I got the idea to post process the gears with heat when I was experimenting with brass inserts. They make this tool for installing inserts. One end is turned to fit the insert the other is turned to exactly fit my temperature control solder iron. I set the iron for 180C and the insert is pretty much exactly at 180C after 5 seconds on the tool. I thought I could make a brass gear shaft that fits my Hakko solder station. Even if I used the gadget as a hand tool I could improve a gear like in your photo.
The Hakko solder iron is fairly powerful it reacts to cooling really fast and controls the tip temperature well. But I don't know how large of a brass gear it could heat Cover the gear with that ceramic insulation and maybe a big gear. I covered the bottom side of my 3D printer's build plate with a larger of ceramic insulation and thin foil tape. It now heats up in seconds because it is not radiating heat from the bottom. This is an easy upgrade. I'm thinking different from many here because when I want a part I want dozens of them, not just one. Each little walking robot has 12 motors and needs 12 reduction systems and 12 encoders I bailed on the reduction design as I just can make it small enough and used R/C hobby servos. As you can see there is room for improvement. But then this leg cost less than $50 complete as shown, drive motors and all. https://youtu.be/I93HApHSB0Q I need at least 8 of these legs. So I start with this and in the background try to find a way to use BLDC motors and reduction drives. I really need some reducers that are about 50mm overall diameter at most and at least about 50 Kg-cm torque. I think I'm looking at steel parts. On Mon, Dec 20, 2021 at 2:15 PM Matthew Herd <herd.m...@gmail.com> wrote: > So I imagine it is possible to post-process a thermal plastic gear, but at > that point, maybe it’d be better to set up a gear skiving machine to make > the flex rings. If you can get the cutter and angle a rotary axis with > respect to the spindle, you should be able to do it without much hassle. > Has anyone considered that route? Obviously it requires a rotary axis to > make a rotary axis, but it really doesn’t seem any more insurmountable and > the results would probably be much more precise. > > Matt > > > On Dec 20, 2021, at 4:56 PM, Chris Albertson <albertson.ch...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > > > Is it possible to post process a thermal plastic gear? Lets say you > took > > a high-precision metal gear and heated it to 180C and the rolled it over > > the printed gear with the correct center to center distance. You would > > need to build a test fixture to do this but might be worth it. > > > > lately I've been experimenting with brass thread inserts. I have 1/2 > > dozen different types and printed test blocks with different hole > diameters > > and I've tried the soldering iron at different temperatures. The best > > results are really good with the M3 size screw failing before the nut. > > The worst case is they just pull out easily with pliers. > > > > The hard part seems to be repeatability and if the hole is parallel or at > > right angles to the layers. Printer setting and part design seems to > matter > > a lot also. I've got a walking-dog type robot and I need to convert it > > all over to threaded inserts, about 80 places. I find it helps to think > if > > each holes gets larger or smaller then design when it is printed. and > this > > depends on ho the hole is connected to the rest of the part. By walls or > > sheets or infill.. Engineering is fun... > > > > > > > > -- > > > > Chris Albertson > > Redondo Beach, California > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Emc-users mailing list > > Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users > > > > _______________________________________________ > Emc-users mailing list > Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users > -- Chris Albertson Redondo Beach, California _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
