FR2 is the brownish material that many cheap circuit boards are made of. It's a mixture of phenolic resin and paper. Apparently it's quite useful to make gears out of:
Phenolic Gears exhibits superior shear force, help reduce machinery noise, absorbs destructive vibration unlike metal gears, phenolic is non-conductive, protects the mating metal gear train, and are known to outlast metal gears under severe continuous service. (source: https://www.knowbirs.com/phenolic-gears )
Has anyone seen these used anywhere? I've read a hint regarding pool equipment, but I have never seen them there. I assume the fibres allow them to last longer than plastic/resin only gears.
Woah those are some cool properties, I wonder how hard these gears would be to manufacture at home? I'm looking at implementing my own custom gear reductions in servos but I don't think my 3d prints will mesh well enough or withstand long usage
I replaced the original gears for my pools in-ground cleaning system with 3d-printed versions and they lasted several seasons. I had originally intended to simply keep the system running while I waited for replacement parts to arrive.
@liquefy4931 @Gronk
The impeller for my pool heater failed several years ago . They did not sell the part and my attempts to glue the old one failed after a short time The temporary impeller I made with the printer is still going strong . Removed it awhile back and it looks fine.
Speaking of fixes, the air compressor I bought to inflate tires was useless as it took forever to inflate a tire. Thought it was bad so returned it and bought a new one.
Turned out its a safety feature they lower the output to the point it is useless. I took the regulator apart and figured if I redesigned one part it would allow more air to flow . 2 new o-rings to seal it and a bit of silicone lube and I've been inflating tires happily since. The old setup took a few minutes to bring a car tire from 28 to 32 PSI. It now does it under a minute.
@liquefy4931 @Gronk
The impeller for my pool heater failed several years ago . They did not sell the part and my attempts to glue the old one failed after a short time The temporary impeller I made with the printer is still going strong . Removed it awhile back and it looks fine.
Speaking of fixes, the air compressor I bought to inflate tires was useless as it took forever to inflate a tire. Thought it was bad so returned it and bought a new one.
Turned out its a safety feature they lower the output to the point it is useless. I took the regulator apart and figured if I redesigned one part it would allow more air to flow . 2 new o-rings to seal it and a bit of silicone lube and I've been inflating tires happily since. The old setup took over 10 minutes to bring a car tire from 28 to 32 PSI. It now does it under a minute.