Can You 3D Print a Replacement Clip?

Small plastic clips are everywhere — in cars, appliances, furniture and equipment — and they are one of the most satisfying things to replace with 3D printing. They are cheap, quick, and easy to print in small batches so you have spares.

Why clips print well

Most clips are small, so material and print time are low, which usually puts them at or near the minimum order. Because they are cheap, it makes sense to print several at once.

Getting the material right

A clip needs to flex without snapping. That makes material choice important:

• PETG is a good default — it flexes more than PLA without becoming brittle.
• PLA can work for lightly-flexed clips but is more likely to snap.
• ABS/ASA suits clips in hot places like car interiors.
• TPU is for clips that need to bend a lot.

Print orientation matters too — a clip is much stronger when the layers run along the direction it flexes, and we set this up for you.

What to send

The broken clip if you can post it, or clear photos with measurements: overall size, the thickness of the flexing arm, and the size of whatever it clips onto.

Send us your clip for an estimate.