Sliding Tolerance Test with Mini Version

prusaprinters

<p>Printers can vary considerably in their tolerances, i.e. how much extra space is necessary between parts designed to fit together. In an ideal world this number would be zero, unfortunately it's something we all have to worry about, and what fits perfectly on my printer might be terribly loose or impossibly tight on yours. This tester will show you not only the best tolerance for fitting pieces together, but also how well movable pieces will slide at different gap sizes and how tight you can force pieces together (strength willing).</p> <p>To use, first print both the scale holder and the insert. They're given as one STL to make it easy to print them together and also separately if you wish to test two different filaments/temperatures/extrusion rates/etc. Once the print is done, you may wish to trim the bottom layer edges of the insert using a scissors; I've beveled it in hopes of mitigating that factor so it's best to check the print and make sure. Slide the insert into the scale until it stops. The triangles on the insert will point to a value along the scale, this is your snug tolerance. By sliding it faster or more forcefully you can find the maximum tightness tolerance; at this amount of tightness your printed parts will probably fit together and never come apart. (To undo the slider from this stuck position, just pry it up at the handle.) Finally, all tolerances that slide effortlessly in this tool will move effortlessly in your final print made on the same printer using the same filament(s) and settings.</p> <p>Fair warning, the full size one is a 5 hour print. I've added a mini version that's only one hour, and tried to make it easy to read.</p>