Hi guys, I'm creating this vernier scale type multi-nozzle XY-offsets measuring print.

3D Printing
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1

Hi guys,

I’m creating this vernier scale type multi-nozzle XY-offsets measuring print. It should measure the offsets at a theoretical best 0.05mm precision.

In your favorite slicer, place the two scales on the build plate (along x or y axis). Make sure the zero marks are aligned. Set the main nozzle to print the fixed scale (red one in pic), and the other nozzle to print the test scale. (Yellow one in pic). Slice the file, print it.

Usually just print one layer. Then read the marks to get the offsets in millimeters.

The first digit of the offset can be read from the fixed scale, just read the nearest mark on the left side to the zero mark on the fixed scale. Then digit under the decimal point can be read from the test scale (white one in pics), just read which mark on the test scale has the best alignment with the fixed scale mark.

You can print two pairs of the model to measure X and Y offsets at the same time.

I’ve uploaded the stl and OpenSCAD files on thingiverse: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2847643

Any comments and suggestions are appreciated! Hope you like it!

Thx!

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Very creative, probably gonna be helpful.

3

We use the same tactic on the UM3. We decided not to print numbers, due to the high failure rate of printing those (as you see yourself as well)

We also tried different resolutions, and in our random user test, nobody managed to get much more accurate then 0.05mm with this method. Higher detail just caused people to vary more between what they saw as the “optimal” lines.

4

@Daid_Braam Didn’t know that UM3 already use this.:joy: You’re right on printing numbers. They’re also very hard to clean from the bed. But I think I’m going to keep them for better readability. I was just amazed by how a vernier scale can achieve higher accuracy with such a simple implementation. Similar tactic might be useful for other type of calibrations, for example calibrate a delta? But I have not figured out how to do it yet.

5

Nicely done. I’ll have to play around with this one.

Before I fine tune the physical offsets in XY I always calibrate my filament for its thermal expansion and contraction properties. Found that I can get the distances calibrated dead on once I had the thermal properties dialed in. Printing a dual color cone you can’t even feel the transition of one color to the next.