Get Tight with a 3D Printed Ratchet

One of the first “big” news stories to catch the mainstream media's attention was about a wrench built through additive manufacturing (AM). People just couldn't get their heads around the idea that an object with moving parts could be built in basically one step. Time and the emergence of actual 3D printed oddities have faded recollections of the wrench from the public mind, but tool creation is still one of the strongest applications of AM.

A company named Roller Clutch Tools has gone back to the basics of AM and used the technology to build a new version of the venerable ratchet. Called the "New Ratchet 3rd Generation", or NR3G for short, the wrench has a patented design that employs compression rather than sheer to tighten or loosen nuts and bolts. 

So what's so great about the NR3G? From the Kickstarter page:

 The 'New Ratchet 3rd Generation' is a gearless ratchet, which uses rollers rather than gears. Rollers are stronger, faster and safer to use. They also provide the added benefit of a zero back swing. When you rotate the handle the rollers are squeezed between the spindle and the head. This action locks the clutch in a uniform and circular pattern and applies a tremendous amount of torque to the attached socket.

3D printing first came into the picture when Roller Clutch Tools used the technology for rapid prototyping. Since then, the company had continued to use AM to build the clutch spindles from laser sintered stainless steel, and manufactures handles from ABS plastic and a 3D printer. The company claims one of its goals is the creation of completely AM-built tools that can be easily repaired.

Roller Clutch Tools has yet to reach its Kickstarter goal, but hopefully the attention gained from the ingenious device will garner interest from other financial backers. Below you'll find the Kickstarter video for the NR3G.

Source: Kickstarter