MashedBearings is a plugin developed for Rhino3D version 7 and 8 WIP which provides a parametric generator for different kinds of roller bearings. It was originally designed for use in FDM or SLA 3D printing as a way to generate printable roller bearings for use in various projects.
It was developed using C# with the help of McNeel’s Rhinoceros 7 SDK.
Features
- Fully parametric with access to all aspects of the generated roller bearing.
- Generates rollers and races with adjustable clearances for 3D printing.
- Currently provides generators for 3 kinds of roller types:
- Trapezoidal rollers
- Hourglass rollers
- Cylindrical rollers
- Persistent settings
- Easy-to-use user interface with access to all available parameters.
- Support columns with adjustible gaps to allow rollers shorter than the height/length of the races to be printed, without needing to rely on support generation in slicer software.
Future Changes
- Presets and preset manager to allow the preservation and reloading of particular bearing types, and to allow the plugin to be deployed with roller bearing parameters matching the dimensions of commonly available commercial bearings, but with settings best allowing them to be 3D printed.
- The addition of new roller types and new bearing types - conical, spherical, etc.
- I would also like to add a new parametric generator for gears (involute, helical, herringbone, etc).
Screenshots
Where to get it?
MashedBearings is still undergoing development for its first release, but it will be available as a pre-compiled plugin in the near future. Be sure to check back periodically!