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Printing a gearbox  

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Lvet
 Lvet
(@lvet)
Estimable Member
Printing a gearbox

Hello,

I am printing a gearbox for an RC model. It will be coupled to an electric motor that might radiate quite a lot of heat

I was wondering what would be the best material for printing the gears (temperature resistance and low frictions are the keys here).

I exclude PLA for its low resistance to heat and I am considering ABS, ASA, CPE or PC.

What would you use?

Cheers

Luca

p.s. I cannot find a good article with a clear explanations of the differences between CPE and PETG. Any help on this?

 

Posted : 05/11/2020 9:28 am
Baklin
(@baklin)
Reputable Member
RE: Printing a gearbox

Have you seen this on the prusa blog?

 

https://help.prusa3d.com/en/category/material-guide_220

https://help.prusa3d.com/en/materials#_ga=2.263526223.2112222140.1604403609-1831603064.1604403609

 

Is that a gear for the 3dsets cars?

This is what they say about the gears:

 

  • For motor pinion, you should use ABS or CPE, as the PLA is can melt due to the heat from the motor shaft and PET is too flexible (pinion will slip from the shaft).
Posted : 05/11/2020 11:45 am
g monkey
(@g-monkey)
Trusted Member
RE: Printing a gearbox

I've recently used some Prusament PC Blend and been impressed with it.  I don't have an enclosure but I did put a wide brim on parts - they will lift a bit at the edges

Posted : 05/11/2020 2:24 pm
Lvet
 Lvet
(@lvet)
Estimable Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: Printing a gearbox

Hi Baklin,

Thanks for your links.

No it's not for the 3dsets cars. I checked the material guides and it's exactly what I needed.

I will try with Nylon and PC and see which one of the two has the lower friction. I know that they are rather difficult materials to work with, but it doesn't cost anything to give it a try.

Posted : 05/11/2020 2:35 pm
Swiss_Cheese
(@swiss_cheese)
Noble Member
RE: Printing a gearbox

MHO would be ABS, Nylon, ASA in that order, ASA prints very clean with very little trouble with a slightly lower heat resistance then ABS,ABS prints pretty clean as well, with a slightly higher heat resistance. Nylon has great resistance to heat but isn't as clean printing and without Fiberglass or CF you might find it a bit to flexible if your expecting medium to high torque.

The Filament Whisperer

Posted : 06/11/2020 2:47 am
Lvet
 Lvet
(@lvet)
Estimable Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: Printing a gearbox

@rh_shop

Thanks for the suggestion. I received my first spool of Prusament PC Blend yesterday and after the first few prints I am amazed. The material is very strong and relatively easy to print. Way easier to print than Nylon

Posted : 08/11/2020 9:04 am
Lvet
 Lvet
(@lvet)
Estimable Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: Printing a gearbox

@dan-p12

This is really interesting. In this scale where would you place PC?

Posted : 08/11/2020 9:04 am
Swiss_Cheese
(@swiss_cheese)
Noble Member
RE: Printing a gearbox

@luca-vicini

I've not had an occasion to print PC yet, however I've had good results printing gears with the other three materials, the nylon having the caveat that it was Nylon X & I've printed with Nylon G, both great products in my experience. I haven't used any of these in high speed applications, RC Cars for example, but they hold up reasonably well to torque and as for the nylon it has great abrasion resistance (a good quality for gears) , I'd also add that NinjaTek Armadillo has these qualities as well, and prints very nicely but its heat resistance is not great, that's why I didn't mention it before. It's a specialty TPU and is stiffer then standard nylon and very strong.

I'm watching your PC blend experience to see how it goes and am looking forward to seeing how your gears might hold up during extended use.

The Filament Whisperer

Posted : 08/11/2020 9:20 pm
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