Printing tyres and tracks
So a general question on printing tyres and tracks (relating to a model I have published).
The standard traditional answer is TPU 95A but they do not grip the ground very well.
I have taken to using TPU 60-65A but it's extremely challenging to print and also not that grippy.
I have taken to using foaming filaments whose shore hardness is changed by heating, as these come rigid int o the extruder and then become flexible in the nozzle. Now I get a muich softer tyre which deforms to the road better, and depending on the material, grippier than TPU of similar shore, but they're still not as good as rubber. (It's almost like tyres are rubber for a reason ... )
Grip sprays don't work and my days of gluing rubber to printed wheels and tracks are over.
So any suggestions on this?
Apart from buying tyres and printing wheels to fit them?
What about casting wheels with foam? Print a mould and pour the liquid in?
Thanks!
RE: Printing tyres and tracks
Siraya Tech has a new(ish) flexible called PEBA that has better elastic rebound than TPU, but I don't know about grip. I tried asking at their booth during the last 3DPrintopia, but the Siraya Tech representative either didn't understand my question or couldn't clearly hear my question over the show floor noise. Siraya Tech also has a foaming PEBA variant. They have also come out with another blend that they claim to be better for footwear called Roamr. Lots of talk on the about page of comfort and "elastic rebound", but I don't see any mention about traction/grippyness.
Just some ideas for you to experiment with.
See my (limited) designs on:
Printables - https://www.printables.com/@Sembazuru
Thingiverse - https://www.thingiverse.com/Sembazuru/designs
RE: Printing tyres and tracks
I'm printing rubber belts with eSun TPE-83A. Might work for this or might not be quite soft enough. Apparently TPU is a subset of TPE.
RE:
Apparently TPU is a subset of TPE
That is correct. TPE stands for "ThermoPlastic Elastomer". An Elastomer is just a polymer with rubber like qualities (actually rubber is usually a type of elastomer, made solid through a vulcanizing process). According to my quick research (to make sure I wasn't spouting drivel), the word Elastomer is actually a portmanteau of "elastic polymer".
TPU is a specific type of TPE, and stands for "ThermoPlastic polyUrethane", where polyurethane is a type of elastomer.
For more details, see this Wikipedia page on TPU: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermoplastic_elastomer
See my (limited) designs on:
Printables - https://www.printables.com/@Sembazuru
Thingiverse - https://www.thingiverse.com/Sembazuru/designs
RE: Printing tyres and tracks
eSun advertises their TPE-83 as "low surface friction". Probably would make great toothed drive belts, but not tyres.
RE: Printing tyres and tracks
i ordered some foaming PEBA, we will see how it does
RE: Printing tyres and tracks
Dumb idea, and would be "at your own risk" (i'm not responsible for any clogs)
You mentioned you had softer flexible filament. What about that with say 2 or so perimeters, lightning infill so they are as hollow as possible, and try some fuzzy skin on the outside of the tires to see if that might improve the grip?
Shane (AKA FromPrusa)
RE: Printing tyres and tracks
I don't understand why fuzzy skin would improve a tyre.
It seems like the random grooves would trap grains and particles in the pockets instead of moving them away, and this, plus the random surface itself would reduce the ground contact friction. Generally tread - if used - has a directionality to move all the grains and liquids out of the way.
RE: Printing tyres and tracks
Hi,
The best Material for tires etc that I have found is Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D.
Very soft and much more grip then TPU.
Likes to bei printed very slow. Extremly good layer Binding.
RE: Printing tyres and tracks
Alternative you could design a Form and Put liquid Silicon into. Thats much easier then Printing very soft Filaments and you can reuse one Form for all tires