Bondtech Releases Updated RIDGA and IDGA Drive-Gear Assemblies
The update serves as an "evolution" of Bondtech's development with YouTuber MirageC, works to improve print quality.
Bondtech has released updated versions of its reverse integrated drive gear assembly (RIDGA) and integrated drive gear assembly (IDGA), which work to improve print surface quality.
The RIGDA is designed for HextrudORT, Sherpa Mini, and Voron Mini StealthBurner open-source extruders, while the IDGA is for Voron ClockWork 2 (CW2) extruders. The update comes a few months after Bondtech’s collaboration with YouTuber MirageC, in which it developed a redesigned gear made of white technical thermoplastic that would reduce runout and improve manufacturing tolerances.
The current change is an “evolution of that co-development” – which is itself based on BondTech’s DDX eXtruder, which has carried an IDGA since 2020, according to Nuno Santiago, Bondtech’s marketing manager, in an interview with All3DP.
“In fact, this [collaboration] created a slew of changes on all Bondtech Mini Geared (BMG)-based extruders, and an expansion of our OEM and open-source-oriented product range,” he said.
As far as the RIDGA and IDGA are specifically concerned, the reasons for change are “pretty simple, and the change is minimal,” according to Santiago.
“It is related to the RIDGA V1 requiring tolerances that were too small to work well without the shaft rubbing on the stepper motor and to increase compatibility,” he said. “The new IDGA is different from the previous BMG IDGA in the same way … [although] it was also created due to the different design and positioning of the drive train on the CW2.”
Whereas the first version of both assemblies used 4 x 8 x 3 mm ball bearings in an effort to create a sturdier design, the new version uses 5 x 8 x 2.5 mm ball bearings, providing 0.5 mm extra clearance between the shaft and stepper motor. Santiago also added that the update would increase the assemblies’ compatibility with round 36 mm Nema 14 stepper motors with 8T or 10T gears.
In all, the update is an inspiring example of a manufacturer not only listening to the 3D printing community, but taking direct action to improve a product based on its feedback. That MirageC’s original YouTube video has spurred Bondtech into action twice – both in the development of a new main gear and in the subsequent RIDGA and IDGA updates – seems to show Bondtech’s commitment to “turn problems into success stories”.
The new versions of Bondtech’s RIGDA and IDGA are both priced at ~ $21.42, and available now on Bondtech’s website.
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License: The text of "Bondtech Releases Updated RIDGA and IDGA Drive-Gear Assemblies" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.