Even Better Bering : Slew Resistant, Print in Place

thingiverse

This is a bearing I designed specifically for superior performance and durability. The center hub features an 8mm hex wrench receptacle, accommodating both hex wrenches and axels of the same size. Engineered to be printed in place, this bearing offers exceptional resistance to slew compared to traditional ball bearings or "barrel" bearings. Additionally, each individual bearing boasts a small through slot for effortless disengagement when needed. As an interesting note, this bearing actually performs better if one or more bearings fail and fall out. Surprisingly, the hub remains securely in place even with up to three failed bearings, exhibiting minimal slew movement. However, losing four bearings causes them to bunch up, eventually creating enough space for the hub to come free. To mitigate this issue, consider increasing the diameter of the inner shaft within each bearing, which also requires rebuilding the outer race at least. This design takes into account a .2 mm gap between bearings and races, allowing for flexibility in "sloppy" printers or materials with significant expansion/shrink variations. This bearing has been successfully printed multiple times using PTEG on a Creality Ender 3, yielding impressive results at a 0.15 layer height. The axial slew was limited to no more than 0.5 degrees, and the bearing demonstrated surprisingly high resistance to slew. Gear Down For What makers muse and AVE deserve special recognition for inspiring this design. I am sharing this bearing as a single RTP unit, along with individual files for the hub, bearings, and outer race. The full build history is available on Tinkercad, where you can ungroup and regroup to your heart's content. You can find the public design here: https://www.tinkercad.com/things/hr0K6wNoCl6-even-better-bering-slew-resistant-print-in-place