Cogged belt designer for 3d printing

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JacktheRipper
Posts: 29
Joined: Fri Jun 14, 2019 1:04 am

Cogged belt designer for 3d printing

Post by JacktheRipper »

I was designing in FreeCad a small mechanical item for my laser engraver, and needed a cogged belt and two sprockets to synchronize two jackscrews. I decided to try printing the parts on my Prusa 3d printer, and it turned out very well. Here's a pic and a screenshot from the FreeCad model. The FreeCad model is here
Cogbelt.FCStd
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. All the pertinent design parameters are aliased in the file spreadsheet (ss), such as belt pitch, number of teeth for each sprocket, axle to axle distance, etc. The sprockets were printed with PLA, and the belt with TPU, a flexible plastic. The Belt is printed inside out, to minimize the typical stringing that happens when printing with TPU.
Cogbelt2.jpeg
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Cogbelt.jpeg
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Making designs for 3d printing (PRUSA i3 MK3S and Mini+).
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M4x
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Re: Cogged belt designer for 3d printing

Post by M4x »

You even printed the belt? Impressive, thanks for sharing!
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FBXL5
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Re: Cogged belt designer for 3d printing

Post by FBXL5 »

JacktheRipper wrote: Wed Oct 26, 2022 1:24 pm
Have you tried FC Gear WB, FCGear_TimingGear for the cogs?
JacktheRipper
Posts: 29
Joined: Fri Jun 14, 2019 1:04 am

Re: Cogged belt designer for 3d printing

Post by JacktheRipper »

You even printed the belt?
Yep, because the sprocket teeth pitch must perfectly match the belt pitch. I have one in a life test using an Arduino and a spare stepper motor I have to raise and lower a weight, and there's no indication of wear after three days of continuous use. Here's a pic of the mechanism I was making for my laser rotary table, to assist in engraving on pint beer glasses for my son:Image
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Making designs for 3d printing (PRUSA i3 MK3S and Mini+).
JacktheRipper
Posts: 29
Joined: Fri Jun 14, 2019 1:04 am

Re: Cogged belt designer for 3d printing

Post by JacktheRipper »

Have you tried FC Gear WB
I haven't explored that capability, but I will. First glance is that it's aimed at standard commercial cogged belts, like GT2s, which are typical in 3d printers, for instance. I wanted to be able to print both the sprockets and the belt (instant gratification) to the specific size I needed. I think I have some spare commercial belts laying around somewhere, and I'll give the WB a try. Thanks...
Making designs for 3d printing (PRUSA i3 MK3S and Mini+).
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