4 point-contact ball bearing

A smooth running 4 point-contact ball bearing with a printed cage.

Required components:

• 16x 5mm steel balls
• 4x M3x8 DIN7991 screws

The amount of play (up to a certain degree) is adjustable with the 4 screws.

Possible use cases:

• Learning aspect: this is a bearing you can easily take apart and observe the interaction between the different components. Furthermore it shows the effect of preload on the amount of play in the bearing
• As a bearing for your spool holder
• As a gimmick on your desk. You will reach out to it more often than you might think.
• Remix it to fit your special application (e.g. as an integrated hub bearing for your 3d printed tire)

Print instructions

Print the outer and inner ring out of PLA, no special settings are required. You may choose any material you like. However, stiffer is better.

It is good practice to align the seams such that you can sand them down easily. The bearing will not turn nicely without removing the seams.

The cage is best printed out of TPU (hard). Make sure to choose you settings such that you get the least amount of stringing. The profile in the included 3mf worked well for me. PLA might also work but there is a risk of breaking the cage while snapping the balls into place.