Caged Ball Bearing (Print in Place)

thingiverse

##Print in Place Caged Ball Bearing This innovative design enables a caged ball bearing to be printed as a single, cohesive part. Each bearing ball features a shaft that connects directly to the bed, allowing for seamless printing in place. This ingenious design also prevents the balls from rotating excessively, ensuring smooth operation. The cage is specifically engineered to facilitate silky-smooth rotation of the balls, while three distinct clearance options (.000", .0025", and .005") are available to optimize performance. These clearances represent the distance between the balls and the inner and outer races on each side, taking into account the rounded nature of both components. As a result, contact surfaces remain small, accommodating even minimal clearances. In my own printer, the .0025" and .005" clearance options spun with remarkable freedom right out of the gate, albeit with a hint of sloppiness. Conversely, the .000(zero) clearance variant required gentle breaking-in to achieve optimal performance, ultimately yielding an impressively tight bearing.