How to make a loop belt from straight one?

When I am thinking about changing sizes of the machine and won't use two Z-steppers but only one there is a problem how to make loop belt. I have a spool of T5 white belt from reprapworld and look for a way to connect belt ends to make a loop. There are several metal wires inside the belt.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/24/2012 12:54PM by karabas.

I've tried making a looped belt myself for my Sells Mendel, and it's not easy. The main idea is to grind away some teeth on one side and the back on the other side, and then glue them together. (See attached pictures). The problem is the joint is going to be stiff, and it made all sorts of problems for me. I might have made the joint far too long, but you do need a certain amount of area to make sure it holds up under tension.

The shops that sell belts also have a special machine to join belts into loops. I don't know how it works though.

But why not just use two motors? It's way simpler in my opinion.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/24/2012 01:24PM by Nudel.

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-Nudel
Blog with RepRap Comic

I thought Nudel's description sounded familiar, then I remembered that I did this long ago for Darwin. You can follow those instructions: [reprap.org]

Nice blast from the past there kyle!

Now when I see it, I remember I did learn it on the wiki as well.

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-Nudel
Blog with RepRap Comic

Why not just go and buy a belt the right size here in NZ I can buy them from a local bearing supplier

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Experimenting in 3D in New Zealand