Parametric Thrust Bearing

This is a fully parametric 3d-printable thrust bearing cage, using cheap ball bearings to provide reliable motion. I needed a thrust bearing in a weird ID/OD combination for a low-load situation, and couldn't find anything reasonably priced off-the-shelf.  Total parts cost for the attached size is <$4 including filament.

The model parameters can be adjusted to change:

• Inner diameter
• Outer diameter
• Total thickness
• Tolerances
• Ball bearing size

The attached STL is a 40mm ID/110mm OD, using 36 ¼ inch ball bearings. The balls are a press-fit into the bottom part of the cage, and are fully retained once pressed in, while still being able to rotate freely.

I used PLA to print these, due to its stiffness over PETG. 0.2mm layer height is plenty of detail for the radii in the bearing cages.