01 / Challenge
Challenge
A robotics team needed a reduction gearbox that could survive a demonstration season. Off-the-shelf units were either too heavy or eight weeks out.
Functional Drive Component — 2025
Planetary Gearbox
A 27:1 reduction stage printed in carbon-filled nylon, running continuously on a test rig for over two hundred hours without measurable backlash growth.
CARBON FIBERFDMEngineering
Preparing 3D view
Loading geometry and materials.
- Project
- Planetary Gearbox
- Material
- CARBON FIBER
- Technology
- FDM
- Print Time
- 26 hours
- Layer Height
- 0.12 mm
- Weight
- 410 g
- Dimensions
- 120 x 120 x 95 mm
- Industry
- Engineering
02 / Design
Design
Helical tooth profiles were generated to spread load across more contact, and the ring gear was printed as a single piece to avoid a seam in the load path. Bearing seats were modelled 0.15 mm undersize for a press fit.
03 / Printing Process
Printing Process
Carbon-filled nylon printed at 0.12 mm through a hardened 0.4 mm nozzle, dried immediately before printing and annealed after to relieve internal stress.
04 / Final Result
Final Result
Two hundred hours of continuous rig time with backlash growth under 0.3 degrees. The team ran the same gearbox through the full competition season.
Gallery
Through the build
Four moments from the job, in the order they happened.
- 01
Sun and planet gears before assembly - 02
Ring gear, printed as one piece - 03
Assembled stage on the test rig - 04
Tooth contact after 200 hours
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Planetary Gearbox
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