My team is building a continuous lift for this season, and one problem we’re having is that we dont have access to the ultra thin custom spacers that are required for making the linear slides with c channels. I’ve been searching for other solutions to this issue, but all the ones I’ve found either have no real proof that they work or have other issues such as making the lift wiggly. Does anyone know any workarounds to this custom spacer issue?
One common method that worked well for my team is to make hooks out of bearing flats and normal width spacers. It makes the lift a little extra bulky but it doesn’t have much sway.
The mist important thing when making something to hold two c channels together is getting the right balance of reducing friction and reducing wiggle which can be tweaked by adding extra washers or leaving some stews a little looser.
I have personally worked around this in another way. I have been able to use 4 post hexnut retainers inside of the C-Channels in a test robot I made. It works pretty well. Sadly, no photos for now, but I can send some over if you would like them.
By access, do you mean you are not allowed to order them? If you are, then look at 1/4" OD (outer-diameter) spacers on Robosource. Strongly suggest the 1/8", 1/2" and 7/8".
Nah, we technically do have access to it, but my team is from indonesia, so the shipping cost and stuff are quite expensive. I’d love to know if there are ways that I can afford them at a cheaper cost, though.
Actually in hindsight, the prices might not be that bad. If the alternatives suggested above don’t feel enough, I’ll try buying some.
You should also be able to find these on other commercial supply websites, E.g. McMaster-Carr is a good alternative for the US, or Amazon. Both have a lot more options, which can be both a good and bad thing (more time searching).