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3D printed black PLA rope bushing seated in a playground connector with teal rope threading through, wood chip ground visible below
Final design installed — rope net corner, Grove Park, Elmira NY

GROVE PARK

rope net repair  ·  Elmira, NY

BAMBU A1 printer
BLACK PLA material
2 parts printed
~7 iterations
DAY 1 status
2 OF 4 corners repaired
The broken original rope grommet held in a hand, cracked through with a large split exposing the interior
The original — cracked through, pulled from the connector
build-notes.txt Grove Park — City of Elmira

My wife and I adopted Grove Park a couple years ago. The rope net climbing structure had two of its four corners broken — the rubber bushings that guide the rope through the metal support frame had cracked and failed. It had been that way for a while.

Calling the city about broken playground equipment is mostly pointless. They don't repair things. They remove them. So I decided to fix it myself. Guerrilla park improvement.

The first prints were the wrong size entirely. Once I had the dimensions dialed in, the next problem was the nose of the grommet — the part that protrudes from the connector housing. Under weight, that thin section kept failing. The fix was to redesign it so the grommet sits mostly recessed inside the metal support, with as little exposed as possible. Less to snap off.

Printed two in black PLA on the Bambu A1. Installed them both. The net is usable again. It's been up for one day.

If PLA doesn't hold up outdoors long-term, I have a friend in metal fabrication who may be able to run a set in aluminum or steel. But first I want to see if the print survives.

Rope net climbing structure at Grove Park with the repaired corners visible, net lying flat between green poles
Back in service
Seven prototype rope bushings lined up on a window sill showing the full design evolution — tall conical early versions on the left, low-profile final design on the right
Left to right: size issues, then strength issues, then this
Close-up of the final printed rope bushing design showing the low-profile flanged collar
The final design — minimal protrusion, flanged collar seats flush against the connector
OUTCOME
One day in and the net is usable again. Whether PLA holds up outdoors under kid-weight long-term remains to be seen — that verdict is on hold pending a full season of abuse. But the park is better today than it was yesterday..
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