Maker Space 307 Calipers

thingiverse

These simple calipers are the result of my design, which I'm excited to share with students at my local Maker Space (www.MakerSpace307.org). I built these calipers using a combination of 3D printing and laser cutting techniques, keeping costs extremely low - each caliper is less than $1.00. Currently, they only measure outside dimensions and display millimeter measurements. I used Inkscape to create the caliper body and the "Scale Generator" extension was invaluable in my design process. Check it out here: http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php/Extension_repository#Scale_Generator Here are some step-by-step instructions to make your own calipers: **Materials Needed** * 3 mm Acrylic sheets * PLA Filament for the slide * .#6 wood screws * A Full Spectrum 45W laser cutter **Instructions** 1. Cut the acrylic sheet using the specified settings: * Vector Engrave (RED): 100 Speed, 10 Power * Vector Cut (BLACK): 10 Speed, 100 Power 2. 3D Print the slide with these settings: 0.3 mm layer height and 15% infill. Please note that I designed this file for PLA Filament, so you might need to adjust it if you're using a different material. 3. Once you have the caliper body cut out and the slide printed, screw the .#6 wood screw into the smaller hole on the acrylic sheet. If the screw sticks out too much, simply use pliers to cut and file it down or substitute with a machine screw and nut.