Back in August, there was this thread about some 3D printed belt tensioner solutions. I was looking to make something like this at the time, but I didn’t have a 3D printer. 6-months later and I now have a 3D printer and decided to give it a go.
I wanted something like the designs in that thread but I wanted a design that prevented the plastic tensioner from deforming due to the tension, and kept the belt very close to the aluminum rail. I’ve got one I’m pretty happy with so far, though it needs a little tweaking.
The size of it fits into the small space but is beefy enough to withstand the pressure. By putting a guide along the top of the front plate, the tensioner doesn’t want to warp due to the pulling forces of the screw or the belt. I need to modify the model a little bit and add an additional 1/16” to the part that sits on top of the black end plate (there’s a green shim in the photos).
It seems to tune well and pretty stable so far. Looks like it fits in with the machine. Looking forward to seeing how it does over time.
