Managed to get a pretty decent locating fit for a 3/8" x 5/8" x 5/32" sealed, pre-lubricated ball bearing from VXB. They have a lot of options in this size. I ordered two to choose from, but only one fit into the printed flange piece easily with just my hand pressure even though they were rated for the same maximum OD and tolerance. So I think the current design is close to the edge of hand pressed fitting for the low tolerance of the current SLS 3D printing process.
If you look carefully at the bottom edge of the flange where it contacts the drill adapter, you can see there is a step-wise pattern; this is because I tried to give the surface that contacts the drill adapter a gentle slope to match the slope on the front surface of the drill adapter. It basically works, but the 3D printing leaves this step pattern instead of a smooth slope. Probably not worth the trouble.
Here's the whole thing assembled. Note that the square driver piece is taking on a healthy coffee color due to the plastic material being porous and absorbing bits of coffee grounds. I've had this piece a while now and it's showing no signs of failing, so I think the 3D printed parts are reasonably successful for medium use. It's also kind of nice to know that the plastic part will fail before you kill the KitchenAid motor if you happen to jam things up some how.
Here's a picture of the extra 5/8" OD bearing I bought that didn't quite fit nicely. I also bought a 9/16" OD needle bearing to try, but it seemed better to stick to something with less depth and the 5/8" OD ball bearing was a small enough OD to work.
Do you have plans for this? A file for the 3d printer?
ReplyDeleteThe pieces are available on Shapeways: http://www.shapeways.com/search?q=kitchenaid
ReplyDeleteIt would be the adapter piece and the shorter version of the coupling. The longer version of the coupling works fine but doesn't fit into the adapter. I haven't posted the new versions to Thingiverse yet but I will do that soon. You can find the older, longer version here: http://www.thingiverse.com/search?q=kitchenaid&sa=Search
/NB/: in my experience, the coupler pieces do fail after a few months of use and have to be replaced. This is using the Shapeways White, Strong, Flexible material; I haven't tried any other material. I have been meaning to tweak the design slightly to try to give it a little more strength.
You can also find other people's work at the wiki: http://diykitchenaid.wikia.com/wiki/DIY_Kitchenaid_Wiki
So you expect to post new designs sooner (in the next week say) or later (a month or more from now)? I'll have a look at materials and if i find something better can report back.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
Here's the design files for the parts in this post.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thingiverse.com/thing:39958
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:39960
I will try to make an updated, stronger coupling soon. Mostly I just plan to add additional set screws and thicken the walls wherever possible. Theoretically a clamping design might be more reliable, but I'm not sure how to do this in the available materials and within the space constraints.