MakerBot 5th Gen Dial Indicator, Smart Extruder Snap-on

thingiverse

This is an fixture for an dail Indicator for the MakerBot 5th Gen 3D printers (5th Gen and Z18) to aid assistance for leveling the buildplate. We found that the build in leveling in the Z18 is not accurate enough. By using this fixture, you can get the leveling very accurate. This fixture can placed in the same spot as the Smart Extruder. Just exchange it. It has the same magnets as the Smart Extruder. We just salvaged some form an old Smart Extruder we had lying around the workshop. The size of the magnets that will fit is 9.5 mm in diameter and 6.35 mm height. The hole for the dail Indicator is 8 mm in diameter. For the Z18 just start the leveling routine in the menu and when the build platform is in place, just cancel the procedure. The build plate is in the right position then. Losen all the bolts beneath the build plate as you would do for normal leveling. Move the extruder carriage to the back center position, about the same position the set screw is for the leveling. Set your dail indicator to zero. This is your reference point. Than move the extruder carriage to the front right position above the front setscrew. We prefer to move the carriage by pulling the belt and to by touching the extruder carriage. If you touch the extruder carriage you could tilt it and that would influence the measurement. Now turn the setscrew until the indicator is at zero again. Try to avoid pushing the setscrew. Just turing keeps the platform stable. Repeat for the front left position and your done after tightening the screws of the platform again. The normal offset between an default calibration and calibration with this dial indicator is between 0,1 and 0,3 mm. After this procedure the difference between the point should be less than the layer height. This improves adhesion to the buildplate a lot, especially for larger prints. We tried to move the gantry with Simlify3D, but that does not allow us to move anything manually. All the commands except loading and unloading filament are disabled. Anyone who has some ideas on how to do this, please let me know in the comments below. An way to automate the movement is very welcome and can only improve the accuracy of the measurement. Print Settings Printer Brand: MakerBot Rafts: Doesn't Matter Supports: No Notes: The design was printed on an Replicator 2. On an 5th Gen I would chose to print without raft because the bottom is pretty flat an that improves the fitting to the Smart Extruder position. How I Designed This The design was drawn in Design Spark Mechanical