Has anyone looked into using other materials to make the v wheels, beside Delrin, PC or steel? Delrin wears out too quickly, PC is expensive, and steel wears out the extrusion/rail. Would appreciate a suggestion for something close to PC in properties, and to Delrin in cost, for a custom sized wheels project.
Flint, you think PC is expensive wait till you start looking at the fancy high tech engineering plastics, they are crazy. Cheers
Seems like urethane should be a logical option- available in a variety of hardnesses, easy to both precision cast in silicone and machine, tough and wear resistant... You need a vacuum chamber and pressure pot to cast it really well, but they're much closer to being normal maker supplies these days than they used to be.
Seems like aluminum v-wheels would be more readily accessible: Aluminum Dual V Wheel Kit For 3d Printer
I wondered about that too- it was my very first thought, then I second-guessed myself because I assumed there was some reason no one was already doing that. It seems like it would be by far the cheapest and easiest to both individually- and mass-produce? I could see them potentially struggling with shock loads, maybe, but I feel like they'd be perfect for lasers and printers. Maybe they transmit too much vibration? Aluminum is the worst for that.
I think the aluminum wheels are not used more often is that they make way more noise when running on metal.
