3D Printed Calipers

Intro

Accurate to -/+ 2.5 thousandths -

http://thecornercase.blogspot.com/2014/03/3d-printed-dial-calipers.html

STL files on Thingiverse - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:187267

Optimized for regular FDM printer - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1271651

Note: this was printed on a Stratasys Objet Eden stereolithography (SLA) (laser-cured resin) printer - so may be better than normal printers can do.

Assessment

• SLA - which is what was used to print the calipers - has 140 micron spot size, and layer heights of 25 to 100 microns. [1]
• FFF - Lulzbot Taz - 50 micron layer height - 300 micron spot size if 0.3 mm nozzle - [2]
• FFF - Ultimaker - 20 micron layer height - 250 micron spot size (assumes .25 mm nozzle) [3]
• In principle, one can print with 0.15 mm nozzles. Smallest from E3D is 0.15 mm. Smallest nozzles can be very difficult to calibrate (bed adhesion?) [4]
• E3D claims accuracies as good as SLS/SLA - Here is howto from E3D with 0.15 mm - ABS works well, PLA doesn't due to lower flow rate.

[5]

• Thus: the calipers should be doable on D3D