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IndustryArena Forum > Mechanical Engineering > Linear and Rotary Motion > 626 Ball bearings & 5mm extrusion slot
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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Posts
    2

    Question 626 Ball bearings & 5mm extrusion slot

    Hi,
    I'm using 20x20 aluminium extrusions for my build and since it is a 3d printer, bearings won't have to support a large effort.
    I was wondering how would my printer work if I use ball bearings directly in extrusion slots.
    Are there any drawbacks like steel/aluminium contact reducing extrusions life span ?
    Here is a photograph illustrating :
    Attachment 272100
    I tried, berings fits perfectly, it moves quite smoothly, but in the long term ? What about effiiency ?
    I need your experience
    Thanks !!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Posts
    5516
    Quote Originally Posted by Dept-74 View Post
    Hi,
    I'm using 20x20 aluminium extrusions for my build and since it is a 3d printer, bearings won't have to support a large effort.
    I was wondering how would my printer work if I use ball bearings directly in extrusion slots.
    Are there any drawbacks like steel/aluminium contact reducing extrusions life span ?
    Here is a photograph illustrating :
    Attachment 272100
    I tried, berings fits perfectly, it moves quite smoothly, but in the long term ? What about effiiency ?
    I need your experience
    Thanks !!

    Probably fine... My first CNC was bearings on AL pipe.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Posts
    4252

    Re: 626 Ball bearings & 5mm extrusion slot

    You will get long-term wear on the Al rails. That is a given.

    However, if you do not load the bearings up and the loads are not high, you might get a few years service out of it all before you need to add steel rails.

    Efficiency - little effect.

    Chers
    Roger

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Posts
    11

    Re: 626 Ball bearings & 5mm extrusion slot

    Probably more for others due to the timing, but if you haven't bought any yet look at deltaprintr.com They have some delrin wheels that fit in those slots and would work okay for a 3d printer. Openbuilds.com has their v-slot which allows for a bit more stability than traditional t-slot. There was even a guy selling polycarb wheels on ebay that would fit in either slot and be better long-term than straight bearings. You could buy bulk 625 bearings, some spacers, and some poly or delrin wheels. The delrin are $1.50 and the poly were $20 for 20, on sale on ebay. Not a lot of money to add on.

    In my experience, building your own carriages is more for hobby/enjoyment than making something cheaper/superior. There are tons of semi-diy option you can purchase, and others do the precision work for you. Best of luck.

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