Tevo Little Monster Needle Bearing Idler Pulley

thingiverse

I was browsing a bearing website to find some high-quality bearings for idler pulleys because I'm fed up with crunchy bearings. Then I stumbled upon these amazing needle bearings that tickled my creative mind. After a bit of tinkering, I figured out the right combination of components to replace the current ball bearing setup with needle bearings! No more crunchiness! What's needed: (3) Idler-pulley-washer-part1.stl (3) Idler-pulley-washer-part2.stl (3) Drawn cup needle roller bearing ID: 8mm, OD: 12mm, W: 10mm (3) M6 x 12mm Shoulder Bolt (3) M6 Locking Nut (1) Grease (Optional) UPDATE - 2018-06-02 I've converted all my machines back to normal pulleys and here's why. I love the durability of needle bearings, but unfortunately, they don't have sides and the belt will likely gravitate to one end, which will wear the belt, make awful rubbing noises, and skew the accuracy of the print ever so slightly. I'm constantly fiddling with new washers or squirting sewing machine oil to quiet them down (even though I printed graphite ones). It's just not worth the hassle. UPDATE - 2018-04-26 V5 - I've been running this for several months now and I think I have it down to a science. Applying the KISS principle, you really only need two washers. I recommend buying nylon washers from the hardware store or printing with self-lubricating materials like IGUS or Proto-pasta's conductive filament (it's a graphite composite). You can tap the plate, but the metal is soft and will cause the post to bend. I do recommend greasing the bearing since the needles are exposed. UPDATE - 2018-02-25 V3 - Tapered for guiding and form fitting around the head of the bolt. No supports are needed. I just printed and installed on my latest TLM rebuild, and I'm very happy with the results!