3D Printed Wire Race Curved Guide and Bearing with Recirculating Balls - the build

This is a continuation of my experiments on what can be built using steel wire races and bearing balls to achieve a truly custom solution to a truly unique problem. What it is: a curved guide with a matching sliding block. A bearing segment. An AT-AT ankle articulation. All these. But the real application/idea is a shoulder articulation for a 3d printed exoskeleton project by Andrea Piccino (follow him on for a look at his awesome project) The articulation must be able to withstand pretty big loads while retaining mobility so using any plastic bearing elements there guarantees early failure, hence my take on using a hybrid, plastic and metal approach. The video recaps the early problem solving steps (building custom supports for highly precise and minute surfaces, making sure the wires snap firmly in place, getting nice smooth round wires) and presents new challenges (designing a balls loading block, achieving preload on multiple axes in a single action)