How to mould mini silicone tyres for Antweight robots, for just £3

After lots of searching round the shops, I found I could make silicone tires for my AntWeight robot for less than £3.
More info and Download: Click 'Show More'↓↓↓↓
You need:
Silicone Sealant - make sure it actually says silicone on it. 'Flexible Bathroom Sealant' particularly the cheap stuff has added filler in it, and is not prone to last as long as ordinary silicone.
Glycerine is a pretty pure substance, I got mine from Sainsbury's in the baking section. In this context, it helps the silicone to set faster - otherwise, we'd have to wait about 48 hours for the silicone to set - in fact, it may not set at all, because not much air gets to it inside the mold.
Acrylic paint - available just about everywhere. I got my £1 pot from The Works.
3D model: Please download from this page:
andybrinkley.ne...

[@shamimahamed6939]

I was searching for this kind of video for a long time. Great job man. Also thanks for sharing the 3D model. +1 Subscriber

[@carloshnunez]

Nice video I am thinking of using black silicone into soapy water 🙂👍👍

[@creatorfruit3742]

Ok. Why soapy water?

[@carloshnunez]

@@creatorfruit3742 I see videos and the silicon is not sticky and more manageable kzbin.info/www/bejne/a3-xf6OdZdurrqM

[@gu.rutheeshan8817]

Thank u for yoir idea bcoz i have a 1:36 scale car but no one sell a tyre for that so i see how to make a diecast car tyre and finally i get ur video...thank u very muchh

[@creatorfruit3742]

Glad it helped, hope it goes well!

[@gu.rutheeshan8817]

@@creatorfruit3742 okay thank u

[@MOTOFLIXGARAGE]

Thas a grest idea, i ll try that for my scale models

[@dz1sfb]

Thank you for sharing your techniques. Nice little robot model. Would like to experiment with it as well.

[@creatorfruit3742]

Hope it goes well!

[@NougatBoi]

I wonder what are the ratios for this wheel because I’ve tried this many times but it fails and it’s to sticky.

[@creatorfruit3742]

I didn't make it to particular ratios, just mostly silicone with a bit of paint and just a few drops of gilcerine. You do have to make sure that it's proper silicone, and not imitation sealant etc.

[@bunescudesign3923]

Why didn't you use a 3D printed rim as a mold core to have the tire cast directly on it?

[@isaacgraphics1416]

Great video. I'll be trying this out myself to see if I can make some tyres for my own antweight. Any tips on how you got your reciever/esc so small?

[@creatorfruit3742]

Hi Isaac, sorry for a late reply. You can get really tiny ones on Banggood: www.banggood.com/DasMikro-DSMXDSM2-2_4G-6CH-RC-Micro-Receiver-p-1528880.html?cur_warehouse=CN&rmmds=search I actually got mine from Lemon-RX: lemon-rx.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=72&product_id=182

[@diegojc9]

Hi! how do you prevent silicone from sticking on the mold? do you use some kind of lubricant on surfaces?

[@creatorfruit3742]

No, it seems that the silicone is strong and stretchy enough that you can pull it out. Obviously not overstretching it, or taking it out too early.

[@rc3d490]

Diego Jc the glycerin added prevent it.

[@mayahadjlazib4601]

Hi could you upload the solidworks file you use to crate your 3D model so I can change the dimensions ?

[@creatorfruit3742]

Hi Maya, thanks for replying, I didn't make it in Solidworks, I made it in Autodesk 123D Design for the iPad, which is now discontinued, and it only allowed you to export the STL. You can convert STLs back into a usable format, I've done this with Fusion 360 (eg toglefritz.com/convert-a-simple-stl-into-a-body-in-fusion-360/), or you can also do it with Shapr3D for the iPad (although I think you can only do it once, with the trial.) You can also do it with DesignSpark Mechanical (Spaceclaim). One problem with converting round objects from STL to CAD file, is that they come out faceted, and not truly round. Alternatives might be to 1) alter the overall dimensions in the slicer when you print, or 2) to recreate from scratch! Hope that helps!

[@spotfreeman510]

Muchas gracias por tus archivos :D

[@creatorfruit3742]

De nada!

[@EleanorPeterson]

Mmmmm. Nutty coconut bars...

[@wallywallace6318]

is the acrylic paint actually critical to the process or is it just for color?

[@creatorfruit3742]

Sorry Wally, only just seen this. As long as you use the glycerine, you can dispense with the paint. It's acrylic because it's a flexible paint. It does aid the curing process, so if you don't use paint, you may need to use more glycerine. Best thing to do is to experiment! It's quite a cheap process!

[@wallywallace6318]

@@creatorfruit3742 Thanks!

[@TheRattleSnake3145]

Can you use only silicone and just wait longer for it to set?

[@bobbydalton3024]

Have you ever made 1/24 scale tires

[@creatorfruit3742]

Hi Bobby, no, I've never made 1/24 tyres. In fact, I don't think I've made anything to a particular scale - just to the size I've needed. I suppose it's not impossible to resize the file (even in the slicer settings) to whatever size you wanted...

[@juliominitrucks2604]

Muito top

[@robertwestmoreland8662]

Great video its prompted my first ever KZbin comment! Would you print a mold to order? I've just bought some 15mm slot car rims and would love to mould my own 5mm thick silicon tires for my antweight. rob

[@creatorfruit3742]

Hi +Robert! Yes of course. Do you have a 3D model, or do you want one designed?

[@robertwestmoreland8662]

Are you on any forums where we could chat rather than on here? it would all depend on price to be honest as iv seen sharkey on robotwars101 does the printed wheels with tires but that dosent leave room for diy. cheers

[@wormball]

Отчего-то вспоминается идеальный тетраэдр из хурмы.