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Thread: Melting nuts into plastic wheels

  1. #1
    Ocracoke's Avatar
    Team Kaizen

    I've read/heard about this before but I've never done this before and I need to do this with Kaizen in order to mount the wheels onto a threaded motor shaft. As far as I can make out, it is a case of heating up the nut with a heat gun or a soldering iron and then driving that into the plastic. Is that correct?
    Team Kaizen - Build Diary for all the robots

    AW: Amai, Ikari, Lafiel, Osu, Ramu
    BW: Shu!, The Honey Badger
    FW: Azriel
    MW: Jibril, Kaizen

  2. #2
    I've tried it with a soldering iron before to no avail, ended up just scooping chunks out with it until it somwehat fit a nut inside. Most people suggest using a blowtorch, and a pillar drill helps to keep it straight. This video helps a lot:

  3. #3
    Ocracoke's Avatar
    Team Kaizen

    Ah hah, I had read there was a video of this happening, wasn't sure where it was, many thanks. Difference with that over this is that the plastic on the wheels I have isn't nylon. Possibly PVC in some form with resin but the procedure will be the same no doubt.

    Now I need to find a pillar drill :P
    Team Kaizen - Build Diary for all the robots

    AW: Amai, Ikari, Lafiel, Osu, Ramu
    BW: Shu!, The Honey Badger
    FW: Azriel
    MW: Jibril, Kaizen

  4. #4
    https://www.hbm-machines.com/product...nes-1/pagina-1

    Not the cheapest you can find, but good quality controle by the firm itself
    (they buy Chinese, give the machines a look over and sell the approved ones)

  5. #5
    I have one in the garage if you're struggling to find one more locally.

  6. #6
    Al_'s Avatar
    Member

    Having done this a number of times, a few things which have improved the quality of my wheels are:

    1) I bore the wheel hub out to the same diameter as the flats across the coupling. Any larger and you are not melting enough plastic around the coupling. Smaller and you tend to have to melt too much out of the way, it's harder to press in and a bigger job to remove all the excess plastic once it sets.

    2) Set your depth with the pillar drill or press the coupling in to a stop. It can take quite a while for the coupling to cool down and you don't want it to move at all in this time or it weakens the joint. Lock the pillar drill or hold it in the down position until it is fully cooled.

    3)Some plastics can be quite slippy even once moulded to the wheel and the coupling can still slide out in battle so be sure to retain it in the wheel with a large washer or similar either side of it. HDPE is especially bad for this, Nylon not so much. Other plastics, I have no idea!

    4)Do a couple of test pieces if you can to get the temperature of the coupling right. Too cold and its hard to melt in, too hot and you can burn the plastic.

    Hope this helps!

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by maddox10 View Post
    https://www.hbm-machines.com/product...nes-1/pagina-1

    Not the cheapest you can find, but good quality controle by the firm itself
    (they buy Chinese, give the machines a look over and sell the approved ones)
    unless you are going on holiday or attending a event in the Netherlands it is like 100 euro shipping alone. (looked into it as i myself are wanting a good pillar drill)

  8. #8
    If your not wanting to get apillar drill, something like this can cost about £8 - 15 and holds a classic drill.
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tooltime%C2.../dp/B00DIB300U

    Perhaps this can be sourced near you?

    Nut inserts, i have some brass inserts for drill mounts turned with a chamfer to aid directional insertion which im selling if your interested - DM me. Can also machine some steel ones should you desire. And also a spiggot to hold the insert for your drill press.

    I have used a cooks blowtorch device to heat up the insert to melt into my hubs. worked well.

  9. #9
    Ocracoke's Avatar
    Team Kaizen

    Thanks for all the advice. Trouble is, I have no where to mount said pillar drill (the vice I have is attached to my office desk as an example) so the plunge stand may end up being my only option. I believe I have something to make a chamfer with and a heat gun which should do the job here so just a case of getting the stand.
    Team Kaizen - Build Diary for all the robots

    AW: Amai, Ikari, Lafiel, Osu, Ramu
    BW: Shu!, The Honey Badger
    FW: Azriel
    MW: Jibril, Kaizen

  10. #10
    Yopur location 'Somewhere on the wirral' perhaps you could see if there is \ local makerspace near you - https://forum.hackspace.org.uk/t/che...-hackspace/359 is just something mentioning it, but they do mention a chester space.

    https://www.google.co.uk/maps/search...1579858,11.75z - space over the water DoES https://doesliverpool.com/

    https://asenseofplace.com/tag/maker-space/ perhaps there is something nearby who you could access a pillar drill or vice.

    Alternativly depending on size and material of your vice you can do this step in the vice.
    Last edited by Roboteernat; 17th May 2018 at 13:21.

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