RepRap: Blog

I've bought some "ball chain" or "beaded belt" from the local Mitre 10 hardware store for NZ$6.95 per metre. The balls on it are 4.60mm in diameter and have 1.80mm exposed length bars between them. I have plastic beaded belt of the same dimensions, so this is likely to be some kind of standard. Investigations continue, do clue us in.

I've designed a pulley (shown left) that can be fabricated on a RepRap - and made one. After a mechanical test, Adrian ran 4 off on the Strat. Note: Make one with a rim that lifts off in the future so I can fit the damn belt without resorting to violence.



Here is the video below showing them in operation. Note that the orange pulley under the bed in the lower left corner of the frame is rotating and that the old drive belt is not fitted. The red temporary join is a cable tie and is obviously not going to go smoothly around the corners. The chain is made from chromed brass, by the way.


To join the ends of the loop, I filed down the two terminating balls on the chain into approximate halves (measured with a badly-calibrated Mk I eyechrometer) while holding them in medical clamps. Then I held the clamps in a couple of angled vices so that the halves fitted together properly, finally soldering them together with a 30W soldering iron and highly toxic lead solder (yum). Better ideas welcomed! The joined chain is robust enough to turn the whole Z axis assembly with some enthusiasm. When I build the next RepRap the gears will go in the usual place.

Labels: ball chain, beaded belt, drive, gear, reprap