Z-Axis Printer Calibration Tool

thingiverse

I own a Tronxy X5S 3D printer, which features two Z-axis motors that drive acme screws on the right and left sides of the print bed. Once calibrated and running, this system works well and does a great job. However, each time I turn off and then back on the printer, the two Z-motors start to lose their alignment to one another. Over time, this causes the bed to take on a non-perpendicular, horizontal tilt with respect to the X motion path of the print head. When this becomes severe enough, print quality suffers and it's necessary to re-sync the two motors through a manual bed leveling calibration step. The re-calibration process can be troublesome and time-consuming, so much so that many X5S owners implement elaborate ways to mechanically lock the two drive motors together using extra belts or other mechanisms to prevent the Z-axis screws from losing sync with one another. Rather than reworking the Z-mechanism, I decided to create a simple 3-D printable Z-axis calibration post that can be easily installed (and removed) onto the carriage cross bar to facilitate bed leveling and motor re-sync. While designed initially for the X5S printer (which uses 20x20mm T-slot rails), this design should work well as a bed leveling tool for many other printers as well. Complete design and fabrication files are included, along with a detailed X5S Z-motor Re-synch Procedure PDF document.