1. Home
2. 2019 Challenges
3. Make It Real CAD Engineering Challenge Sponsored by Autodesk ®
4. Entries
5. Vex IQ ball bearing holder

I created a Vex IQ Ball bearing holder to allow robots to have faster more precise turns. Since Vex IQ robots turn a lot during their runs this will allow them to accomplish tasks much quicker, and more accurately. The bearing and holder act in place of a robot's two back wheels and has 2 holes at the top where it attaches to the robot by axles. I first drew a diagram of how I believed it should look. I then designed it using Tinkercad version 4.4. I designed it by merging a sphere with a rectangle then using a hole that is the right size to fit a 2 cm diameter ball bearing to hollow out the sphere and add two holes to the rectangle that are perfectly spaced and just large enough for Vex IQ axles. I added the gaps in the bottom of the half sphere by using rectangular holes. I then printed it out on the 3D printer to find it was slightly too large! The ball bearing fell out each time. So I shrunk it by a millimeter in each direction and when I printed out this version it fit the ball bearing perfectly. Then I placed it on a robot to test it out and to see if it really improved the robots turning speed and preciseness. My results found that it absolutely did. From doing this project I learned how to operate a 3D printer, design in TinkerCad, apply my knowledge of 3D design to real-world problems, and how to problem solve. I will definitely use 3D design software in the future to solve problems I find in my community. I also had an extremely fun time using the 3D printer and design software. The software I learned how to use will allow me to create new and unique parts for my robotics team. I would like to be an engineer when I grow up, so knowing how to 3D print will be a great help in designing inventions and solutions.