Compounding Effects of Tolerances in a Cycloidal Gearbox
“Tolerances are insane, especially if you’re 3D printing” is what someone told me when I said I was working on a cycloidal gearbox. I couldn’t agree more. This was the first project where I was punished every time I didn’t get my tolerances precise enough. Fusing 3D-printed pieces with metal was incredibly frustrating, and on a project where there were so many complex pieces, each mistake compounds. I chose the cycloidal drive as my first gearbox because I was very interested in the motion. I still remember I came across a YouTube video that was alluding to getting higher torque gears without teeth. Needless to say, it was an unskippable title, and after watching it, I was determined to get my hands dirty with a 3D-printed design. ...