Just wondering what everyone is useing for measuring tools. Ive got a dial caliper and guage block to keep my sanity in check. XD
It’s funny you should post this. I was just about to leave a message on the thread that bought up this topic to ask how you use a guage block for 3D printing? fundamentally, they’re not much different from feeler gauges, only thicker and not flexible. Unless I’m not understanding something.
Of course, the question should also include, “what do you use the measuring equipment for”.
I use the feeler gauges to set the initial layer height. Or at least I used to. Frankly, the paper method is just easier.
That’s really the only “measurement” I regularly take of the printer itself.
I used a FLIR i7 to measure the temperature of the bed and nozzle to compare it to what the LCD on the printer was telling me. That was just for reference and to determine if the bed was losing a lot of heat at the edges (it doesn’t) back when I couldn’t get any prints to stick at the edges.
Once I determined that build plate heating wasn’t the cause of prints not sticking, I attached a runout gauge to the print head and verified that my printer’s build plate has a bulge in the middle.
When I first built it, to verify frame alignment, I used a large carpenter’s square.
For XYZ cube and extrusion cube measurements, I use my trusty digital caliper.
That’s all I can think of in terms of printer maintenance.
On the design side, the calipers for widths, depths and thicknesses and a cheap plastic protractor/angle finder. It’s not accurate, but so far, good enough. I might invest in a steel, digital one.
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The guage block is like i had said, for my own sanity to verify the calipers are taking accurate measurements.
As for measuring on the printer ive checked once or twice with a carpenters square too, but mostly use a calibrated eyeball for nozzle height XD.
Im thinking of getting a micrometer for part dimensions to supplement my dial caliper. Though perhaps feeler guages wouldnt be a bad idea aswell.
Calibrated eyeball! I like that…
I use a square eye!
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