Igloo Portable Ice Maker - Ice Tray Repair - Motor Interface

I had only used my Igloo Portable Ice Maker for a little less than a year before it gave out.  I came home one day and it had just stopped working.  I searched the ‘net for answers, and finding few, decided to just tear the machine down and see if I could figure out what was wrong.  it didn’t take long to discover that the connection between the ice tray and the motor which turns it (for filling, freezing, and emptying) was broken; though “crumbled”, is a better description.

My first attempt at fixing it was with a 3D pen.  I basically cleaned out the old crumbs of plastic, masked off where I didn't want new plastic (with some tape and a chopstick), and then filled in the area with hot filament from the pen.  After it cooled, I sanded down the rough edges, put the machine back together, and powered it on.  To my surprise, and great delight, the machine was once again making ice!

But, alas, the celebration was short-lived.  There's so much force on the connection, and so little holding the extruded filament to the original tray, that the repair just didn't last.  So, the ice maker, along with my pride, sat defeated in the corner of my kitchen for a few months.

Eventually, I got tired of buying ice and decided to give the repair another try.  I got out my screwdriver and disassembled the machine again.  This time I removed the broken end of the motor interface and filed, sanded, scraped, and cut it as square and uniform as I could.  Then I got out a caliper, took some measurements, and logged onto OnShape.  About 15 minutes later, I had a workable model.  I've included an .OBJ file, but here's a link to the design:

https://cad.onshape.com/documents/53a9f8b9ad3346b8b241a0df/w/e6953e2166186f73af69e3b9/e/3f16ca44111608990b704abc

About 20 minutes after exporting my design, I had a 3D printed part which was an almost a perfect fit.  A little sanding and pre-fitting, followed by some super-glue and the metal retaining ring, and it was fixed.  I let the glue set overnight, and then the next day, I had the machine back together.  It was working once again!

It's a solid fix this time, much butter than what I'd done with the 3D pen.  I'm also certain that this time it is even stronger than it was before.  You can't tell from my photos, but whereas my replacement completely fills the hole, the original was just a 4mm semi-ring around the motor's D-shaft.  The motor applies LOT of force on the corner of the “D”, and the brittle plastic eventually just wore away and gave out.  For this reason, I printed in PETG since it is less brittle than PLA and provides a slight amount of give.  100% infill ensures there's no hollow and that the forces are all projected completely out to the metal sleeve.

I've included photos of both my current repair job, the previous one, and the notes I made when taking my measurements.  I don't know if this part will be of any direct use to any of you, but I'm hopeful that you will be able to at least take this as a sign that you don't have to throw away a $120 (at the time) ice machine just because of a broken piece of plastic you can repair with about 25 cents worth of filament and an hour of your time.
 

Cheers!

&

Always Be Printing