Golf Ball Caster

#1

I am working on the golf ball caster concept I initially mentioned in the Club Robots 2019 thread.

https://discourse.robomo.club/t/club-robots-2019-planning/16/47

#2

Folding Prototype assembly

It rolls pretty good on non slick surfaces. On slick surfaces, like laminate, it may slide a little on the ball’s dimples, depending on the weight of the robot and just how slick the surface is. If using a golf ball with the old school consistent dimple pattern, there is very little difference between when it is sliding vs. rolling on a very slick surface. Some of the fancier dimple patterns with varying or very large dimples can catch a bit more on some surfaces. I did make concave rollers for smoother bridging over the dimples within the caster itself.

The metal pins should be nylon. I just didn’t have the right size on hand.

#3

Very cool! It’s nice to have unique design for the robots.

#4

Nice implementation of common parts… What would you consider the weight limitation utilizing a skid steer platform? Or maybe even have one large centered wheel on a pan setup along with 3 of these type casters on the outside. :wink:

#5

I am not entirely sure of weight limit. With the current makeup, the weak point is the compression of the expanded PVC at the shafts. That said, I applied between 50 and 100 pounds of my body weight on one caster on a rug without any sign of failure. Certainly that would not last too long before it starts to hurt it.

If the frame was made from a more solid and rigid plastics or metal, it would be able to take a significant load up to the point of the golf ball flattening. I would think that would be over 100 pounds, pending the golf ball make.