Are your aluminum extrusions too straight? The Crimson Axlef*cker can help you out. It’s a remarkable 3D printed, 4-stage, 125:1 reduction gearbox driven by a brushless motor. Designer [jlittle988] decided to test an early prototype to destruction and while he was expecting something to break, he didn’t expect it to twist the 2020 aluminum extrusion shaft before it did. We suppose the name kind of stuck after that.
[jlittle988] has been documenting the build progress on reddit, and recently posted a fascinating video (embedded below) of the revised gearbox twisting the output shaft even further. He’s a bit coy about the big picture, saying only that the unit is part of a larger project. In fact, despite the showy tests, his goal is not to simply obtain maximum torque. We can only speculate on what his bigger project is, but in the meantime, seeing the gearbox results is some good clean fun. He first announced the gearbox test results here, and swiftly followed it up with some revisions, then the aforementioned video. There’s also an image gallery of the internals, so check that out.
The Crimson Axlef*cker is driven by an ODrive brushless dual-shaft motor and an ODrive controller as well; that’s the same ODrive whose open source motor controller design impressed us so much in the past.
Between projects like this one and other gearboxes like this cycloidal drive, it’s clear that custom gearbox design is yet another door that 3D printing has thrown wide open, allowing hobbyists to push developments that wouldn’t have been feasible even just a few years earlier.
LOL great name! And impressive torque!
Looks like a good way to add some decorative elements to your prototypes! Like the forge twisted square bar of old.
That’s gotta be a reference to Hellsing Abridged, and I love it.
Fairly certain that you mean 80/20, aka “The Industrial Erector Set”.
Fairly certain that actual piece is 20mm x 20mm, or 2020
That’s a particular brand, but they aren’t the only one to make 20×20 aluminum extrusion. Calling it all “80/20” is like calling all tissues “Kleenex”
It is not 80/20 being used here. 80/20 has some additional grooves in the faces making it very apparent its 80/20. This does not have the grooves. This can be one of many many other brands.
8020 (brand) does come in a smooth option
The branded 80/20 comes in several finishes and styles – smooth face, slotted face, ultra-lite, standard, etc
Might be interesting to see a design using planetary gears, too.
I’m more than a little surprised the extrusion deformed that far without breaking.
“The Crimson Axlef*cker is driven by an ODrive brushless dual-shaft motor and an ODrive controller as well; ”
And…
an Odroid drives the controller?
(gdr)
That might be o’kill.
That’s one big, torquey servo.
I thought the lead in photo was some sort of cutting machine with an end mill. Didn’t expect it to turn out to be an aluminum extrusion!
There are more important things than fingers that could be lost to that machine.
That’s twisted!
Affordable 3D printing has come a long way in such a short time. That’s some beefy plastic.
I wonder if that twisted extrusion could be used as the basis for a coarse linear actuator
As a famous youtube machineist would say…. “keep your d*ck in a vice” ….and far away from this contraption.
“How to make a leadscrew out od aluminum extrusion.”