As desktop 3D printers enter into a new development phase, in which old designs are modified and improved upon for a wider audience of consumers, certain small upgrades may increase 3D printing quality for the emerging generation of low-cost fabricators. Among those redesigns might be a change to a 3D printer’s method of moving the printhead around the build platform. Fenner Precision – a division of Fenner PLC, makers of Ninjaflex flexible filament – believes that it has a solution for improved linear motion on 3D printers with a new timing belt.
Fenner Precision has created its series of FHT belts specifically for 3D printers, made with a variety of durometers, sizes and reinforcing materials, such as Kevlar, polyester, and fiberglass. According to the company, their FHT urethane timing belts offer the following advantages: “positive, no slip synchronization, extreme accuracy, smooth, quiet operation, clean, non-dusting performance, [and] long, low-maintenance life.” As 3D printer manufacturers enter their next stage of development, or as new manufacturers emerge, Fenner’s urethane belts may be on their list of possible options for linear motion.
