If I understand correctly you want to lasercut the gear teeth? I don’t think that would have the consistency and precision as required, especially not when you want to cut around 10mm thick. Also the edges aren’t straight
Yeah local shop seems to be the consensus. Reached out to a guy I know. He said having the model already made will save a lot of money. Want to see what Facko says first.
If you are talking about going to 10mm axle, don’t do this with a 16t pinion. You won’t have enough metal left. Even 16t mod 1 on 8mm is cutting it real close.
Also, talk to @Boardnamics - for the right price he might help you get a run of these done.
That’s 3mm stainless htd5m for example. I want to do 2mm stacked for temporary/experimental stuff for me or other ppl but only because I can charge like €9 a piece.
I think the texture and surface pattern is from the splatter/melting instead of cutting and thicker is worse because the laser can only focus at a certain height so above and below the point the beam is wider. The 20mm brackets looked like tree bark where it was cut.
The process is inherently inaccurate but it can be ludicrously cheap and stacking layers is usually trivial.
Bro .Laser cut is not good idea for so thick parts. When laser is touching material it is little bended to side. This will be visible in cut of for example 2cm material. You will see small draft. This draft is not useful for gears contact. As I wrote You. Cheapest way is to find some gear already produced as standardized part produced in big lots and just rework needed areas for You. Or to find some specialist who have already cutting tool with modul You need . This will be maybe acceptable. But then it is not needed in Yor 3D data any tooth just correct outer diameter and fixating areas for apex geometry.
However you would mount the original one is usually fine. For the pulley I used a bunch of screws around the outside so each layer didn’t have to reach into the middle (could have been way lighter I know)
Not having much luck with finding gears that are already mass produced. Especially a 16t mod1 for an 8mm shaft with a keyway. Only finding them with a single grub screw. I’ll keep looking though. We have 5 jump drives that we want to upgrade so not ready to give up yet.
That is the point. Find something which is possible rework. Keyway is possible add to gears. Also 8mm hole is possible add in case You will find smaller.
For sure, that may be the route I have to take. Still want to get some quotes to have my design made first though. I’m sure it won’t be cheap with just 10 of each gear but a few of us are going in on it.
Curious about your (or anyone else’s) thoughts on 3d printed metal. It’s insanely affordable so it must be garbage right?
3D printed 17-4 PH stainless steel is a strong, corrosion-resistant alloy that can be customized for a variety of applications. It’s a precipitation-hardened stainless steel with a composition similar to 17-4 stainless steel used for CNC machined parts.
Characteristics
Strength
17-4 PH stainless steel is one of the strongest stainless steels. It has excellent mechanical properties and can maintain performance in extreme conditions.
Corrosion resistance
17-4 PH stainless steel is resistant to corrosion in mildly corrosive environments.
Hardness
The hardness and toughness of 17-4 PH stainless steel can be manipulated during heat treatment.
Density
17-4 PH stainless steel has a near wrought part density of over 99%.
Mechanical properties
17-4 PH stainless steel has excellent mechanical properties up to about 600°F.
Applications
Aerospace: Turbine blades and other components
Medical: Biomedical hand tools and other devices
Marine: Marine vessels
Industrial machinery: Manufacturing machinery and pump components
Food and chemical processing: Valves, jigs, and fixtures
Golf clubs: High strength and hardness to withstand impact with the ball
Need to check that material . But personaly would focus on surface roughness on fuctional areas. In this case it is contacting areas on tooth. If You have a chance, ask producer of this metal 3D printing parts if have experience with printing gears.
Good call, according to their website they make gears regularly. I went ahead and ordered a set of titanium motor pinions and 17-4 PH stainless driven gears. It was cheap enough to experiment with. The method they’re using for the materials ordered is Selective Laser Melting. I’ll give it a good stress test in 3-5 weeks when I’m healed up enough to ride again.
In case anyone is curious about SLM…
Yes, Selective Laser Melting (SLM) produces strong end products due to its ability to create fully dense, near-pore-free metal parts with high material strength, comparable to traditionally manufactured components, making it suitable for functional applications and end-use production.
Key points about SLM and strength:
High density:
SLM melts metal powder layer by layer, resulting in a highly dense structure with minimal porosity, contributing to high strength.
Controlled microstructure:
The laser precisely melts the powder, allowing for control over the crystal structure and grain size, further enhancing strength.
Complex geometries:
Unlike traditional manufacturing, SLM can create intricate designs with optimized internal structures, maximizing strength while minimizing material usage.
Material compatibility:
SLM can work with various strong metals like titanium, stainless steel, and aluminum alloys, producing parts with high mechanical properties.
Mechanical engineer here, if its a properly done SLM process, it will be almost as strong as a cast part. Only concern would be surface finish IME. If you account for this and post process the parts by hand to clean up the grainy finish, it’ll be more than adequate.
Really appreciate the input. They let you select a finish for the product so I went with “deburred glossy.” The parts should arrive in a few weeks. I’ll post some pictures.
You are right. We tested in office 3D printed striker for car side door latch and result was impressive. Just as You mentioned, probably some rework o will be needed. For example groove for keyway.
