Pre-Assembled 3D Printed Tracks
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Abstract
Hypothesis
3D printing tracks that are also pre-assembled makes assembling and acquiring tracks a lot easier.
Motivation
We have sprockets and I say what do you do with sprockets? you make a TANK!
Tank tracks are very good at gripping the terrain and can go over obstacles a lot smoother than wheels because tanks tracks are just a bigger wheel in a way.
Theory
If the track fits in the sprocket and can bend reasonably well it is a success otherwise change the shape and size and try again.
Materials
the material that the track will be printed with is PETG and the final product will be printed with clear red PETG.
Procedure
The procedure is to make a track in a 3D modeling software then print it if there are flaws start over and try again.
Data
Num | Notes |
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1 | Toothing was not a match for the Sprocket. Not Bendable enough. |
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2 | Toothing was not a match for the Sprocket. Not Bendable enough. |
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3 | Toothing was not a match for the Sprocket. Not Bendable enough. |
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4 | Toothing was a better match than previous versions. still not Bendable enough. |
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6 | This version was very close the toothing was almost perfect and it was very bendable however it did not print well. |
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7 & 8 | Versions 7 & 8 are a script for running in OpenSCAD and is fully adujstable using the variables at the top. the print of 7 turned out well it could bend well and was printed nicely however the toothing did not matchup well and it was not wide enough. When we printed 8, we printed it with a brim instead of a raft and the bottom was a lot rougher than 7 and its was glued together. the center link in 8 was also too wide and made it so the sprocket did not fit. |
| $fn = 100;
segmentCount = 3;
trackWidth = 30;
lRadius = 3.6;
linkSpacing = 8;
axleRadius = 1.6;
linkThickness = 3;
lineThickness = .4;
centralLinkThickness = 8;
//idler();
track();
module idler(){
cylinder(100, 1, 5, true);
}
module link(){
difference(){
union(){
cube([linkThickness, linkSpacing, lRadius*2], true);
translate([0, linkSpacing/2, 0]) rotate([90, 0, 90]) cylinder(linkThickness, lRadius, lRadius, true);
translate([0, -linkSpacing/2, 0]) rotate([90, 0, 90]) cylinder(linkThickness, lRadius, lRadius, true);
}
translate([0, -linkSpacing/2, 0]) rotate([90, 0, 90]) cylinder(linkThickness*1.5, axleRadius+lineThickness, axleRadius+lineThickness, true);
translate([0, linkSpacing/2, 0]) rotate([90, 0, 90]) cylinder(linkThickness*1.5, axleRadius+lineThickness, axleRadius+lineThickness, true);
}
}
module tread(){
union(){
difference(){
union(){
translate([0, linkSpacing/2, 0]) cube([centralLinkThickness, linkSpacing, lRadius*2], true);
rotate([90, 0, 90]) cylinder(trackWidth, lRadius, lRadius, true);
translate([0, linkSpacing, 0]) rotate([90, 0, 90]) cylinder(trackWidth, lRadius, lRadius, true);
translate([trackWidth/2-linkThickness/2 , linkSpacing/2, 0]) cube([linkThickness, linkSpacing, lRadius*2], true);
translate(-[trackWidth/2-linkThickness/2 , -linkSpacing/2, 0]) cube([linkThickness, linkSpacing, lRadius*2], true);
}
translate(-[trackWidth/2-linkThickness*1.5-lineThickness , -linkSpacing/2, 0]) cube([linkThickness+lineThickness*2, lRadius*10, lRadius*10], true);
translate([trackWidth/2-linkThickness*1.5-lineThickness , -linkSpacing/2, 0]) cube([linkThickness+lineThickness*2, lRadius*10, lRadius*10], true);
}
rotate([90, 0, 90]) cylinder(trackWidth, axleRadius, axleRadius, true);
translate([0, linkSpacing, 0]) rotate([90, 0, 90]) cylinder(trackWidth, axleRadius, axleRadius, true);
}
}
module trackSegment(){
translate([trackWidth/2-linkThickness*1.5-lineThickness, -linkSpacing/2, 0]) link();
translate([-trackWidth/2+linkThickness*1.5+lineThickness, -linkSpacing/2, 0]) link();
tread();
}
module track(){
trackSegment();
for (i = [0:segmentCount-1]){
translate([0, linkSpacing*2*i, 0]) trackSegment(); |
9 | 9 was bendable however the toothing was too small and it was not wide enough. |
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10 | Verson 10 had some issues with printing and gave inconclusive results. The second print of V10 gave similarly inconclusive results. The third print of V10 was a succsess. |
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Analysis
Conclusions
References