Introduction: Rolamite: Inexpensive, Nearly Frictionless Bearings
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About: I want to build my moon base with remote controlled robots and solar sintering.
This project is so easy it only takes one step to explain. Hooray!
A sample 5 minute construction using duct tape, a rubber band, clamps, wood, and some hex-shaped spacers is in the pictures.
Here's a video (not my own):
Read about Rolamite history
Read about some of Rolamite's uses
Still not inspired?
- You could switch the rubber band for a bike chain and use gears to drive your CNC/Makerbot/etc.
- You can put a groove in the band to make it "snap" to a particular spot.
- You can change the tension on each end to create different effects.
- You can put more than two wheels - you can even put small wheels inside a big wheel separated by a band!
- You can force the two wheels further apart in case they are not "playing nice" with each other.
There are a ton of interesting ways to use this simple mechanism. Post your ideas in the comments!
A sample 5 minute construction using duct tape, a rubber band, clamps, wood, and some hex-shaped spacers is in the pictures.
Here's a video (not my own):
Read about Rolamite history
Read about some of Rolamite's uses
Still not inspired?
- You could switch the rubber band for a bike chain and use gears to drive your CNC/Makerbot/etc.
- You can put a groove in the band to make it "snap" to a particular spot.
- You can change the tension on each end to create different effects.
- You can put more than two wheels - you can even put small wheels inside a big wheel separated by a band!
- You can force the two wheels further apart in case they are not "playing nice" with each other.
There are a ton of interesting ways to use this simple mechanism. Post your ideas in the comments!