Hypercube Evolution Compliant Linear Bearing V2 19mm O/D 10 and 12mm I/D

thingiverse

A specially designed bearing helps stabilize extruder mounts in 3D printers, compensating for inconsistencies in rod spacing, dimensional inaccuracies, and variations in rod roundness and straightness while maintaining control over the extruder's location. This improved design builds upon a previous version found on Thingiverse (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2668265). Enhancements include reducing the bearing height from 26mm to 10mm for easier and faster printing, with separate spacers that can be easily sized and fitted to rods, enhancing compliance by minimizing the straightness imposed by longer bearings. The joining piece between the outer and inner sections has been modified to provide increased stiffness while removing an unnecessary joiner on the other side, making it less susceptible to tightening the outer bearing surface. Some experimentation may be done to orient the location piece in the axis where maximum stiffness is desired and compliance on other axes as needed. If extruder bearing center distances are dimensionally different from Y rod mount axes, place the joining piece in the horizontal plane to allow for compliance in the vertical plane. A 10mm version has been added but has not been tested due to the use of 12mm rods. The 10mm version will have slightly more compliance as the difference is compensated by the joining piece. STL files are annotated with nominal diameters and decimal sizes in increments of 0.02 mm from .00 to .20, such as 12mmCompliantbearing12_12.stl for a 12mm nominal size with a design diameter of 12.12mm. Both Fusion and STEP files have been included. The bore diameter can be altered by adjusting the coil section size, which reduces the bore size when increasing the section size due to its inside location. A suitable metal rod can be used to heat the bearing by dipping it in boiling water and then placing it onto the hot piece of rod for a tighter fit. The 12mm dia z rods were slightly too large, but 3D printing is not a perfect process. It's better to size a tight bearing rather than trying to print one with precise dimensions, as there will always be high spots that wear away quickly, leaving a loose bearing. The provided spacer should work for either 10mm or 12 mm bearing diameters.