Linear ball bearings

thingiverse

These are the designs for Mendel style linear ball bearings. The bearings are for use in a DIY CNC mill. Since there isn't too much room for the bearings (especially at the Z axis), I designed the printed ball bearing retainers as low profile as possible. The "inner" ball bearings are halfway sunk in the base plate. This not only keeps the assembly as low as possible, but also guarantees the same height reference for the fixed bearings (the axle sits directly on the plate). All upper bearings are adjustable. See a video with a comparison of bush bearings and these linear ball bearings on the same rods:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL-CA5Fm8bk For more information on the DIY CNC mill, see http://pleasantsoftware.com/developer/3d/2011/05/13/poor-mens-laser-cutter/ Instructions There are two sizes of the bearing, one set for 10mm rods and one set for 12mm rods. Print the set for the rod diameter you have. You'll need 2 x bi-xx and 2 x tri-xx per axis. Use 624 ball bearings and M4 bots and nuts to assemble the complete bearings. For the lower ball bearing axles, use M4 threaded rod, cut to length.