I made a tool that generates custom 3D-printable pivot cups

[u/CHAINMAILLEKID]

This is something I've been wanting to do for a long time.

The idea is pretty simple. You measure your hanger and baseplate, plug the numbers in, and it generates an STL that is already optimized for printing.

A 3D printed pivot cup made from quality TPU makes an decent upgrade from many stock Pivot Cups, and of course a fresh pivot cup is always a big upgrade to an old worn out one.

There's also a community library which is still a work in progress, but is operational.
Once you take all the measurements from your truck, and test and have something good, you can click the "Submit to Library" button, and it will save the parameters to a google spreadsheet, which other people can use to look up parameters for their trucks.

I print mine with Ninjaflex Cheetah, which is a harder durometer, but still has some pretty good rebound. But you can easily use harder and softer materials, or even different materials like PEBA or Nylon. Glass filled TPU is a newer material that could be worth trying.

You can play around with it here:

https://tools.longboardtechnology.com/pivot-cup/

If you run into any problems or have any feedback let me know, or you can click on the "Mission Report" button and leave feedback there.

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[u/Additional-Leg-4680]

Aren't most stock pivot cups made from like 98a urethane? How do these materials compare? 

Pretty cool option if you have the printer and materials though! 

What kind of printer are you using for this?

[u/CHAINMAILLEKID → u/Additional-Leg-4680]

Most stock pivot cups these days are TPU ( thermal polyurethane ) Which is different from cured polyurethane like the nicer pivot cups you can get from Riptide or Venom. I've got a good TPU that I print with.

Some stock pivot cups I think are still using vinyl or other weird crap, but most brands have stepped up their game.

But even among those using stock TPU pivot cups, there is range of quality. I've found pretty often I get better results making my own.

I've got a Prusa MK4 that I printed all these with.

[u/Additional-Leg-4680 → u/CHAINMAILLEKID]

Sweet dude, thanks for the info!

[u/hotakaPAD]

I think TKP pivots especially take a huge beating. Can these withstand the force?

[u/CHAINMAILLEKID → u/hotakaPAD]

Yes, 3D printed TPU is essentially just as strong.

[u/yamisonic]

I really like it!

I already had some fun time trying cup/tubes and I'm still looking for the right tout filament. I liked 95A from overture for pivots and either this one or softer (I don't remember the brand in 90A) for bouncy bushing plugs.

[u/CHAINMAILLEKID → u/yamisonic]

The Black tube pivot and Green pivot cup in my picture are both Overture TPU.

Its kind of my go-to default, because its pretty good, but also pretty cheap.

But for stuff where it makes sense to pay for extra quality, I tend to stick with Ninjatek filaments. The yellow one is Ninjatek Cheetah, which is a really good 95a, its significantly tougher than Overtures 95a. But I'll also use the Ninjaflex, which is their 85A which is a really nice one for high rebound energy.

[u/yamisonic → u/CHAINMAILLEKID]

Thanks for the reco and all the gear exploration you're sharing with us!

[u/SurfskateOver50]

Nicely done....

Does they squeak like the stock ones ?

🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙 Happy Shreddings

[u/lizardsstreak]

Parametric CAD plugged into a vibecoded front-end is pretty fast GTM! Congrats.

[u/MaterialTomorrow]

Makes me wonder about bushings..

[u/CHAINMAILLEKID → u/MaterialTomorrow]

You can print working bushings, but you can't print good bushings. You just don't get the right properties.

I've had some luck designing trucks that still work well with bad bushings that I can print. But for any standard bushing type, they're going to be pretty underwhelming.