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experimenting with Kevlar thread inside PTFE tube bowden

A project log for 3d printed stepper actuator

3d printed transmission for nema 17 stepper using 6mm GT2 belt+pulley and bowden cable

istvn-ntaiIstván Nótai 04/09/2018 at 10:170 Comments

I made a bowden cable using 1.8mm Kevlar thread and 2mm inner 4mm outer diameter (3d printer bowden tube for 1.75mm filament) PTFE tube, with a thread cutting tool I cutted screw thread on the outside of the tube to make it grippy, then i glued the tubes inside the holes of the housing, then the Kevlar thread are connected to the pulley's reel.

I like the Kevlar thread approach beacuse Kevlar is lightweight and has a similar tensile strength by diameter to steel and more importantly I can easily bend the thread low radius, so I can make a reel smaller than the pulley to increase the transmission ratio, without using another pulley.

The pulley and the reel works well, but the PTFE tube is trying to collapse if I try to lift more than 3kg.

It looks like I have two options: change the PTFE tube to steel bowden housing or using another pulley and a bigger reel to move a fully steel bowden setup.

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