Skaiwerd said:
One old school method actually used a bike rim and somehow a belt was used with epoxy to mold the pulley using the belt itself to form the teeth, then removed. Sounds dirty. Once you start 3d printing the old dirty way seems so troublesome.
I've been making things out of metal for so long that I don't think I could settle on using filament-fed plastic for anything structural. I think I'd be happier in most cases with laser cut birch plywood. Or Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty. Whatever's stronger and stiffer than squiggled-together PLA or nylon.
It's like if I made a wish to a genie, and it was to be able to make anything I want, in any shape. And the genie says, sure-- but it can only be as big as half a loaf of bread, and it can only be made out of tree sap. I'd think, well... um, okay, better than nothing, I guess....