Pulleys using 608 bearings

thingiverse

I was creating some pulleys for a tension-sensing end-of-filament sensor that's still a work in progress. I ended up having to continually increase the diameter of the pulley since filament doesn't like to bend in tight radii. But I thought someone else might be able to make use of some solid pulley designs. The distance between each pulley is 4mm, but the edges are tapered for strength, so a diameter of 2mm or 1.75mm would be a good fit. There are three diameters available: 26mm, 35mm, and 45mm - that's the diameter the string, filament, or belt rides on. You can use all those spare 608 bearings you have now taking up space since the fidget spinner craze died down! You'll need two halves for each pulley you make, and two end buttons (these buttons will space the outside of the pulley about 1.5mm from the surface the button gets mounted to). It's best to put a drop of superglue inside the assembled halves. The larger sizes could also use a drop of superglue on the posts that hold the outsides together. Press the bearing in right after you put the glue on, then place these rings (assembled together) on a piece of waxed paper on a hard, flat surface. Push the bearing through hard till it meets flat against the same surface - this should keep everything square and make a solid piece. I've made some in PLA and PET-G, and they should work okay with ABS too, I imagine.