would stay in place. The mechanism works by a spring applying force to the back the white flap to push it towards the black cutout. The flap pushes the door locking mechanism out of its resting place to open the door. In order to get proper dimensions precise measurements were taken using digital calipers.
3D Model
First Design
Modeled in Solidworks, the long rectangles are responsible for pushing the flap to open the door. The tabs on the side are what holds the button in place without letting it fall out, while being slightly flexible to fit through the slots in the microwave.
Fabrication
3D Print
Layer adhesion is a big issue with lots of stress is being put on the tabs. If there is poor layer adhesion the tabs will break from the force of the spring pushing the button out when the door is closed. To mitigate this, the orientation of the print must be in a way that the layers are parallel with the build plate.
Final Prototype
© Connall De Silva 2024