Screw Drive Tank Is Radio Controlled, 3D Printed

Screw drives are something that we don’t see a lot of – they’ve got an interesting set of attributes making them useful on soft ground, but woe betide you if your local transport department catches you trying to belt one of these up the freeway. After a long development period, [Ivan] has finally perfected his screw drive tank.

This is something that’s been in the works for a long time. It’s a primarily 3D-printed build, showing just how easy it is to build complex machines from scratch in this day and age of rapid prototyping. Over time, [Ivan] has experimented with different screw shapes and taken feedback from his audience on how to improve the craft. With some changes to the gearing and drive layout, the tank returned to the beach, with great success. Powered by twin brushless motors and controlled by off-the-shelf RC gear, the tank has no trouble scooting about the sand.

The project shows the value in iterative design, with [Ivan] taking time to lay out all the parts which have changed since the last revision. It’s a project that is now a five-part series, and we can’t wait to see where it goes next. There’s every chance an amphibious version could be in the works. For something on the larger scale, check out this screw drive tractor set to conquer Canada.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N54fzGwMybk

12 thoughts on “Screw Drive Tank Is Radio Controlled, 3D Printed

    1. Nice model, could benefit from enclosed running gear and receiver water protection, but that’s what prototypes are like, keep at it. I love archimedian screw vehicles, for instance the Chrylser Marsh Screw Amphibian
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1f_7Weam6q8
      I have a Terrain Twister which I’ve modified so it uses a regular RC car battery pack instead of the dinky folding pack. The problem I found with the TT is that there are no clutches in the pontoon pod gearboxes and as such the pinions start slipping on the motor shafts if the pontoons are jammed or been in the water. I’ve opened the pods up and centrepopped and filed grooves on the shafts then superglued the pinions on, but they still slip.

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