anet a6 - Z-Axis Laser Leveller

thingiverse

I'm installing a laser pointer on my left z-axis housing and a target on my right z-axis housing so I can easily see when they get out of alignment with each other. The actual laser pointers are a buck each on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1pcs-LED-Light-Laser-Pointer-Funny-Cat-Rod-Laser-pet-Cat-free-shipping-/112270606961?hash=item1a23d98271:g:RPQAAOSwZQRYfC~Z This gives direct feedback when the two Z-axis steppers get out of sync with each other - which happens surprisingly often. When they are not in sync, there is no point calibrating your print bed - with the laser pointer, you find that often the bed hasn't shifted at all, and realigning the two z-axis steppers is a relatively quick and easy process, so hopefully this constitutes a real upgrade to the problem of constant recalibrations of the print bed adjustment screws. Update: Back to the drawing board! The problem with this design is that the laser just points along the Y-axis, even when the Z-steppers are out of alignment. But I have a Plan-B. I need to mount the laser pointer onto the main frame of the A6 and direct the laser through targets on both Z-axis idler boxes. Stay posted for something that works coming soon....