i need to know from the guys with experience…
can i use Teflon to manufacture my own brackets to house the motor?
im asking because i know Teflon is damn sturdy and strong…also it is easy to work with,shaping, cutting, drilling etc…
im thinking of giving it a go in my very first build.
ill post a thread with pics if its possible.
what do you guys think?
What sort of thickness were you going for? I’d think anything less than 10mm would be too flexible. If you need to tap it to mount onto the trucks it might be a bit tricky.
Going to need a good clamp on the truck as well of course because of the low friction. Definitely worth a go though
@Driftwood @domw95 I dont think you’ve considered the costs associated to attempting this.
I’ve worked with teflon and just off the front I’m going to ask why? Teflon, apart from being significantly more expensive per cubic inch of material, is also incredibly slippery by nature. You’ll have to bolt the motor on much harder to keep the motor in place if you’re using a system with grooves cut out. Teflon or its material name, PTFE will hold a thread but can be easily stripped if you’re over torquing the bolt. So for mounting it you’ll need to have a metallic clamping portion anyways, defeating the whole purpose. Also, teflon wont absorb away heat from your motor the way an aluminium one would, so you’d possibly have a warmer motor while using it. Stiffness is also another concern, you could bend a 1/8 sheet of teflon with your hands over a 6 inch stretch whereas aluminium or even steel in this regards you’re not going to do anything significant.
For a quick cost comparison though(mcmaster carr) , 3"x12"x 1/2" in aluminium is about $15 USD and is arguably enough material to make two mounts. 3"x12"x 1/2" in in Teflon is $91 USD…
I would recommend using aluminium simply because cost wise and performace wise there’s no gain from spending the extra $76.
You know I actually woke up this morning thinking about it and I just realized I didn’t consider heat absorption generated from the motor, and that could possibly melt the material…and yes teflon tends to be slippery! Anyways dumb idea, lets scratch that and just stick with aluminum metal material.