Really nice test part, Angus! Just make sure that you have your extrusion multiplier set up properly before these tests because small overextrusion will already screw up your tolerances even though the part still looks fine. Keep it up!
ive seen multiple tolerance test videos, and i get pretty decent tolerances for what my printers are. What i dont see is how to improve these tolerances specifically. A video on this would be much appreciated
Considering I could print this miniature for D&D with it, I wouldn't be surprised if I can get the 0.1mm gap to work. Then again, my extruder is kinda crappy. i.redd.it/72uqf3kou9ly.gif
This is the highest quality small print I've ever seen out of a .2mm nozzle, d2py9w124w2itd.cloudfront.net/photo/image/700x0/5583ac2e25284/Tree%20Frog%20Keyboard.JPG That was done with a $3000 dollar printer, .25mm nozzle, and 40 micron layers. Theres a lot of variables that you need to get absolutely perfect for something like that. I'm just hoping my Tronxy can print adequately :p
price doesnt mean a shit here, and ive done somthing more tinny, in the pic you will see a big manatee focused at the "background", this one is 0.4 nozzle, the other one focused is the tinny one, if you notice the unfocused, you will see a air coming out from the hole, just scaled. its 1cm from head to tail :) even did 0.5 one LOL but so tinny couldnt even touch it. by the way, the material is glow in the dark, pretty cool gift for my gf :) :P subefotos.com/ver/?0dca2d74829ad4132a01885a5155d393o.jpg
That's it. You're an absolute genius. I honestly gasped at how awesome it was that you made the test print become a functional item!! Just. Freaking. Awesome.
i love calibration/test models. i have the anet a8 and im constantly looking to push i to the max. these things help immensely when tweaking settings or getting a new brand of filament
@@jab2go69barrett8 In what way? Most of the issues I've seen were either bad builds, or bad firmware configuration. Mine has not had any safety issues over the past 2 years.
I'm a dutch orthopedic technologist student and I'm surprised how interested and fascinated I get watching this. We are going to start working with 3D-printers next year and probably will never make anything close to this but its very interesting. ps I was distracted the whole video by the few hairs sticking out x3 very cute
Hello Angus, you Rock as an information source! I appreciate that this tool is available for free; as a new hobbyist 3D FDM printer I have stalked your channel and several others who provide information about how to design, modify, and print in FDM 3D. I am very thankful for your thoughtful and informative videos.
The extrusion multiplier can also be used to decrease the tolerance needed by your printer. This is because the perimeters get thinner, meaning the hole gets slightly larger, and the object going in the hole gets slightly smaller. In other words: if you have very bad tolerances on your printer... is it the quality of the printer that is the problem, or are you overextruding?
Hi Angus, top tip: put a 0.5mm chamfer on the bottom outer edge of your designs. This should become standard in 3D printing. It makes removing objects from print bed 10 times easier, plus you eliminate the issue of a squished bottom layer sticking out of the side walls and having to sand it off.
N F Polyetherimide A great surface for a printer. PLA sticks to it even with no heat, but prefers 40-50 Celcius. ABS sticks to it with a heated bed. The great thing is that the printed piece lets go of the PEI sheet when the bed has cooled down. Very rarely have I had to use force.
This is amazing! I was planning on getting my printer tuned in quite a bit more over the next few weeks now that schools done for the semester and I have a bit more free time. Great timing on this video and thanks for making it free for a week!
Good demonstration but I think you are mixing tolerance and clearance up a bit. Tolerance is the accepted deviation in dimension of a single part while clearance is the gap or space intentionally left between two mating parts, you can have a maximum, minimum clearance or both. In your example all the parts can be way out of tolerance and still have the proper clearances between them. I know I am getting a bit technical and don't mean to sound nitpicky but just thought I'd point it out.
Pulling up on an old video but just HAD to chime in. I was able to get to .2 tolerance with easy spin initially on my stock Sidewinder X2 and could eventually get the .15 tolerance after applying a little force with the key. Initial test was printed at 0.2mm layer height from a 0.6mm nozzle and the second test where I could break free the .15 tolerance was printed at a .16mm layer height. Fantastic object and love your videos! I've been following you since my forray into 3D printing.
I don't own a 3D Printer and really never had any bigger interest in them. But damn, I watched 4 of your videos now and now i have to get a 3D printer. I like it how you make 3D printing look so interesting. Thanks!
I usually go with 0.1mm gap plus a bit of sanding for an ultra tight fit, 0.2mm for a fairly tight fit by hand and 0.3mm gap as a good all round yet easy fit. So far so good haha!
I printed this and I found 0.3mm no problem, 0.2mm I had to bust loose with the key, and 0.15mm is frozen sold. Elegoo Neptune 4, 0.2mm nozzle standard settings (0.2mm layer thickness)
I was more than glad to pay a $1 for this model. It gives me valuable information about the capabilities of my printer and the settings I'm using in my slicer software. I've printed it 3 times now with different settings as I'm learning how to get my printer dialed in as best as I can.
Can you do an update video on this on how to improve your results? My prusa mk3 that I assembled earlier this week was able to get the .2 but I want to see if I can improve it to 1.5 and just improve the quality of all prints in general.
I’ve been there a few times. Usually results in a careless grad student running prints at the fastest setting possible and being “shocked” when there’s a defect.
You can get around the fact that copied (or patterned) components in F360 are instances and mirror changes done to one to all the rest by copying the bodies and not the components. Then you can leave all the bodies in the same component or use the "Components from bodies" command to get them separated.
Thanks for making these videos. I really appreciate all the work you put into these and I really look forward to each video. I found that reducing the extrusion multiplier to the point right before the print starts to show gaps on the surfaces works really well to get accurate parts, which is key when testing to tolerance, in my opinion.
I hate to nit pick but the correct term for intentional difference in part size to create a specific clearance is ALLOWANCE. Tolerance is the permisable variation in size from one part to another. So first you apply an allowance to establish a "fit", then you figure out your tolerances to make sure all combinations of parts made will work with each other. Don't take my word for it though; check it in Machinery's Handbook or similar. Angus - I love your videos. I have an Ultimaker 3 and a 2+. Using Cura, but have Simpify3D.
I printed this part on my Raise3D printer and I can turn all of the "wheels", including the 0.05 mm. All wheels were loose right off the bed, except the 0.05 mm which had to be loosened with the key (to be honest it took some effort). I am not so surprised about this, as I earlier made PLA dovetails for multi-part assembly using exactly 0.05 as clearance. The spinner was printed with PrimaSelect Satin White modified PLA, which is extremely strong and a very nice material for precision printing. Layer height 0.15 mm, 3 shells and 40% rectilinear infill. I like to think that there is a difference between a 2k US$ printer and cheaper printers in the range from 100 to 700 US$, but in reality I think what matters a lot here, is the filament quality and how well your extrusion is calibrated to the actual filament. Also printing speed, retraction parameters and coasting distance matters to avoid bonds across the gap where perimeters start and stop.
Thank you for this! I'm a bit new to 3D printing and have had a lot of trouble with hole measurements. It took me 8 versions of the same part to get it right. With this, hopefully I'll achieve a successful build with more confident measurements and less waste in both filament and time. It's also cool that it doubles as a fidget spinner!
suggestion: you have triangles on the top but you should also have a 1/4 inch square indent on the bottom. this will allow the use of a 1/4 inch ratchet to free up the cylinders or even a1/4 torque wrench to see how much torque is required to free up the cylinders.
+Maker's Muse - I printed your tolerance test on the Aldi Cocoon Create and could free up the 0.5 down to the 0.15mm spinners. This is my first 3D printer and I am impressed. My bed was warped in one direction by 0.35mm and they sent me a glass plate. I tried bending the bed by hand and got the warping down to 0.23-0.25mm.
I have the problem on my up!plus2 that the x axis moves more than the y axis... thus makes slight ovals. While not usually easily notable, it is obvious for things like bearings and when you want two pieces to join together perfectly. I thus have to make sure that when printing two pieces i want to put together i have to make sure they are lined up in teh same direction.
Have a look in the manual as I seem to remember there is a section on calibrating the printer. Effectively it's doing a special test print measuring it and then feeding the results into the printer
Meanwhile, you can print some "meter sticks", one in each direction, then measure their lengths as precisely as you can (measure several times and get an average if you're having a hard time getting consistent results); and then you divide the shorter by the longer, and multiply the dimensions of your models on the short axis by that. The longer the "meter sticks" the better, but make sure to print them aligned with the printer's X and Y axes, no diagonals.
Printed on my Prusa i3 Mk2S. Sliced with Slic3r using standard settings, 0.15mm optimal print settings, rigid.ink PLA with Prusa PLA preset. 6h10m print time. 0.2 and above were free off the bed, 0.15 came free with a lot of effort but now turns quite freely. Thanks Angus, definitely worth $5! Going to try it again at 0.2mm layer height.
Automotive mechanical design engineer here. You CAD approach with copy paste to create multiples is spot on, don´t worry, your designs are better than fine. Make some new videos =)
I printed it this morning & it works. The only one that didn't turn by hand was the .5, I used the key and yes it freed up, all rotating. Ender 3 @.15 layer height :-)
When I was working as a welder, you always have tolerances in the blueprint of whatever you're making. So one dimension might be 2'8 3/16" +-1/32". Most of the time your tolerance is between 1/8" and 1/16". Sometimes you might encounter a 1/32" tolerance, but anything less than that isn't really considered reasonable for a welder/fabricator to get. If you have something with a smaller tolerance, you have the welder make it a bit bigger than you need, then hand it to a machinist, you can get very tight tolerances indeed. Usually better than 1/1000 of an inch. If you are making parts that go one inside the other, like that pink thing, you use a 3-D printer to make it bigger than you want, then machine it down to the correct size.
I just got done with tolerance testing a couple days ago. I found that my prusa mk2 can make snap fit parts at tolerance of 0.18mm. The parts snap together and snap apart, but they don't fall out, even if thrown on the ground.
I printed the tolerance gadget on my TronXY X8, with layer height of 0.1mm (5 hours!), and managed to free the 0.2mm wheel. I am using filament from a company called Sunlu. I've had good success with printing gears down to module 0.9mm.
Just came across this video and just wanted to add some remarks. I actually designed something similar than this, but I did specifically NOT use round spinning parts in my design. Instead, I used some rounded squares and triangles. This is because it is in making corners where your 3D Printer will or will not stand out. Making a circle with a 3D printer, even a cartesian one, is not as difficult as having the printer create a square. The main difference being, of course, than for a square, the printhead has to slow down, come to a stop and then change direction. The higher the speed, or the heavier the printhead, or the more play there is in your printer, the more difficult this becomes. Also, when doing a test like this, it is important to understand that changing printing temperature, speed or other variables will change your results. Materials flows more easily at a higher temp, thus your tolerances will be less. Same goes for higher speeds etc. etc.
Your slicer will try and compensate for the width of the line, usually called 'extrusion width' in the slicer. So a 10mm circle will still be very close to 10mm if everything else is working accurately.
Only 0.5 works on my CR-10Mini and 0.4 using the tool... what and how i must to compensate with Cura 3? I cannot find the parameter and i don't know how to change basing to my results. I compensate with -0.4 and now is too small... strange... tomorrow I test with 0.1 what I can move...
If you make it a cube and eliminate the 0.5 tolerance ring you could also have it measure how dimensions shrink differently in each axis as well as have chanfers, rounded corners and straight edges to see how the printer handles those and by how much you have to compensate when building a model.
Angus, Another great video! A general comment on tolerance and fit. This is independent of the issues specific to 3D printing. There are different types of fits between two parts, such as you discuss early in the video with your hinge (?). For example, two parts can have a force fit, a sliding fit, a loose fit, etc. This is a reflection of the specified size difference between them, as well as the accuracy of the production method. Data on this is published for machinists, and has been for decades. The required size difference between two parts varies with the type of fit desired, as well as the materials and the production method. The required size difference is also affected by the size of the part. For example (using made up numbers), a sliding fit for a 10 mm hole and shaft may be 0.1mm difference between the diameters, but a sliding fit for a 1000 mm hole and shaft may be 0.7mm.
All were fused on my Ender 3. It looks like 0.5 - 0.3 mm would have worked if it werent for the fact that the first 10 or so layers are fused. The upper 50 or so layers look great! Any tips?
Hi, and thanks for this great video! Did you make a video on how to make a printer more accurate when it comes to tolerance? What are the key factors to take into consideration when building/assembling a printer, in order to get the lowest tolerance possible? and if you didn't do you think it could be a good topic for your next video? :)
Aside from 3d printing, even if you use something like the robonano for nano scale precision, you can't fit an 2mm peg in a 2mm hole, you will need to press them together, since they are the same size, and 2 things can't occupy the same space at the same time.
Great idea and design on your tolerance guage. Thank you for sharing. Now to try it on my cheap 3D printer to see what I can expect for tolerances with it.
Can you make a screw and nut, with the screw threads smoothly having less and less tolerance towards the head, so that with a little bit of math you can convert the number of turns (or how many degrees of rotation) it takes for the screw to seize, into how tight are the tolerances your printer can handle?
I'm setting it up on my MP Select Mini right now. UPDATE: First print fused together on the bottom because the bed was too hot. I reduced the bed temperature and switched to bare blue tape, and 0.3mm and up were free right off the printer. The 0.2mm one came loose when I stuck the key in a bench vise and turned the part. Looking at it I think 0.15mm might free up if I made a new key that will stay in the vise better to get more torque, but I believe 0.2mm is the resolution stated in the printer's manual. I used Monoprice PLA in red (PID: 10553) at 210C nozzle, 50C bed temp.
So I printed the object on a Lulzbot mini using polylite PLA and .1 mm layer height and only the center would release. I used tools to try and release the .4 mm and no go. What is main issue that makes my tolerance required to be so loose. Flow? Layer height?
Update: on lulzbot mini, I did 90% flow and got .4 mm to release then on 80% flow got .3 mm to release and it is still solid print. polylte PLA here with .4 mm layer
Just printed the V3 on my Prusa i3 MK3 and got all down to .2 to turn with my hand. I printed the tool .. and darn if I didn't get the .15 to turn! the .1 and .05 are welded but I am pretty happy.
5:35 - 5:46 I have a similar issue with my printer (I have a Robo 3d R1+) where the points it stops and starts there are small blobs or if it is close to another part of the print it fuses together. The slicing software I use is MatterControl (I use it cause it was free and easy to use for when I first got my printer a year ago). I tried different settings such as the speed and distance on the extruder, print speed, etc. It might be an issue with the software itself. I have seen pretty nice looking prints using my same printer (Look up "Novice Expert"). Any advice?
Printed one of these on a Prusa I3 MK2 earlier today. The 0.15 is the only one that I could free up that was stuck. There is a small amount of resistance when I turn it with my fingers, but it can be done with a good quality material and accurate settings. If I were to print it again it may be stuck permanently, or it may not.
do you have a zortrax machine if so, is the quality and reliability worht the cost, compared to ultimaker or other higher end modals.? thanks love to see this test piece done on other modals
So this is great if you’re trying to print things in place with a gap, but what about tolerances for 2 separate parts that are meant to fit together like snap fit enclosures?
So this test is when you make a hole at 1, and the pin at .5 (for .5 gap)? Adjusting the settings would do it automatically if both the hole and pin were each set to 1? Or do you still have to design in the tolerance, the settings just make sure they stay where you tell it?
@makersmuse -- Cura 2 has a "horizontal expansion" setting which directly allows adjusting tolerances in the slicer. This is helpful when printing models without the source files available. I've applied a -0.1mm horizontal expansion offset and have seen dramatic improvements with my Taz 6 using eSUN PLA+ with a tolerance gauge print.
Especially for the tighter gaps, material properties and geometry will have non-negligible effects (material shrink rates, wall thickness, temperature). It would be a good idea to do this with different materials/geometry as you will most likely get different results even on the same machine. In any case, this is an great way to help dial in your system and better understand it's l in limitations.
Hey there seems to be an issue with the model. Between 6 and 9mm the .1 test has jagged lines on the external perimeter of the part that spins, instead of concentric circles so it will never spin.
Using a Makergear M2, using the Craftware slicer, and an atomic filament Bronze PLA (not bronze fill, just colour) we were able to get the layer height down to 5 microns reliably. IF you wanted to take forever to print. That was with almost a year of continual babying and calibration. by reliably, I mean layer height showing within tolerance on the micrometer, print walls vertical instead of 'lumpy', and the Benchy coming out properly (That was an overnight print) I wish I still had access to that printer so I could try your calibration piece.
I have just done a test on my FlashForge Finder using FlashForge's own slicer and am pleasantly surprised. I used the default standard settings without a brim, wall or raft and unsealed a new spool of PLA from 3DPrintz.co.uk. When complete the 0.5mm core was free as it came off the bed, the 0.4mm freed up with a light twist with my finger and thumb and the 0.3mm freed up with the key. 0.2mm and downwards are solid. I now have a baseline to compare with some gauges sliced on Simplify3D over the next few days although I suspect the machine is the limiting factor but we'll see. Thanks for this and all of your other hints and tips - all very much appreciated.
I made some spinners with my schools 3d printer. I had to sand out the holes because they printed a tad small and the bearings wouldn't fit. Turned out great though!
Great work and a fun challange Angus!! Mine came out spinning directly on .5,.4,.3 and after using the key I also got .2 and .15 going. I have (the new) Fabtikator mini V2, PETG on 250/50C, .2 layer height, 100% extrusion, 145% first layer, 3 perimeters and 40% infill. I'm happy with that :).
My tolerance is waning. I am having issues with hollows in Cura and Slic3r on Opensuse Leap, they get treated as solids (even bowls) except when I turn them on their sides (oh joy). Fortunately I can slice things with IdeaMaker on Ubuntu using VirtualBox and am in the process of attempting a remake of your device. Keep up the good work.
In Cura sometimes when I import a print file it has some icons along the bottom that can be used to turn or move the object, flip it over and sit it down on the bed and other times those options don't show up and I can't find those features anywhere. That's why I was confused. Do you know how to find the icons to do those functions if they don't show up with the print?
What version of Cura are you using? Im using Cura 2.4 and I can find those options on the top left corner after selecting the model I want to rotate/move
As someone that is pretty new to 3D printing, is there a guide or reference you know of that can help me tweak my printer settings after printing this out?
My wanhao v2 only works up to 0.6mm tolerance :( the real issue is the nozzle dragging plastic as it moves across the gaps I see through the gaps down to 0.4mm, but the places where the nozzle had to move over the gap are clearly visible and clearly merge the two perimeters
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
That 0.05mm offset is easy! Just scale the model by 500%
Cheating!!! lol
discord.gg/ACPjd4
0.05 is easy, well with resin printer i have anyway
@@inventor121 that's also cheating
@Astro_Alphard It will not be worth it for you as it will be a much more expensive fidget spinner.
Really nice test part, Angus! Just make sure that you have your extrusion multiplier set up properly before these tests because small overextrusion will already screw up your tolerances even though the part still looks fine. Keep it up!
Glad to be a benchmark ;-) We did good considering I never saw the filaments you used 😎
Waaaait... Owner on the chat? Holy... your 3D printers are still the best 😁
why do you put your name on everything
@@super1337bf3ordie lol
i have a ender 3 and think its better than the prusa i3 mk3 but i dont know so send me a prusa i3 mk3 so i know if its better! 😁
oh shidd waddup
I don't even have a 3D printer.
Why am I watching this
You might get one one day? Thanks for watching!
dude same
Same.
with question mark.
I don't own a sword or a dragon, but yet I watch Game of Thrones...
ive seen multiple tolerance test videos, and i get pretty decent tolerances for what my printers are. What i dont see is how to improve these tolerances specifically. A video on this would be much appreciated
Lol, I didn't know it was free so I put $1 in to get it.
Keep up the good work! I'll see how close I can get with my 0.2mm nozzle.
Thanks dude! Let me know what a 0.2mm nozzle is capable of
Considering I could print this miniature for D&D with it, I wouldn't be surprised if I can get the 0.1mm gap to work. Then again, my extruder is kinda crappy.
i.redd.it/72uqf3kou9ly.gif
This is the highest quality small print I've ever seen out of a .2mm nozzle, d2py9w124w2itd.cloudfront.net/photo/image/700x0/5583ac2e25284/Tree%20Frog%20Keyboard.JPG That was done with a $3000 dollar printer, .25mm nozzle, and 40 micron layers. Theres a lot of variables that you need to get absolutely perfect for something like that. I'm just hoping my Tronxy can print adequately :p
price doesnt mean a shit here, and ive done somthing more tinny, in the pic you will see a big manatee focused at the "background", this one is 0.4 nozzle, the other one focused is the tinny one, if you notice the unfocused, you will see a air coming out from the hole, just scaled. its 1cm from head to tail :) even did 0.5 one LOL but so tinny couldnt even touch it. by the way, the material is glow in the dark, pretty cool gift for my gf :) :P
subefotos.com/ver/?0dca2d74829ad4132a01885a5155d393o.jpg
That's it. You're an absolute genius. I honestly gasped at how awesome it was that you made the test print become a functional item!! Just. Freaking. Awesome.
i love calibration/test models. i have the anet a8 and im constantly looking to push i to the max. these things help immensely when tweaking settings or getting a new brand of filament
Tyler DeMott I have one to! live it but I need to work on getting my over hangs better. can't wait to try this or
my anet has issues
ShadyCreekFarm's Josh Alexander like what? by buying a anet a8 you kinda signed up for a few instances where you need to use problem solving.
Dangerous printer
@@jab2go69barrett8 In what way? Most of the issues I've seen were either bad builds, or bad firmware configuration.
Mine has not had any safety issues over the past 2 years.
I insist, your channel is the best with important content in the world of 3d printing. Congratulations, you're the best.
I'm a dutch orthopedic technologist student and I'm surprised how interested and fascinated I get watching this. We are going to start working with 3D-printers next year and probably will never make anything close to this but its very interesting. ps I was distracted the whole video by the few hairs sticking out x3 very cute
Hello Angus, you Rock as an information source! I appreciate that this tool is available for free; as a new hobbyist 3D FDM printer I have stalked your channel and several others who provide information about how to design, modify, and print in FDM 3D. I am very thankful for your thoughtful and informative videos.
The extrusion multiplier can also be used to decrease the tolerance needed by your printer. This is because the perimeters get thinner, meaning the hole gets slightly larger, and the object going in the hole gets slightly smaller. In other words: if you have very bad tolerances on your printer... is it the quality of the printer that is the problem, or are you overextruding?
Hi Angus, top tip: put a 0.5mm chamfer on the bottom outer edge of your designs. This should become standard in 3D printing. It makes removing objects from print bed 10 times easier, plus you eliminate the issue of a squished bottom layer sticking out of the side walls and having to sand it off.
hjoore
Na. Use an MK3 with PEI and squishing eliminated by correct first layer.
@@Traitorman..Proverbs26.11 Whats PEI
N F
Polyetherimide
A great surface for a printer. PLA sticks to it even with no heat, but prefers 40-50 Celcius.
ABS sticks to it with a heated bed.
The great thing is that the printed piece lets go of the PEI sheet when the bed has cooled down. Very rarely have I had to use force.
"It makes a fidget spinner"
*Internal Screaming Intensifies*
I remember back when fidget spinners were a thing... for five minutes... then there were millions of unwanted spinners glutting the market.
This is amazing! I was planning on getting my printer tuned in quite a bit more over the next few weeks now that schools done for the semester and I have a bit more free time. Great timing on this video and thanks for making it free for a week!
Good demonstration but I think you are mixing tolerance and clearance up a bit. Tolerance is the accepted deviation in dimension of a single part while clearance is the gap or space intentionally left between two mating parts, you can have a maximum, minimum clearance or both. In your example all the parts can be way out of tolerance and still have the proper clearances between them. I know I am getting a bit technical and don't mean to sound nitpicky but just thought I'd point it out.
Pulling up on an old video but just HAD to chime in. I was able to get to .2 tolerance with easy spin initially on my stock Sidewinder X2 and could eventually get the .15 tolerance after applying a little force with the key. Initial test was printed at 0.2mm layer height from a 0.6mm nozzle and the second test where I could break free the .15 tolerance was printed at a .16mm layer height. Fantastic object and love your videos! I've been following you since my forray into 3D printing.
I don't own a 3D Printer and really never had any bigger interest in them.
But damn, I watched 4 of your videos now and now i have to get a 3D printer.
I like it how you make 3D printing look so interesting.
Thanks!
I usually go with 0.1mm gap plus a bit of sanding for an ultra tight fit, 0.2mm for a fairly tight fit by hand and 0.3mm gap as a good all round yet easy fit. So far so good haha!
I printed this and I found 0.3mm no problem, 0.2mm I had to bust loose with the key, and 0.15mm is frozen sold. Elegoo Neptune 4, 0.2mm nozzle standard settings (0.2mm layer thickness)
I was more than glad to pay a $1 for this model. It gives me valuable information about the capabilities of my printer and the settings I'm using in my slicer software. I've printed it 3 times now with different settings as I'm learning how to get my printer dialed in as best as I can.
Can you do an update video on this on how to improve your results? My prusa mk3 that I assembled earlier this week was able to get the .2 but I want to see if I can improve it to 1.5 and just improve the quality of all prints in general.
I should print it of on one of the university printers. They have at least 4 or 5 $300,000 printers.
Hah! That'd be cool to see how fine they can print. There's a few variations of this design up on thingiverse now as well for choice.
I’ve been there a few times. Usually results in a careless grad student running prints at the fastest setting possible and being “shocked” when there’s a defect.
@@andrewridenour7332 from such expensive printers I would be surprised too.
I never understand anything his saying but am glad there's a channel for this sort of thing
You can get around the fact that copied (or patterned) components in F360 are instances and mirror changes done to one to all the rest by copying the bodies and not the components. Then you can leave all the bodies in the same component or use the "Components from bodies" command to get them separated.
Thanks for making these videos. I really appreciate all the work you put into these and I really look forward to each video. I found that reducing the extrusion multiplier to the point right before the print starts to show gaps on the surfaces works really well to get accurate parts, which is key when testing to tolerance, in my opinion.
I hate to nit pick but the correct term for intentional difference in part size to create a specific clearance is ALLOWANCE. Tolerance is the permisable variation in size from one part to another. So first you apply an allowance to establish a "fit", then you figure out your tolerances to make sure all combinations of parts made will work with each other. Don't take my word for it though; check it in Machinery's Handbook or similar. Angus - I love your videos. I have an Ultimaker 3 and a 2+. Using Cura, but have Simpify3D.
I bought the c2 for $2 and this one is even better. thanks for the videos and designs !
Yay! I can finally try to print something in your videos because I finally have a 3D printer!
I printed this part on my Raise3D printer and I can turn all of the "wheels", including the 0.05 mm. All wheels were loose right off the bed, except the 0.05 mm which had to be loosened with the key (to be honest it took some effort).
I am not so surprised about this, as I earlier made PLA dovetails for multi-part assembly using exactly 0.05 as clearance.
The spinner was printed with PrimaSelect Satin White modified PLA, which is extremely strong and a very nice material for precision printing. Layer height 0.15 mm, 3 shells and 40% rectilinear infill.
I like to think that there is a difference between a 2k US$ printer and cheaper printers in the range from 100 to 700 US$, but in reality I think what matters a lot here, is the filament quality and how well your extrusion is calibrated to the actual filament. Also printing speed, retraction parameters and coasting distance matters to avoid bonds across the gap where perimeters start and stop.
Thank you for this! I'm a bit new to 3D printing and have had a lot of trouble with hole measurements. It took me 8 versions of the same part to get it right. With this, hopefully I'll achieve a successful build with more confident measurements and less waste in both filament and time.
It's also cool that it doubles as a fidget spinner!
suggestion: you have triangles on the top but you should also have a 1/4 inch square indent on the bottom. this will allow the use of a 1/4 inch ratchet to free up the cylinders or even a1/4 torque wrench to see how much torque is required to free up the cylinders.
That's not a bad idea! I'll see what I can do.
@@MakersMuse Second that suggestion!
And I'll wait until you do so I can pay the buck...
+Maker's Muse - I printed your tolerance test on the Aldi Cocoon Create and could free up the 0.5 down to the 0.15mm spinners. This is my first 3D printer and I am impressed. My bed was warped in one direction by 0.35mm and they sent me a glass plate. I tried bending the bed by hand and got the warping down to 0.23-0.25mm.
I have the problem on my up!plus2 that the x axis moves more than the y axis... thus makes slight ovals. While not usually easily notable, it is obvious for things like bearings and when you want two pieces to join together perfectly.
I thus have to make sure that when printing two pieces i want to put together i have to make sure they are lined up in teh same direction.
Have a look in the manual as I seem to remember there is a section on calibrating the printer. Effectively it's doing a special test print measuring it and then feeding the results into the printer
thanks. i have not had time to think much about it. it only became a serious issue recently when i actually needed a perfect circle
Meanwhile, you can print some "meter sticks", one in each direction, then measure their lengths as precisely as you can (measure several times and get an average if you're having a hard time getting consistent results); and then you divide the shorter by the longer, and multiply the dimensions of your models on the short axis by that.
The longer the "meter sticks" the better, but make sure to print them aligned with the printer's X and Y axes, no diagonals.
Printed on my Prusa i3 Mk2S. Sliced with Slic3r using standard settings, 0.15mm optimal print settings, rigid.ink PLA with Prusa PLA preset. 6h10m print time. 0.2 and above were free off the bed, 0.15 came free with a lot of effort but now turns quite freely. Thanks Angus, definitely worth $5! Going to try it again at 0.2mm layer height.
Automotive mechanical design engineer here.
You CAD approach with copy paste to create multiples is spot on, don´t worry, your designs are better than fine.
Make some new videos =)
What filament did you print the silver colored one Fusion360 version on? That silver looks great!
Polyalchemy Elixir PLA! One of my favourites currently, and they didn't pay me to say it either hehe
Is that a "Modified" PLA? I hated PLA until I tried some of those.
I printed it this morning & it works. The only one that didn't turn by hand was the .5, I used the key and yes it freed up, all rotating. Ender 3 @.15 layer height :-)
Thank you so much for this! I'm printing it in just a few minutes!
Woo! Keen to see how you go
Your printing it in just a few minuets?! That’s one fast printer!
Jk
Is it done yet?
It's still printing in 0.0000001 mm layers! 🙃
Thank you for designing a tolerance guage. I haven't gotten my printer yet, this will help me out a lot! Keep it up, and thanks again.
Thanks I was wondering about the different tolerances and what I should try to use in my 3d models.
Never had a 3d printer, never used a 3d printer, but the idea is fascinating!
When I was working as a welder, you always have tolerances in the blueprint of whatever you're making. So one dimension might be 2'8 3/16" +-1/32".
Most of the time your tolerance is between 1/8" and 1/16". Sometimes you might encounter a 1/32" tolerance, but anything less than that isn't really considered reasonable for a welder/fabricator to get.
If you have something with a smaller tolerance, you have the welder make it a bit bigger than you need, then hand it to a machinist, you can get very tight tolerances indeed. Usually better than 1/1000 of an inch.
If you are making parts that go one inside the other, like that pink thing, you use a 3-D printer to make it bigger than you want, then machine it down to the correct size.
I just got done with tolerance testing a couple days ago. I found that my prusa mk2 can make snap fit parts at tolerance of 0.18mm. The parts snap together and snap apart, but they don't fall out, even if thrown on the ground.
I printed the tolerance gadget on my TronXY X8, with layer height of 0.1mm (5 hours!), and managed to free the 0.2mm wheel. I am using filament from a company called Sunlu. I've had good success with printing gears down to module 0.9mm.
Just printed it on my one week old Prusa i3 MK2S with Prusa Silver PLA and got 0.15 free. Very happy with the printer so far.
Just came across this video and just wanted to add some remarks.
I actually designed something similar than this, but I did specifically NOT use round spinning parts in my design. Instead, I used some rounded squares and triangles.
This is because it is in making corners where your 3D Printer will or will not stand out.
Making a circle with a 3D printer, even a cartesian one, is not as difficult as having the printer create a square. The main difference being, of course, than for a square, the printhead has to slow down, come to a stop and then change direction.
The higher the speed, or the heavier the printhead, or the more play there is in your printer, the more difficult this becomes.
Also, when doing a test like this, it is important to understand that changing printing temperature, speed or other variables will change your results.
Materials flows more easily at a higher temp, thus your tolerances will be less.
Same goes for higher speeds etc. etc.
I really love solid 3D printing benchmarks, please keep making more of them, thanks for the video
Maker's Muse
I was looking for a tolerance gauge so thank you.
Doeth the width of one line of printed filament have an effect on the tolerance?🤔
Your slicer will try and compensate for the width of the line, usually called 'extrusion width' in the slicer. So a 10mm circle will still be very close to 10mm if everything else is working accurately.
So it wouldn't make the print more precise if I adapted the 3d obeject's dimensions to be a multiple of the extrusion width?
Only 0.5 works on my CR-10Mini and 0.4 using the tool... what and how i must to compensate with Cura 3? I cannot find the parameter and i don't know how to change basing to my results. I compensate with -0.4 and now is too small... strange... tomorrow I test with 0.1 what I can move...
Thank you so much for making the model free for a little bit especially for people who don't normally by these sorts of things thanks
My pleasure. I appreciate you subscribing!
If you make it a cube and eliminate the 0.5 tolerance ring you could also have it measure how dimensions shrink differently in each axis as well as have chanfers, rounded corners and straight edges to see how the printer handles those and by how much you have to compensate when building a model.
I assume the nozzle size also matters in respect to the extrusion width. I assume you used 0.4mm nozzles all around?
Getting my i3 mk2 unit in a month, glad to see I made a right decision.
I like how the fidget spinner comment at 5:55 exactly matches the fidget spinner fad of may 2017. 100% of fidget spinners are now in landfills.
Angus,
Another great video!
A general comment on tolerance and fit. This is independent of the issues specific to 3D printing.
There are different types of fits between two parts, such as you discuss early in the video with your hinge (?). For example, two parts can have a force fit, a sliding fit, a loose fit, etc. This is a reflection of the specified size difference between them, as well as the accuracy of the production method. Data on this is published for machinists, and has been for decades. The required size difference between two parts varies with the type of fit desired, as well as the materials and the production method. The required size difference is also affected by the size of the part. For example (using made up numbers), a sliding fit for a 10 mm hole and shaft may be 0.1mm difference between the diameters, but a sliding fit for a 1000 mm hole and shaft may be 0.7mm.
**Rushes to download files**
All were fused on my Ender 3. It looks like 0.5 - 0.3 mm would have worked if it werent for the fact that the first 10 or so layers are fused. The upper 50 or so layers look great! Any tips?
too close to the print bed sounds like!
@@MakersMuse Thank you! Appreciate the reply and the free STL files for the tolerance gauge. Keep up the great work!
Hi, and thanks for this great video! Did you make a video on how to make a printer more accurate when it comes to tolerance? What are the key factors to take into consideration when building/assembling a printer, in order to get the lowest tolerance possible? and if you didn't do you think it could be a good topic for your next video? :)
Thanks Angus, I was using the guess and print method
My Son Has a 3D Printer And It Worked Thanks For Making This Video!
R u going to make an video on diamond hotend or Rova 4d anytime soon
Aside from 3d printing, even if you use something like the robonano for nano scale precision, you can't fit an 2mm peg in a 2mm hole, you will need to press them together, since they are the same size, and 2 things can't occupy the same space at the same time.
Great idea and design on your tolerance guage. Thank you for sharing. Now to try it on my cheap 3D printer to see what I can expect for tolerances with it.
Can you make a screw and nut, with the screw threads smoothly having less and less tolerance towards the head, so that with a little bit of math you can convert the number of turns (or how many degrees of rotation) it takes for the screw to seize, into how tight are the tolerances your printer can handle?
wow thanks so much. inspired me to fix a very intricate gear fidget spinner with faulty clearences
Sweet this is awesome!! When I get my B9 creator SLA up and running, I so want to do this and see how it does.
I'm setting it up on my MP Select Mini right now.
UPDATE: First print fused together on the bottom because the bed was too hot. I reduced the bed temperature and switched to bare blue tape, and 0.3mm and up were free right off the printer. The 0.2mm one came loose when I stuck the key in a bench vise and turned the part. Looking at it I think 0.15mm might free up if I made a new key that will stay in the vise better to get more torque, but I believe 0.2mm is the resolution stated in the printer's manual.
I used Monoprice PLA in red (PID: 10553) at 210C nozzle, 50C bed temp.
So I printed the object on a Lulzbot mini using polylite PLA and .1 mm layer height and only the center would release. I used tools to try and release the .4 mm and no go. What is main issue that makes my tolerance required to be so loose. Flow? Layer height?
Update: on lulzbot mini, I did 90% flow and got .4 mm to release then on 80% flow got .3 mm to release and it is still solid print. polylte PLA here with .4 mm layer
+Rich M .4 layers is pretty coarse! I'd try again with .2 you should get better. Otherwise it might be temperature related.
Ok Angus I am printing your tolerance test on my maker select pro. Currently going to take 3 hers to print.
Just printed the V3 on my Prusa i3 MK3 and got all down to .2 to turn with my hand. I printed the tool .. and darn if I didn't get the .15 to turn! the .1 and .05 are welded but I am pretty happy.
5:35 - 5:46 I have a similar issue with my printer (I have a Robo 3d R1+) where the points it stops and starts there are small blobs or if it is close to another part of the print it fuses together. The slicing software I use is MatterControl (I use it cause it was free and easy to use for when I first got my printer a year ago). I tried different settings such as the speed and distance on the extruder, print speed, etc. It might be an issue with the software itself. I have seen pretty nice looking prints using my same printer (Look up "Novice Expert"). Any advice?
Printed one of these on a Prusa I3 MK2 earlier today. The 0.15 is the only one that I could free up that was stuck. There is a small amount of resistance when I turn it with my fingers, but it can be done with a good quality material and accurate settings. If I were to print it again it may be stuck permanently, or it may not.
do you have a zortrax machine if so, is the quality and reliability worht the cost, compared to ultimaker or other higher end modals.? thanks love to see this test piece done on other modals
Sorry don't currently have a zortrax to test, but might be able to in future!
You sir are an absolute genius! Congrats and thanks!
Wonder if hotter temps will cause certain tolerances to weld easier.
So this is great if you’re trying to print things in place with a gap, but what about tolerances for 2 separate parts that are meant to fit together like snap fit enclosures?
Hey I just donated $1 on gum road but did t get the Atlantic file to download the tolerance figure
So this test is when you make a hole at 1, and the pin at .5 (for .5 gap)? Adjusting the settings would do it automatically if both the hole and pin were each set to 1? Or do you still have to design in the tolerance, the settings just make sure they stay where you tell it?
great! I've been waiting for this video since your last live feed.
@makersmuse -- Cura 2 has a "horizontal expansion" setting which directly allows adjusting tolerances in the slicer. This is helpful when printing models without the source files available. I've applied a -0.1mm horizontal expansion offset and have seen dramatic improvements with my Taz 6 using eSUN PLA+ with a tolerance gauge print.
In Simplify3d how do you fine tune the tolerance settings.
Especially for the tighter gaps, material properties and geometry will have non-negligible effects (material shrink rates, wall thickness, temperature). It would be a good idea to do this with different materials/geometry as you will most likely get different results even on the same machine. In any case, this is an great way to help dial in your system and better understand it's l in limitations.
What should the final physical dimensions of this be? The tolerances won't mean anything if I'm not sure if it's printing at the right size.
With the first try on my $185 Anet A8 I got it down to the .3mm without the key and .2mm with the key at 50mm print speed, .2mm layer height.
Another great tutorial! Angus you're the master.
Thank you for this great file. I will test it on my Prusa i3. Your videos are perfect! Greetings from Germany
What material are the printer beds made of that users can scrape at them with scrapers and not damage them?
Hey there seems to be an issue with the model. Between 6 and 9mm the .1 test has jagged lines on the external perimeter of the part that spins, instead of concentric circles so it will never spin.
Using a Makergear M2, using the Craftware slicer, and an atomic filament Bronze PLA (not bronze fill, just colour) we were able to get the layer height down to 5 microns reliably. IF you wanted to take forever to print. That was with almost a year of continual babying and calibration.
by reliably, I mean layer height showing within tolerance on the micrometer, print walls vertical instead of 'lumpy', and the Benchy coming out properly (That was an overnight print)
I wish I still had access to that printer so I could try your calibration piece.
I have just done a test on my FlashForge Finder using FlashForge's own slicer and am pleasantly surprised. I used the default standard settings without a brim, wall or raft and unsealed a new spool of PLA from 3DPrintz.co.uk. When complete the 0.5mm core was free as it came off the bed, the 0.4mm freed up with a light twist with my finger and thumb and the 0.3mm freed up with the key. 0.2mm and downwards are solid. I now have a baseline to compare with some gauges sliced on Simplify3D over the next few days although I suspect the machine is the limiting factor but we'll see. Thanks for this and all of your other hints and tips - all very much appreciated.
I made some spinners with my schools 3d printer. I had to sand out the holes because they printed a tad small and the bearings wouldn't fit. Turned out great though!
Great work and a fun challange Angus!!
Mine came out spinning directly on .5,.4,.3 and after using the key I also got .2 and .15 going.
I have (the new) Fabtikator mini V2, PETG on 250/50C, .2 layer height, 100% extrusion, 145% first layer, 3 perimeters and 40% infill. I'm happy with that :).
My tolerance is waning. I am having issues with hollows in Cura and Slic3r on Opensuse Leap, they get treated as solids (even bowls) except when I turn them on their sides (oh joy).
Fortunately I can slice things with IdeaMaker on Ubuntu using VirtualBox and am in the process of attempting a remake of your device. Keep up the good work.
The anet A8 is surprisingly enough able to print the tolerance of .1. I had to break it free with the key. But is actually spins!!!.
I'd like to know how you print the key with it's 3 corners hanging out in thin air? Use supports, turn it over some how or what?
steve c Cura can easily rotate the file. It's not a mean trick, it's just you not knowing how to use your software
Yes but if you just flip it over you still have an unsupported area in the center where the graphic symbol is!
steve c that's a simple bridge that doesn't require support
In Cura sometimes when I import a print file it has some icons along the bottom that can be used to turn or move the object, flip it over and sit it down on the bed and other times those options don't show up and I can't find those features anywhere. That's why I was confused. Do you know how to find the icons to do those functions if they don't show up with the print?
What version of Cura are you using? Im using Cura 2.4 and I can find those options on the top left corner after selecting the model I want to rotate/move
As someone that is pretty new to 3D printing, is there a guide or reference you know of that can help me tweak my printer settings after printing this out?
Did you test these machines in a different locations in the world? The pull and rotation of the earth accounts for the give in models.
My wanhao v2 only works up to 0.6mm tolerance :(
the real issue is the nozzle dragging plastic as it moves across the gaps
I see through the gaps down to 0.4mm, but the places where the nozzle had to move over the gap are clearly visible and clearly merge the two perimeters
A stock Creality K1 on High Quality setting with their Hyper PLA, the best I got was down to the 0.15 wheel. I felt pretty good about that.