Bearings
Print-in-place sliding bearing with two or three rings. Geometry follows Ada Cohen's MIT bearing generator.
Guide
The bearing generator creates two or three concentric sliding rings as a print-in-place STL. Set bore diameter, outer diameter, width and clearance, or start with the 22/8/7 mm preset. There are no balls or rollers: this is a ring plain-bearing model, and printed release and fit need a test.
The bearing consists of concentric rings with shaped retaining interfaces and a modeled gap. Relative motion occurs by sliding between the ring surfaces, not by balls or rollers. A two-ring model has one sliding interface; the three-ring option introduces an intermediate ring and two interfaces at the same selected overall width.
The middle ring has no imposed speed, so it does not necessarily halve the sliding speed at each surface. Friction and loading determine its motion. No measured friction reduction or guaranteed improvement in smoothness is reported here. The print-in-place bearing guide explains the distinction between modeled clearance and a successful print.
Outer diameter ranges from 10 to 300 mm, bore from 1 to 290 mm, and width from 6 to 100 mm, subject to enough material remaining for the selected ring layout. The default dimensions are outer diameter 22 mm, bore 8 mm and width 7 mm. They reproduce the nominal envelope often called 608; they do not reproduce a steel 608 ball bearing or its performance.
The clearance control ranges from 0 to 0.5 mm and defaults to 0.3 mm. It sets the radial separation between corresponding ring profiles; the associated diametral difference is twice that gap. Clearance along a sloped retaining surface is not a separately specified normal-distance tolerance. Bore input is a diameter here, unlike the radius control on the gear tool.
Inspect rings, retaining slopes, seam placement and first-layer expansion in the slicer. Record material, orientation, layer settings and the chosen clearance. If rings fuse, investigate extrusion, first-layer shape and the actual gap rather than assuming one cause. Do not force a seized part and treat that as a completed running test.
Check dimensions against the actual shaft and housing. The model is useful for exploring slow manually operated mechanisms, but no speed, load, wear-life or safety rating is supplied. A nominal 608-sized envelope does not make it suitable for a skateboard wheel. A box model can help prototype a surrounding enclosure; its mounting and retention features still need design.
No. It is a two- or three-ring plain-bearing geometry with sliding interfaces. The retaining profiles allow a print-in-place layout, but release after printing is process-dependent.
Not necessarily. Its motion depends on friction and load; no fixed speed division is imposed. It adds a second interface while keeping the chosen overall width. Compare actual prints before claiming a performance improvement.
The preset shares the nominal 22 mm outer diameter, 8 mm bore and 7 mm width. It is not a rolling-element bearing and has no equivalent rating. Do not treat it as a functional replacement for a skateboard or another loaded, fast mechanism.
The model starts at 0.3 mm radial clearance, with a control range of 0 to 0.5 mm. This is an input default, not a universal print recommendation. Check the actual profile, slicer and a test part with the intended process.