Gates LL-1.5GT RF timing belt 6 mm · 1.5 mm pitch · sold by the metre

Gates PowerGrip LL-1.5GT RF timing belt, 6 mm wide, with a 1.5 mm tooth pitch, sold by the metre. For building or renewing linear drives using this profile, particularly when smooth engagement and the surface finish of printed parts matter.

Gates specialises in power transmission and motion; PowerGrip is its synchronous belt family. This version combines fine tooth spacing with RF treatment on the fabric contacting the pulley. These are separate features and should be assessed as part of the complete mechanical system.

Gates LL-1.5GT RF family view.

What RF treatment adds

RF tooth-fabric treatment is intended to reduce initial particle shedding and promote smoother engagement. It helps address contact cleanliness and consistency, but does not mean completely wear-free or vibration-free operation.

Gates LL-1.5GT RF family view.

1.5 mm pitch: surface finish and motion

Compared with a 2 mm-pitch 2GT belt, the teeth are closer together. A correctly designed drive using this profile can help reduce periodic marks associated with tooth engagement. It can be useful in compatible CoreXY projects, Cartesian printers and linear mechanisms, but will not independently fix misalignment, play, motor issues or every VFA artifact.

A smaller pitch does not automatically increase electronic resolution. Travel per revolution also depends on drive-pulley tooth count: a 27T 1.5GT pulley moves 40.5 mm per revolution, versus 40 mm for a 20T 2GT pulley. Improvements to mechanical contact are not a guarantee of higher whole-machine accuracy.

Specifications

Choosing a 6 mm belt

The 6 mm width suits compact drives designed for it. It can retain the width of an existing 6 mm installation during a profile conversion, provided the remaining components are checked.

Compatibility and conversion from GT2

Do not fit this belt to 2 mm-pitch 2GT/GT2 toothed pulleys. A conversion requires 1.5GT drive pulleys and toothed idlers, matching toothed clamps where present and the correct belt width. Smooth idlers may be retained only if width, diameter, contact side and routing are suitable for the new system.

The 16T 2GT → 21T 1.5GT and 20T 2GT → 27T 1.5GT combinations have similar, not identical, pitch diameters. This may help some conversion designs, but does not guarantee unchanged spacers, belt length, tension or mounting positions. For a Voron or Rat Rig project, for example, check the specific assembly: the printer name does not establish drop-in compatibility.

For this width, see: Mellow 1.5GT 21-tooth drive pulley, Mellow 1.5GT 27-tooth drive pulley, Mellow 1.5GT toothed idler for 6 mm belts. Check bore size, track height and alignment as well. Selecting a pulley with a similar outside diameter is not sufficient.

Firmware settings

Calculate using the drive pulley, not the idlers: travel per revolution = pitch × tooth count. The examples below assume a 1.8° motor (200 full steps/revolution), ×16 input microstepping and direct drive without reduction. Do not copy them into a different configuration.

Marlin: for XY using 27T drive pulleys, the example is M92 X79.012346 Y79.012346. With 21T pulleys, use M92 X101.587302 Y101.587302. Change only converted axes. If EEPROM is enabled, save with M500 and check with M503; alternatively update and compile the firmware configuration, accounting for existing EEPROM values.

Klipper: use rotation_distance: 40.5 with 27T pulleys or rotation_distance: 31.5 with 21T in the active XY stepper sections, assuming direct drive. Save and restart Klipper. With a reduction, set or retain the actual gear_ratio and calculate distance at its output; check the hardware before copying values.

RepRapFirmware: update M92 in config.g, calculated for the effective microstepping set through M350. For 27T under the table assumptions: M92 X79.012346 Y79.012346. Save the file for application at startup; M500 is not the method for retaining this steps/mm change.

If motor, microstepping and reduction remain unchanged, multiply previous steps/mm by 40/40.5 for 20T 2GT → 27T 1.5GT, or by 32/31.5 for 16T 2GT → 21T 1.5GT. Conventional CoreXY requires no additional square-root-of-two factor. Replacing a 1.5GT belt with another of the same pitch while retaining the drive pulley does not change travel scaling merely because the new belt has RF treatment.

Installation and checks

Cut with a suitable tool, avoiding frayed ends and sharp folds. Align pulleys and set tension according to the machine design: greater tension is not always better. Do not apply a universal tension frequency or lubricate the belt as though it were a linear rail.

After conversion, check low-speed movement, homing and travel scaling before restoring usual accelerations. Review sensorless homing and resonance-compensation settings if used. Do not use printed-cube dimensions to compensate for an incorrectly calculated transmission ratio.

For you if

You need a Gates 1.5GT RF belt of this width for an already compatible drive, or are carrying out a complete conversion and want to improve tooth-to-pulley contact.

Not for you if

You need a direct replacement for a 2 mm-pitch GT2 drive without changing toothed parts, a closed-loop belt or an EPDM version for which the project specifies particular thermal properties. RF and EPDM are not equivalent designations.

If your drive requires a different width, see the 10 mm Gates LL-1.5GT RF belt. Choose the width specified by the design and check pulleys, clamps and clearance.

Sold by the metre

1 unit corresponds to 1 metre of belt. If you order several metres, they will be supplied in one continuous piece whenever possible. If an uninterrupted length is essential, contact us before ordering. Belt only; illustrated or linked pulleys are sold separately.