3d Printer End Stop Made from Scratch

thingiverse

I needed end stops for my printer and, since it's always more fun to make than to buy, this Thing is what I came up with. I wanted a single design flexible enough that I can use for all six end stops, and I wanted it to be somewhat adjustable in both the mount and the trigger point. The STL files here make three different parts: the end stop itself and two mounts, one designed for horizontal and one for vertical use. A single openSCAD source file codes all three - there are selector variables at the top enabling you to choose what to print. As uploaded, it will make the end stop and both holders i.e., contents of all three STL files. Source file also contains the same instructions as are listed in this Thing, but obviously no pictures! There are a plethora of end stop designs on Thingiverse already, most of them simpler than this. I still hope people might find this design useful. To make this end stop, you will need (see picture above): printed parts a piece of spring (i cut mine from a 3/8" inner diameter spring #150 from ACE Hardware) M3 screw, 12-20mm long M3 nut a small piece of aluminum foil 28Ga or similar wire to connect the switch to your printer The switch is reasonably accurate in the sense it will trigger at the same point every time, but it's not quite accurate enough to calibrate the Z print dimension. There is a fraction of millimeter noise, enough to mess up the first layer print adhesion. I use the vertical stop to protect the printer, but use a force-sensitive resistor to accurately calibrate my Z-axis. See https://www.instructables.com/id/Homing-a-3D-Printer-Using-Force-sensitive-Resistor/ for the gory details. I make no restrictions on use of this code, feel free to use, modify, share, etc. as you like.