During a bathroom renovation, the customer ran into a problem. The new stainless shower tray couldn’t seal properly to the drain pipe – there was about a 10 mm vertical gap, and the supplied washer was only 3 mm thick. Off-the-shelf options weren’t going to work, and a proper seal was needed.
So, what now?
The plumber jokingly mentioned, “I could just fill it with silicone.” But made it clear that if they did, there’d be no warranty on the work. It was an option, sure, but not one anyone was happy with.
The 3D printing idea
Waking up at 3 a.m with an idea, the customer realised a custom 3D printed part might solve it. Something made to suit the tray and drain exactly, not bodged together. They found us online and got in touch.
We talked through the issue and had a 3D model ready later that day.
Measuring the part
The customer used a vernier caliper to get the seal dimensions and allowed for a bit of compression once fitted. They requested we add an extra millimetre to the height to give them the option of lightly sanding the seal if they wanted to tweak the fit.
Material and print setup
We printed it in TPU – the same flexible plastic used in automotive suspension parts, agricultural gear, and race car bushings. It can handle compression and flexing without splitting or breaking, which makes it a good match for plumbing jobs like this.
The seal was designed to be printed flat for ease of printing and a tidy finish.
Installing the seal
Once it arrived, they gave it a quick test fit, sanded it slightly to optimize the thickness, and dropped it in place. No leaks. No fluffing around with silicon. Just a solid seal that solved the problem.
End result: a usable fix that worked
This is the kind of job where off-the-shelf parts just aren’t going to cut it. A custom 3D-printed part filled the gap and avoided a bigger headache.
- Clean install – No silicon beads or mess
- Right material – Durable and flexible
- Quick turnaround – From idea to printed part in a couple of days
If this hadn’t been sorted, they would’ve had to chip the new concrete back out, adjust the drain height, and pour again – which could’ve added another two or three weeks to the project.
Have a weird one-off issue? We help with stuff like this.
When standard parts don’t work, we make the part that does. Simple as that.