Maybe you are thinking of thermoplastic urethane. Skateboard wheels are made from thermoset urethane which unlike TPU undergoes an irreversible chemical reaction, making it much tougher than a thermoplastic urethane. Thermoset urethane actually has no melting point because it starts to decompose and burn instead of melt like TPU would.
I bet I could destroy any FDM printed wheel on the first ride with the roads here and what I do to my boards. But I’m sure plenty of people would love to try printing some wheels for fun or for their first DIY board project.
Bet taken, I will ship you a free sample, if you can destroy it on your first ride(without doing burnouts), it’s free. If you lose you pay for the goods.
Not off topic fully, but no one will care bit under here
This is not true. With creative mold solutions it is possible to create infill patterns on thane. You’d be surprised the stuff you can pull off with silicone molds when you get creative or just get help from someone experienced with mold making.
They likely wouldn’t be able to be used for any sort of mass production though. and you can still get finer details with the 3d printer.
If you want to test these out with some hub motors that will really abuse the covers, then let me know. The motors are not smooth in any way, shape, or form anymore, and have always gotten hot enough to where you could get a first degree burn if you tried to pick the board up by the back truck at all.
Even urathane covers haven’t held up too well to my motors and one side has a rip that goes across 70% of the cover currently. They’re being held together by superglue and hope I already blew out another set of covers and this is my last set. I was planning to retire the motors soon, but I’d be willing to be uncomfortable if it would help with product testing. Plus if a cover were to fail and come off mid ride and I end up riding on the metal then it isn’t a big deal.
Yeah probably not a good test of real world usage. But I have totally burned out my rubber tires in less than 20 miles of ride. It’s fun to do for sure but kills your wheels fast regardless of the material.
Not sure which part is crazy, but I do reapply the glue after a ride, and I also have been doing it when I get to my destination on the one with the bad tear in it. To help ensure it can’t tear more. Super glue + baking soda when on the go, but only super glue when I’m at home.
They will stay until they die or I finish my 2nd build so I can put the new motors and VESC on my current main board. they have survived more abuse than they should have so they likely won’t die from normal use
They do make for good abuse tests though since the board is always vibrating more than any sane builds do. Add some rough pavement and you can see test if something would fail to vibrations faster than it would take on a smooth board. If they don’t completely fail on me, and you do want to use it for testing, I’d be willing to swap the connectors on them and switch them back on even after I’ve upgraded the board.
Cool project! I would love to know how these hold up under high-G turns.
I’ve been whining about “scooter tires” and tiny contact patches since I got into esk8, but this seems like it might be a viable alternative to pneumatics.
I wonder if it would be practical to print tires that mount on ordinary 4" skate wheels like the ones from MBS, Trampa, etc… That would allow for strong material around the bearings and pulley mount, and soft material for the tires. Might be tricky to keep the tire from slipping on the wheel though.
Sure it is possible, maybe put on some existing rims. As long as the rims are in two pieces they will stick like glue due to the characteristics of tpu since the surface of inner tire is touching the rims unlike car tires or other air tires where it is only touching the edge.
This is not safu. Ride safe. I broke left arm already going at 35mph. It is no joke, i am glad i am alive to give you guys a safer wheel but dont go faster than 25mph you will break something eventually i found out.
I already blew out another set of covers and this is my last set. I was planning to retire the motors soon, but I’d be willing to be uncomfortable if it would help with product testing. Plus if a cover were to fail and come off mid ride and I end up riding on the metal then it isn’t a big deal.
