Mechanical Orrery

Nov 01, 2023

Nathan Fournier

I recently found this project on Prusa's Printables website after considering doing an orrery for a few months as a potential project. This model can be found on the Printables website at this link. Within the print, the positions of the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon are represented and their relation to each other depending on the time of year.

Go Kart Bumpers

Aug 16, 2023

James Laumeyer

The go kart is rapidly drawing to a close we are dotting our I’s and crossing our T’s to ensure everything is in compliance for the power-wheels racing circuit. This week the cart has ticked one more thing off the checklist as it now has bumpers!

Go Kart: Battery Box is Necessary for Lithium Batteries

Aug 15, 2023

James Laumeyer

! Recently we have made the first of out two battery boxes out of a .50cal ammo can. This was chosen as an alternative to a custom battery box because they are cheap, readily available, water resistant, and of solid steel construction, so it ticked all the boxes for significantly cheaper than making a custom battery box.

3d Printer Shrouds

Aug 12, 2023

James Laumeyer

Recently things have been looking a little different around our 3d printer workstation. While we love our Prusa MK3 machines they do have one problem, they don’t have any shroud to keep the print warm.

Strider Robot Progress

Jul 24, 2023

Nicholas Cordero

After taking up a very cool and interesting project controlled by your own cellular device, the strider robot came with lots of challenging aspects, specifically coding wise.

A Very Happy Father's Day

Jun 17, 2023

Boca Bearings

As Father’s Day approaches we would like to wish a wonderful day to all the amazing fathers and father figures at Boca Bearings. A special thank you goes to all the BB dads who are not only dedicated employees working hard to provide for their families but are also dedicated fathers, shaping the minds and futures of the next generation. We also want to take this opportunity to honor all those great dads around the world who have had a tremendous impact on their children's lives.

Andrew Kaye From UF Returns to the BB Internship Program

Jun 05, 2023

Andrew Kaye

I worked for Boca Bearing as a high school senior back in 2019 and 2020. Since then I have gone off to the University of Florida and have worked on a few projects in class and outside of class.

RC KITS JUNE PROMOTION

Jun 01, 2023

Boca Bearings

Revolutionary RC Bearing Kits Unveiled: Taking Performance to New Heights. For the month of June enjoy a 15% off on RC Kits.

Go-Kart Update: 2 Motors Running

Apr 03, 2023

We have a massive update! The kart is able to move under its own power! However, we aren’t out of the woods yet, as with any one-off vehicle there are always issues to sort out and this project is no different.

Installers Wanted

Mar 10, 2023

Boca Bearings

Boca Bearings customers enjoy fishing, RC racing, cycling, motorcycles and more. And we need experienced bearing installers to help guide DIY enthusiasts in each and every category!

Finishing up the Air Hockey Table

Mar 09, 2023

Nicholas Cordero

With its long and tedious, but fun project, the air hockey table comes to a full completion.

Celebrating Michele Baum's Legacy with an Update on the 2022 Scholarship Recipients

Mar 01, 2023

Boca Bearings

Check out the amazing accomplishments of last year's Boca Bearings ACCEL Scholarship recipients! We're so proud of these future engineers, and we can't wait to see what they'll achieve in the future

An Update on the Go-Kart

Feb 27, 2023

James Laumeyer

It has been a while since we have given an update on the go cart and much has changed since the last update. The cart is very nearly drawing towards completion and soon, barring any unforeseen difficulties, Boca Bearings will once again have an operational electric Go cart system.

Hammers uses in STEM Projects

Feb 22, 2023

James Laumeyer

Often people overlook the simple hammer and go off the method of the closest tool is a hammer. Not only can this damage tools it can sometimes unnecessarily cause damage to the thing you’re working on.

Air Hockey: 3D Printed Part Reevaluation

Feb 09, 2023

Nicholas Cordero

As of right now, the air hockey machine is undergoing some 3D printed part reevaluation, as the original files for the project were not compatible with my version of the project. The original pieces are to go with the original dimensions of the walls used, but since I went with a different approach, the 3D parts that I already printed had to be adjusted and reprinted.

Caramel CRC

Jan 12, 2023

Nathan Fournier

Over the past few weeks, I have been working on the Caramel CRC that can be found on PrintedNest. The instructions that come included with this car are extremely detailed and all of the files have the ability to print with no supports, saving a large portion of filament from being wasted. The website also indicates the recommended electronics, making the assembly of the car far more streamlined than having to guess which parts would be ideal.

Air Hockey Table Project : Part I

Dec 29, 2022

Nicholas Cordero

Starting on Boca Bearings brand new air hockey table project, the first thing to be done is to 3D print some parts. Though this is not a very big project, the time it takes to print all of the necessary parts are quite time consuming.

Holiday Message to our Team and Customers

Dec 20, 2022

Boca Bearings

In this holiday season and as we approach a new year, we’re reminded about how grateful we’re for the tireless efforts of the whole Boca Bearings team. It’s thanks to this fantastic team that we have been able to reach this remarkable milestone of turning 35 years old.

Power Wheels : Electronics

Nov 21, 2022

Nicholas Cordero

Alongside the mechanical aspects of building a go kart, come the tedious challenges of wiring everything up correctly. Making sure everything is getting proper voltage, nothing more and nothing less, ensures that our kart will function just the way we want to.

Pulley - Lawnmower

Nov 01, 2022

James Laumeyer

Continuing with the race mower project one of the last major issues was the thing just keeps eating its belts. When we would run it it would go for a few minutes before the belt heated up to a point it was melting, stretching, and tearing itself apart.

Vampire Bunny Moon

Oct 17, 2022

Michael Rudinsky

The Vampire Bunny Moon was created by using Lithophanemaker.com to create the half moon, half bunny.

Brake DOT5

Oct 06, 2022

Boca Bearings

While at first glance one might think break fluid is break fluid, you put it in bleed the system and you're good to go. And while in most cases that is true there is one notable exception that being DOT5 brake fluid.

...And Just Like That October is Here!

Oct 01, 2022

Boca Bearings

For Boca Bearings October is an exceptional month. This month the nation raises breast cancer awareness.

Meet our new intern: Nicholas Cordero

Sep 23, 2022

Boca Bearings

We are please to welcome Nicholas to our internship program for the fall.

Workshop and STEM internship

Sep 12, 2022

Boca Bearings

The Boca Bearing Workshop was founded in August of 2014 with the goal of creating an environment to promote creativity and innovation. This initiative was designed to allow Boca Bearing employees and engineering students alike, to collaborate on projects using 3D printers, CNC machines, and other equipment.

Troubleshooting PWM

Sep 09, 2022

James Laumeyer

If you have ever worked with anything involving motor control you're probably familiar with PWM or Pulse Width Modulation.

RC Print-in-Place car

Aug 29, 2022

Nathan Fournier

Throughout the Fall, I will be working on various 3D printed remote control projects. The first of these projects will be a printed-in-place car with a working drive axle and front-wheel drive. This model is the latest revision of the Gamma car found on Thingiverse

FAU-Human Powered Submarine

Aug 22, 2022

Boca Bearings

Florida Atlantic University’s Human Powered Submarine (HPS) team traveled to England in July 2022 to take part in the European International Submarine Races (EISR). The HPS members competed against teams from various universities around the world in the 11-day event, in competitions that tested various characteristics of the teams’ submarines, including speed and maneuverability.

Robotic Arm: Completion

Aug 15, 2022

Nathan Fournier

Over the past few weeks, I have continued working on the EezyBot MK2 Robotic Arm found on Thingiverse. The assembly and printing of the robotic arm were relatively simple, however, wiring and solving power issues for the arm have taken quite some time.

Robotic Arm: Development stage

Aug 12, 2022

Nathan Fournier

As my Boca Bearings comparison tower project is now complete, I had to look for what I could do next. After scouring Thingiverse through many questionable things to 3D print, including a T-rex shower curtain holder, I found a robotic arm that had very straightforward instructions and many other users creating their own version.

Pinball Upgrade

Aug 08, 2022

James Laumeyer

After maker fair 2021 the pinball machine was feeling a little rough, two days of kids smashing buttons nonstop meant parts broke, coils started getting over heated from the excessive use, and relays failed. By the end of the even the machine was still functional but 3 relays died, the main launching system was getting weak from the coil not having enough cool down time, and a handful of 3d printed playfield pieces broke.

Drivetrain Design in CAD

Aug 05, 2022

Marc zum Tobel

Going by the preliminary design I created in CAD I have been designing the rear drivetrain assembly of the power wheels kart with the twin alternators as motors.

Drivetrain and Major Components

Aug 04, 2022

Marc zum Tobel

As James and I begin designing the chassis for the electric go kart we must also take into account the drivetrain,major electronics and motor controllers, as well as wheels/tires and axles.

Bearing Towers: Fully operational

Jul 20, 2022

Nathan Fournier

Through the past few weeks of working on this bearing comparison tower, I’ve faced many technical difficulties through prototyping, designing, and other issues. Many of these issues not only helped me find a better way to complete this project but also gave me a better understanding of how to effectively prototype in engineering which will assist me in the future.

Stepper Motor Drive Train

Jul 18, 2022

James Laumeyer

This week I have been working on the proof of concept utilizing a stepper motor drive train for our new power wheels cart system.

3D Printed Moon

Jul 07, 2022

Michael Rudinsky

In honor of the 53rd anniversary of the first moon landing, I printed this Moon Lamp.

Electric Go Kart: Materials and Preliminary Design Thoughts

Jun 20, 2022

Marc zum Tobel

Boca Bearings has always attended the Maker Faire in Orlando but have never been super competitive in the Power wheels event. Jason, the visionary at Boca Bearings, wants James and I to design a reliable and competitive Power Wheels go kart to compete at Maker Faire.

Bearing Comparison Tower: update

Jun 20, 2022

Nathan Fournier

Starting this Monday, may 6, I came in and saw that the redesigned base printed successfully and is much sturdier than the previous design. I’m glad this change was made as the display is much sturdier and does not shake as much when the motor is running.

A Fathers Day Blog

Jun 19, 2022

Boca Bearings

As Father’s Day approaches here at BB we take this opportunity to honor all those great dads who have had a tremendous impact on their children's lives.

Dirty Power

Jun 17, 2022

James Laumeyer

As we enter the hurricane season here in south Florida that means afternoon thunderstorms are back. For most people this means little more than inconvenient flash flooding and slower commutes. But for those of us working with sensitive electronics it means something else is back too, dirty power.

Bearing Comparison Tower Nearing completion

Jun 14, 2022

Nathan Fournier

Starting this Monday, may 6, I came in and saw that the redesigned base printed successfully and is much sturdier than the previous design. I’m glad this change was made as the display is much sturdier and does not shake as much when the motor is running.

Lawnmower Successful Testing of New Mounts

Jun 13, 2022

Marc zum Tobel

All the work James and I have put in for the new transmission mount has paid off. It holds up well under load and there is virtually no flex. This is good as it will provide longevity to the mower as well as robustness that is going to be needed.

Lawnmower's Kill Switch

Jun 10, 2022

James Laumeyer

At Boca Bearing safety is our number one priority and in keeping with that the Boca Bearings race mower has become just a little bit safer with the addition of a motor kill switch. While we hope it is a feature that never has to see its intended use, it’s one that is necessary in the event that the driver falls off.

Bearing Comparison Tower Progress and Updates

Jun 07, 2022

Nathan Fournier

Throughout this week, I continued to work on the bearing comparison tower project, visualizing the differences between four types of bearing materials from Boca Bearings. From the first prototype in the last blog post, the design has changed a good amount as to counteract issues that came through testing.

Bearing Comparison Tower; Kinetic Sculpture

Jun 01, 2022

Nathan Fournier

For my second project in my internship, I am designing and 3D printing a kinetic sculpture that will show the differences between different materials of bearings; stainless steel, plastic, hybrid, and full ceramic. In the photo below is the first prototype for what the tower would look like. The plan is to 3D print four of the long towers that house the bearings, one tower for each type of bearings, with gears to visualize the free rotation on the gears.

Gravity Powered Wind Turbine

May 23, 2022

Nathan Fournier

As of Monday, May 16, most of the parts had printed successfully for my gravity powered wind turbine. Pretty much everything is assembled and printed. Only issue I had was the peg on the gear stand broke off again. I tried to super glue it but for some reason it wouldn’t cure so I ended up printing it again with more layers on the inside.

Time to Upgrade: Mountain Bike / Epic Cycles

May 16, 2022

Boca Bearings

Upgrading is synonymous with Boca Bearings since we specialize in higher-end, technologically superior bearings for every application from RC, Fishing, Motorcycle, and Bike to Industry.

Fishing Trip to Baja With Matt Santora

May 02, 2022

Boca Bearings

In this epic fishing video, Matt not only takes us to beautiful Baja but also gives us an inside look at his organizational process from picking the right lures and rods to choosing a Talica with the right fishing bearings.

Lawnmower: Testing (no clutch)

Apr 22, 2022

Marc Tobel

As we continue with the mower project new issues have arisen that made themselves apparent through testing. During a low speed test of the mower with the new transmission, some warping occurred in the transmission mount due to the torque from the motor.

The Best Thing in the World: An RC Track!

Mar 30, 2022

Boca Bearings

Our friend Mike from the local Coral Springs RC track tells us that the best thing in the world is not to love, money, or an all-paid trip to Paris (those are just cherries) but a local RC Track, now that's the cake! “One day a friend of mine came over to my house and told me the best thing in the world was just two miles from me. It turned out to be the Coral Springs RC Track.

Lawnmower: End in Sight

Mar 21, 2022

James Laumeyer

I am excited to announce that the end is finally in site on this project, and this machine has made us work for every inch of progress Mark and I have made on it. If I were to do it all over again are there things I would change, absolutely. But as much as we may want to over engineer and fix this or that there comes a point where we have to draw the line and say this is good enough this is what we are going with.

For Women's History Month Boca Bearings Honors Michele Baum's Legacy

Mar 01, 2022

Boca Bearings

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Michele was a natural entrepreneur. Sadly, Michele passed away in 2001, yet she left her mark and a lasting legacy. For Women’s History Monthwe honor her memory. Allen remarked “Michele did everything from picking orders, customer service, sales, and marketing. She worked with us side by side every day until the last year of her life.”

Selecting and Buying a Drill Press

Feb 21, 2022

James Laumeyer

When buying tools for a workshop on a budget I believe Adam Savage said it best, "Buy cheap tools until you know what you really need from that tool, then buy the best one you can afford.”

Lawn Mower: Rear Axle Conversion

Feb 14, 2022

Boca Bearings

The solid rear axle conversion has been going smoothly with no major hiccups along the way. The only thing that has been very time consuming is waiting for parts to come in so we can get to work. We did have to modify the brake disk mount a bit for the holes to line up but other than that the fit for the parts have been good.

Anita Stenberg: A conversation with An Olympian Cyclist

Feb 03, 2022

Boca Bearings

Have you ever wondered what it takes to 1- Create a national sport/ team and 2-to compete in the Olympic games? Well, here is Anita and she will tell us all about it.

Lawnmower Solution: Converting to a solid rear axle

Jan 14, 2022

Marc Tobel

The racing and parade Mower James and I have been working on for the past couple months has had some issues during testing

Failures in engineering: Lawnmower

Jan 10, 2022

James Laumeyer

This project is a lesson in the failures that sometimes happen in engineering. I have learned many things in this project, how to weld, how to retrofit parts to an existing system, what conditions resin 3d printed parts, importance of tight tolerances, and how not to build a race mower. So while this project was on every level an important learning experience on my road to becoming an engineer, it is definitely a failure as it stands but we have a plan to change that.

Ryan White: Motorcycle Racer

Jan 04, 2022

Boca Bearings

When you’re a thrill seeker racing motorcycles will be high on your list! It’s high on ours! We even carry a special line of motorcycle bearings, CHIP for improved performance.

The Clock is Ticking: Another 35 Years

Jan 01, 2022

Boca Bearings

One thing is for sure; the clock is ticking figuratively and literally. When we commissioned this beautiful hand-made clock from Mike Bruck all of us were a year younger.

2021: A Year in Review

Dec 30, 2021

Boca Bearings

As we approach the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, masking, vaccinations, job vacancies and a “new normal” have become commonplace around the world. We, here at BB, review the surprisingly wonderful year we have had.