Designing a replacement piece for a microwave oven plate (and its failure)
The glass plate of my microwave oven broke, and the only compatible plate that could be found at the local pawn/charity shop didn’t have the little tabs on the bottom to assure a connection with the motor : it couldn’t spin.
To solve this problem, I decided to design and 3D-print a plastic piece that could be glued on the bottom of the new plate.
![broken plate with ruler](https://achilletoupin.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/2016-10-15-21.32.11-1024x576.jpg)
After having taken some measurements, it was time for me to sketch an idea of how the piece would look like :
![](https://achilletoupin.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/2016-10-16-14.44.42-copy-940x1024.jpg)
It was then time to design the piece in CAD : I chose Solidworks to test it out. It was a bit difficult :
![capture](https://achilletoupin.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Capture.png)
Then I discovered Solidworks could generate technical drawings : Ow yes !
![piece3](https://achilletoupin.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Pièce3-791x1024.jpg)
I then exported the 3D file to be 3D printed. This file, if needed, can be found on Thingiverse, the website hosting thousands of 3D models for printing
![2016-10-21-15-19-49](https://achilletoupin.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/2016-10-21-15.19.49-1-576x1024.jpg)
![2016-10-21-15-25-39](https://achilletoupin.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/2016-10-21-15.25.39-1024x576.jpg)
Then I glued it at the bottom of the new plate : (use microwave-safe epoxy, not CA/super glue
![2016-10-22-11-11-57](https://achilletoupin.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/2016-10-22-11.11.57-1024x576.jpg)
![2016-10-22-11-12-16](https://achilletoupin.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/2016-10-22-11.12.16-1024x576.jpg)
In the end, this fix worked really well. We now have a working rotating microwave-oven ! YAY !
Edit :
Now I was all happy about this piece working great, until one day, I decided to make some microwave popcorn (you know, the paper bags)… Well this heated the plate and melted off the plastic piece…
Well, I guess I’ll have to print another one now…
You might have to consider this if you want to make one yourself…