Customizable PLA/ABS flexible timing belt tool

thingiverse

Since my current printer lacks the ability to print flexible materials, I've been searching for a solution that would allow me to utilize PLA/ABS to create something functioning as a timing belt. My closest discovery was Emmett's Moon Rover, which works exceptionally well, but wasn't exactly what I had in mind. Therefore, I decided to develop a small tool within Solidworks to design custom flexible PLA/ABS timing belts based on the same principle. You can view my creation process here: https://youtu.be/annr6VNyrS4 Although I haven't thoroughly tested the print yet, I've already encountered some disadvantages compared to real timing belts: - The tensile force these belts can handle is not very high. - Over time, the belts tend to deform a little, making them less elastic (I still need to fully test this). - The belts are less flexible than their real counterparts. Despite these limitations, I believe there are numerous applications that would be well-suited for these relatively inexpensive belts!