Quote:
Originally Posted by JellyMan
Thanks everyone for the info concerning the "polycord". I will be placing an order for the 1/4" hollow Urethane Round Belting and barbed connectors.
Two more questions:
1) These round belts in are normally used multiple loops. So, are you machining custom rollers with multiple grooves, or are you stacking off-the-shelf pulleys? Is there a material of choice for the rollers. I suppose aluminum, UHMW polyethylene, or even wood could be used.
2) If we use the barbed connectors, are these actually reliable? Has anyone tried melting the ends in addition to the connectors? Is this overkill?
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Our team has used hollow poly cord a couple of times.
1) You can do either. In the past we have generally stacked pulleys (either COTS from McMaster/SDP-SI or homemade), but a single roller with multiple grooves can be a more elegant solution. I have seen various plastics (UHMW and ABS mostly) turned into roller/pulleys on a lathe, and that works well for many.
2) We have only ever had problems with barbed connections when people got lazy and made poor quality cuts. As long as you make sharp, flush cuts and fully insert the barbs, you will have no issues.