HP used to make a plotter that used a single sparse-fine-grit-covered light weight shell as a roller on the back side of the paper to move the paper in Y while a carriage moved the pen in X. There was a wide roller on the front side of the paper that held it against the grit..
The grit made little dimples in the paper that kept it in a repeatable relationship with the roller surface, no slip. This roller reversed itself many times in the course of a typical plot, and as I recall it worked pretty well, without loss of registration or slip.
The analog here would be to put sandpaper on one arm, and let it make little indents on the other. One might have to change the radius to account for the grit just being on one side.
Or, embed hot sharp grits onto one side, then heat the other side to soften it and roll them together to make the matching pair.
Seems like gear teeth are simpler, in this situation.
The grit made little dimples in the paper that kept it in a repeatable relationship with the roller surface, no slip. This roller reversed itself many times in the course of a typical plot, and as I recall it worked pretty well, without loss of registration or slip.
The analog here would be to put sandpaper on one arm, and let it make little indents on the other. One might have to change the radius to account for the grit just being on one side.
Or, embed hot sharp grits onto one side, then heat the other side to soften it and roll them together to make the matching pair.
Seems like gear teeth are simpler, in this situation.