If you take a poll from a crowd of people who might have just a passing knowledge of what 3D printing is in general, and ask them what they think of 3D printed gears as opposed to those made traditionally, you will most likely get a quizzical look as they scratch their heads and wonder aloud if the parts would indeed be strong enough. Lightweight, sure—but will they hold up?
Strength is a big consideration too because most of us are going to be 3D printing in ABS or PLA. While there are other alternative materials out there, we have indeed seen some amazing gears made out of PLA, for example, as it was used to construct an entirely 3D printed tourbillon clock, which is worth checking out—or how about a cardboard race car relying on plastic fabricated gears? While plastics may not be as durable as metal, we’ve certainly seen them performing more than sufficiently in many cases; however, obviously, improvements probably will occur in this area as the technology continues to evolve at an accelerated rate. And while you may not see plastic gears being used in super high-performance constructions—indeed, those are the scenarios where metal 3D printing can be already probably be turned to, if an alternative to traditional manufacturing is being sought.
I’ve had the experience of the thrill in 3D printing from the desktop in that when something gets lost or breaks, you can sometimes replace it fairly quickly at home—and for my part this began very simply in delegating the task to my children for making replacement chess pieces, as well as checkers (perfect Saturday activity!). While that might seem a small thing, it’s very empowering when you don’t have to go out and buy an entirely new game, and can fabricate new parts without going anywhere or asking for anyone else’s help. This translates to gears in that if you have the motivation and know-how, making them yourself allows you not only to make cool things—but you can also fix or refurbish little items around the house should that be something you enjoy.
Along the way, you can customize devices to your liking, make as many as you want, adjust a file easily if the construction isn’t to your liking—and best of all, save a lot of money with the affordability of 3D printing. Oh, and there’s one more perk to all of this new technology: you might just find yourself having an awful lot of fun along most of the way. Have you printed any gears yourself? Tell us, as well as discussing the issues with these parts in the 3D Printed Gears forum over at 3DPB.com.
[SOURCE: NewsWatch]