printable chain

Overview
Printable chain was designed for easy printing and quick assembly, but also to be integrated into any project that needs a drive chain. Printable chain is surprisingly strong, withstanding 20 lbs of pull force before breaking, yet fast and easy to print. All that is needed is 3mm or 1.75mm filament to act as the pin, and a round file in case the holes turn out a little misshapen.

Printing
Printing the chain is pretty straight forward. I slowed my speeds by about 25% and first layer speeds by 50%. Printing at 200 microns, the chain may not look as good, but is mechanical sound and much faster. Printing at 100 microns required a 250% first layer height for the print to stick. Printed the chain with abs @ 245c on 100c pei.

Testing
While testing the strength of the chain, I was able to safely suspend a 15 lb weight with 1 strand of chain without any bending or cracking. Pulling 20 lbs with 1 strand after about 5 seconds resulted in failure. Safe working load is aro