MakerGear Forum

I have officially lost my 6th (!!) stepper motor to a shredded pinion http://i.imgur.com/3T5oW6K.png. I print pretty much 24/7, so the shredding pinions lead to a broken printer every 2-3 months.

Is makergear ever going to resolve this issue?

Yes - the corrected pinion gears are available on the motors page.

rpollack wrote:Yes - the corrected pinion gears are available on the motors page.

Ordering two now, is generic superglue strong enough to hold a pinion on the shaft?

I'll find out the type of loctite we are using and post that Monday. You'll need to carefully apply heat to remove the existing gear.

helix_3 wrote:is generic superglue strong enough

Probably not, because cyanoacrylates aren't good for impact loads.

I'd vote for red Loctite, which is designed for exactly this sort of thing:
http://www.loctiteproducts.com/p/t_lkr_ ... ed-271.htm

Clean the shaft & pinion with acetone, apply Loctite sparingly to the shaft, press pinion in place with one smooth motion, and get it right the first time, because you will not get a second chance.

I'd use a pin in a drill press to keep the pinion squarely aligned with the shaft while ramming it down; doing that by hand seems fraught with peril.

Threadlockers are death to acrylic plastics: don't slobber the stuff on anything you care about.

Loctite makes something called retaining compound. Its just like regular loctite but its not for threads. Its made specifically to hold things on shafts like this. Napa probably has it. Here is a link

http://www.henkelna.com/retaining-compounds-14963.htm

jimc wrote:retaining compound

My Loctite kit has green 601, which (according to the label) augments slip fits and fills 3 mil gaps. Didn't seem like it'd work for a tight press fit like the pinion, but it's certainly better than nothing.

Soooo It's definitely time to update my collection: 648 sounds like the right hammer for the pinion job. Same green color, too!

We are using Loctite 609 (red, retaining compound)

Thats great news.
I just ordered a couple

I used a GWS Micro pinion puller on my motor, and it removed the gear very easily with a touch of heat.




I may try soldering the pinion to the shaft...

I heated it with a heat gun for a minute and it pulled off without any trouble with a pliers.