Smooth rod

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Smooth rod

Vitamin

DSC04769.JPG
Smooth metal rod, used as axis.
Wikipedia none

A smooth rod is a metal rod usually used on the axis for components such as the X-carriage or print bed of a RepRap to slide on. The most commonly used type of smooth rod is stainless steel M8 (8 mm diameter). Stainless steel is a pretty hard steel, and doesn't rust, making them ideal to slide bearings on. (A stainless steel smooth rod can be seen as a kind of cut-to-length construction material).

Not all rods are created equal, and lower quality rods might be too small or too big by a fraction of a millimeter, which will cause problems with the bearings. Ensure that your rods have the correct diameter, or when buying, ensure that they are M8 with about H6 (0.009mm) tolerance. Any bend in the rods will cause issues, so it may be useful to sight down the length of each rod to ensure it is straight.

Smoothing the smooth rod

If the finish of your smooth rods is too rough, you can smooth it up by carefully sanding the surface with an 800 grit wet & dry abrasive paper, then a 1200 grit paper. Then put the final polish on the rod using metal polishing paste (the same stuff as what people use to polish their car wheels). In about two hours you'll have all your rods polished.

Vendors

Vendor Loc. Product Diameter Length Tolerance Material Additional notes
3D Acessories Hub IN Prusa/ Mendel/ Orca 8 mm Harden chrome Plated SS  
Alfa-Tech3D DK Stainless steel 6, 8, 10 mm 20-1500 mm   Inox 304 Cut according to your measurements, Shipping worldwide
Ridings et Dafrodis FR Ronds Pleins 3-30 mm 1000 mm   Inox 316L  
HPC Europe FR/IT Shaft for linear guidance 5-80 mm 1000 mm H6 Cf53 hardened  
IJzershop NL Assenstaal 6-50 mm 1000 mm     Indicate cutting lengths in the comment area of the cart just before finalizing the order. Only ships to the netherlands.
Makemendel IN Smooth Rod for Orca/Prusa/Mendel 8 mm     SS  
McMaster Carr US Rods for linear motion 1-50 mm 200-2,500 mm 0.008-0.016 mm Hardened Steel, SS Straightness Tolerence of 0.025 to 0.050 mm per 300 mm
MakerBeam.de DE MakerBeam 10mm x 10mm 40-900 mm   Aluminum anodised   (Isn't this actually Extruded Aluminum T-slot, not smooth rod?)
Motedis FR Arbre acier 6 mm 5-200 mm   Cf53 hardened  
OpenBeam.de DE OpenBeam 15mm x 15mm 30-1000 mm   Aluminum anodised   (Isn't this actually Extruded Aluminum T-slot, not smooth rod?)
Technobots UK Silver Steel 2-30 mm 333 mm      
ULM Technologie FR Tube acier inox 8-60 mm 1000 mm   Inox 304 Indicate cutting lengths in the comment area of the cart just before finalizing the order.
VXB US Rod Linear Motion 8 mm 762 mm      
RepRap-India.com IN Harden chrome Plated SS 8 mm 762 mm   Harden chrome Plated SS  
220v.biz UA 220v.biz 6,8,10,12 mm 3000 mm 0,01 stainless steel cutting trees, Delivery in Ukraine and Russia