Skip to content

Couplers and threadlocker

The motor shafts, the gearbox outputs and the joint 6 shaft are joined by couplers and pulleys with set screws on flats or keys. Vibration loosens set screws; a loose one lets the motor turn without the joint, and the robot loses its position without noticing.

  • If a joint starts to slip, or its position drifts between homings, find the set screw, tighten it, and apply blue (medium) threadlocker. Do not move the robot for 24 hours while it cures.
  • Put a screw on the key as well as on the flat where the part has both.
  • Apply threadlocker to every metal-to-metal screw joint on the robot: the motor mounts, the gearbox flanges, the bearing clamps. Printed parts and brass inserts do not need it, and the solvent in some threadlockers attacks plastic: keep it on the metal.
  • Never use red (permanent) threadlocker; the parts cannot be taken apart again without heat.

After tightening a coupler, home the robot and check the witness marks.

Comments

Found a mistake on this page? Edit it on GitHub · Report it · Get help · This page as Markdown · llms.txt · The whole manual as PDF