While many use a magnet approach for their delta effector (and we do too), there’s really not many users out there that use ball sockets for their delta printer. Probably because it’s really hard to do so since you have to make sure that there’s zero room for any vibrations. Unlike traxxas joints that have a lot of vibration. And there’s really not much out there on the market that doesn’t require some sort of hack. So we’ve decided to take up the challenge and design our own effector for our deltas with sockets as a future upgrade. The reason being that manufacturing custom PTFE coated magnets is really expensive, even for large volumes and requires a lot of quality control. This new design allows for super easy assembly and it’s really inexpensive to make… aside from the mould cost of course.
This platform is snap fitted together using an upper and lower part to create a really tight socket that won’t get loose. We’re actually thinking of shrinking it even more for a smaller distance between the pivot points. Currently they’re 30mm apart, but thinking of going down to 25mm or maybe even 20mm to increase print space even more. The arms will end up pivoting almost literally against the hotend itself - making for a real micro effector.
What do you think? Any room for improvement? ideas? We’re still deciding if hardened steel balls or mold injected balls are better, lots of options…
