STEM Blogs by Boca Bearings :: Ceramic Bearing Specialists

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Introducing the first ACCEL Scholarship Program awardees

Dec 06, 2021

Boca Bearings

As a company, we are big fans and huge supporters of young innovators and we put our funding where our words are. Our corporate commitment was solidified this year when we partnered up with Scholarship America (SAI) to create the ACCEL Scholarship Program

In the Spirit of Giving: Marine Education Initiative

Nov 04, 2021

Boca Bearings

In this month of November we are grateful for people and organizations that give back to the community even in challenging times and circumstances.

Millie Hart-Breaking Ground for Women in Motorsports

Oct 14, 2021

Boca Bearings

Allow us to introduce you to Millie Hart, a brilliant racer hailing from the UK. Millie tells us that her passion and destiny is to race!

A conversation with Athlete Beata Wronska

Oct 04, 2021

Boca Bearings

It's not often we meet and develop a close relationship with a well-rounded athlete such as Beata Wronska. Beata has really impressed and motivated us with her commitment and dedication to mountain biking.

Go-Kart

Sep 22, 2021

James Laumeyer

the BBEGC it had two main problems, a bad battery pack, and a bad motor controller. As the motor that was mounted was a brushless motor we first attempted to use a brushless controller to swap in for it though the problem was getting KV values off of a part that was designed to work with a specific controller and had poor documentation.

Amos Robinson & His Kinetic Art

Sep 20, 2021

Boca Bearings

Last year we had a conversation with Amos, well now we just want to share his kinetic art videos. Take a look and enjoy.

A Wooden Clock, A Kinetic Sculpture

Sep 13, 2021

Boca Bearings

Trial and error is the name of the game when it comes to clock building. We are huge supporters of artistic talent so it comes to no surprise that we commissioned a clock from Mike Bruck, a very talented and experimental clockmaker. Mike is not afraid to try new machinery or processes for his craft.

3D Printed R/C 3-Wheeler

Sep 08, 2021

Michael Rudinsky

The 3D printed R/C 3-Wheeler that I printed and built was designed by Andre Tessier. When you download the files, the instructions are very easy to follow with a complete list of materials and links to the parts required.

Racing / Parade Mower III

Sep 01, 2021

James Laumeyer

Continuing with our racing mower project significant progress has been made in the month and a half since our last blog update.

Flow Hydro-Electric Energy Converter Completion

Aug 27, 2021

Boca Bearings

The initial set up of the project included a box leveled on top of the tank, in which a second bilge pump and tube entered and exited the box.

Matt Santora - Avid Fisherman

Aug 17, 2021

Boca Bearings

Matt Santora is an avid fisherman and owner of Finbomb, a fishing and diving apparel company. He holds 2 California State Records for fishing, and he truly loves all aspects of the sport, from reading signs of the birds overhead, to finding the boiling tuna, to choosing the best lure, to angling and cooking the fish.

Flow Hydro-Electric Energy Converter II

Aug 10, 2021

Tyler Gilley

At the shop today I started by redesigning the Turbine housing the water turbine will sit inside. The problem I encountered with my first design was that the turbine did not sit centered.

Joe Pirozzoli- RC Aerobatics- Arvada Associated

Jul 30, 2021

Boca Bearings

At Boca Bearings we believe all hobbies are great, especially RC Aerobatics. As a matter of fact one of our team members, Jonathan, has been flying RC planes for over 30 years! But not only does he fly RC planes, he also has a private pilot’s license for real planes! How cool is that?!

Gerardo Martinez - BMX Expert

Jul 29, 2021

Boca Bearings

Bikes and music go together like peanut butter and jelly! At least that’s what we believe here at Boca Bearings. Our friend Gerardo Martinez can wholeheartedly back us up on this since he is the General Manager for Nuclear Blast Records (Meshuggah, Testament, Slayer, Exodus, Rob Zombie) and a BMX fanatic!

Flow Hydro-Electric Energy Conversion System Project

Jul 28, 2021

Carmen Riggs

We recently changed directions from a waver energy conversion system to a Flow Hydro Conversion system due to some time constrains. However, the concept remains the same and the same materials will be used.

Humanoid Otto

Jul 21, 2021

Dylan Butera

Here is my first entry for the humanoid Otto. Previously, I put together and coded the standard Otto DIY robot. For this project, I will be putting together the Otto Humanoid robot. The humanoid version has arms, a touch sensor, a sound sensor, an LED matrix to show emotions, metal gear servos as opposed to plastic, and a Bluetooth module, all of which the standard Otto does not have. I have started by printing out the shell, and now I’m ready to start assembling the robot.

Racing / Parade Mower II

Jul 07, 2021

Marc Tobel

For our next project James and I decided to do something a bit more ambitious than the previous projects we have worked on.

Racing / Parade Mower I

Jul 05, 2021

James Laumeyer

The intern team at Boca bearings is always busy turning out new and creative ways to showcase our bearings, as such we are always looking for ways to build upon our past experiences and leverage those skills to new projects.

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