Bacon bumpers
An odd post title but that is what I called the CAD file.
I am overhauling a bacon slicer for a local business as it was their grandfathers and they are now running the business. As a machine that is over 50 years old quite a few of the parts aren’t available.
One of these parts where small rubber bumpers that fitted onto a barbed shaft that formed part of an end stop function. These rubber bumpers had a shoulder on them so that they could retain a spring that actually most of the stopping.
After a big of digging I was coming up on a blank on finding a replacement.
After an embarrassing amount of time I realised I didn’t have to source them as I could simply 3D print some.
The 3D printer I have works by extruding a filament. By changing the filament you can have different properties for different applications. One of the filaments that my prusa Mk3 is capable of printing is a semiflexible filament from Fillamentum. They come in various hardnesses ranging from a 90 shore up to a 98 shore. For this application I choose a 98A shore in sky blue mainly as I had it sitting on the shelf as i had been using it to print rubber feet for raised dog feeders.
Finished print
Not a complex print or a long print but it was what i needed. Printed with 3 perimeters and quite a high infill as in this case most of the flex will be once for fitting onto the shaft.
Test fitting
The bumpers are pressed (okay hammered) onto the shaft.
They fitted easily and weren’t coming off in one piece. The spring fitted easily onto the shoulder.
You can see the barbs on the end of the shaft
Final fitting
As the test fitting went so well I proceeded onto the final fitment.
Lets hope that these last the 50 plus years the originals lasted and if they do who knows what tech will be around to replace them.
So that is another tools not toys solution from the sister company of Barras 3D