Testing DIY Custom Rubber Tires Made With 3D Printing

This video has been on my project list for a while so I wanted to finally get it finished before I get sucked back into the really long and complex projects.

Printer and filament used can be found from Bambu Lab:
X1C + AMS
Standard ABS
Standard PLA
HF TPU 95A

00:00 - Intro
00:25 - Designing a mold
02:16 - Sponsor
03:37 - Casting the tires
06:25 - Making the other tires
07:43 - Static Friction Test
08:21 - Dynamic Friction Test
08:50 - Wear Test
09:32 - Racing
10:43 - Race results

#bambulab #bambulabX1C

[ExcessiveOverkill]

FAQ:

What is the cost per tire?
Plain PLA: $1.6
ABS + Flexseal: $1.6 + $16 for a can of Flexseal, should last for 10+ tires
PLA + TPU: $5.6
Urethane: $6

Can this work for non-solid tires also?
Yes, it's just a lot more challenging to make a mold that lets you cast a hollow tread section. Smoothon also sells 2 part urethane foam that could be used to make foam or foam filled tires

[Aldo.flores]

Excellent, that’s not a subjective test on different tracks, it’s a detailed and highly measured lab test with real behave data, it’s how things need to be done and I’m so glad I find your channel

[Blue_Camera_Cat]

Nice video! I like the simplicity of the TPU tires, that printer camera detecting the failed print is neat. I was rooting for the flexseal tho

[YagoFernades]

This was indeed, Ecessive Overkill. Loved It!

[Simon_Rafferty]

Thanks for this. Both the methodology and the results are more useful than just Tyres (or Tires 🤣)

[aaedmusa]

Totally agree with you on the Bambu printers. They’re essentially just plug and play. Great video! I loved the testing.

[karlosss]

Very interesting. The material boned to a harder material doesn't have the opportunity to flex and cause heat which causes more traction. Your attention to detail with moulding is awesome!. Great video.

[qwertbochaffer]

Been custom casting urethane tires for combat robots since 2020. Smooth On Vytaflex and Reoflex work awesome for this. I use mostly 40A for 3lb and 12lb bots but sometimes 30A for lighter (1lb) robots. I can go for easily a dozen 3 minute fights on a set of 40A tires without wear being an issue

[paulpardee]

Punished Props just released a video where they made their own tires, too. It's interesting to see the difference in workflow based on area of expertise! They printed the full tire, post-processed it for cosmetics, then made a silicone mold and used that to cast the tires (with a 3D printed hub).

They prioritized cosmetics over function, so maybe avoiding the mold lines on the front of the tire was more important to them, but I really like the idea of a 3d printed mold

[dfgaJK]

11:27 I think is has a lot to do with the hardness or the overall wheel. I think the ABS one is the most ridged so the car bounces the most and the tyre contacts the ground the least. Though that would suggest the PLA one would be worse.🤔

[TRDB_]

Great comparison! Most videos out there only share opinions but you did a thorough testing - thumbs up!

[TeslaNick]

I'm so happy someone has taken the time to do this so I don't have to waste time finding out myself. THANK YOU !

[miroslavmajer]

cool stuff, man. Very interesting video!

[DimensionMachine]

Really great stuff. Thanks for the vid. Gives me several ideas!

[kwakeham]

I am building (well built 1st gen with many fixes but still to powerful for 3d printed shafts) a mostly 3d printed tracked vehicle. Found someone using VytaFlex 60 in a video for tires and it rocks. I went through so many options from PLA, silicone, shoegoo like stuff, gluing on tpu tracks, and finally direct casting in contact with PLA track segments of the VytaFlex 60. This works insanely well. After use on pavement it looks and feels kind of like bicycle tire rubber. If you ever revisit, I'd suggest this as a

[eelcohoogendoorn]

Cast semi flex urethane with a bunch of continuous kevlar fiber packed into the mold is probably also the most indestructable material you can make for parts that see a lot of impact.

[MrGreyGames]

Man you gotta love the Flex seal line of products! Although I'd like to see you mold an entire tire out of flex next time.

[CoolNamesAllTaken]

I love your thorough testing methodology! Great video.

[ddegn]

Thanks for another fun video. I have a new X1C in my living room waiting for me to clear a spot in my work room. I'm excited to try it out.
Super Fast Matt's recent video convinced me to upgrade from my Prusa MK3.

[DigitalJedi]

This is actually something I've dealt a good deal with as well. My combat robots all run on cast urethane tires as well. I print a spoked hub and then case a more solid cylinder of urethane around them with only some very basic notches to provide a little bit of tread. My 3lb gets very soft 45A, but the 12lb and 30lb bots both run 80A durometer urethane. Wear isn't a huge concern since they're often missing chunks from direct hits or big floor gashes well before the material itself wears away in 3-minute fights.

I've also experimented with trying to impregnate foam with urethane or some other hardening rubber in the past to mixed results. I found that a coating of rubber cement over foam cut from a set of old play tiles was fairly grippy for the 3lb bot, but severely lacking in durability. The weight I ended up adding to protect them was about the same as just using the urethane at the small scale with the added benefit of not needing to machine more wheel guards.