Mitutoyo Dial Indicator mount

thingiverse

September 2020: Added a picture of a Nylon carbon fiber print that turned out great on a 105C bed. Simple inverted stand with an M7.5x0.5 thread for my 1/2" travel Mitutoyo dial indicator, used to measure cutting tool length or nozzle height, as well as consistent deflection under loads. Three 2.3mm holes are sized for cold forming M2.5 threads; use an M2.5 bolt chucked in a drill, and depending on the drill RPM, friction will melt and flow the plastic to form finished threads. The dial indicator has a fine pitch thread, and the stand should be printed using 0.05mm layers - 0.1mm layer will work but may result in a sloppy fit. I designed a second version with a 6mm snap-in ball bearing feature at the bottom of the legs; the tripod base was also increased to improve stability. In the picture, three ceramic balls can sit on a heated build plate for a quick measurement - holes for M2.5 bolts are still available if greater height is needed for a measurement. Printed with a 0.4mm nozzle and a 0.05mm layer using a paving or track width of 0.45mm. I had to tell the slicer software that a smaller nozzle was installed to have the 0.05mm layer option available - not a perfect solution but it worked fine. Third minor change: added a new STL file with a few chamfers to the ball bearing socket feature to reduce elephant foot print problems. Designed in Fusion 360 and printed on a modified Cetus MK2 extended. Have fun, Peter