I’ve printed some calibration cubes and I’ve found that my X axis is under by .010in /in - or a 1% error. My Z and Y axes are within 0.002in/in.
I’m still running calibration tests.
Would it be possible to add (or enable) axis specific scaling for user calibration in PreForm so that an end user could print up some calibration objects, enter measured numbers into a GUI and have the software compensate for the changes? Having individually adjustable scales for axes would help fine tune drift over time as well.
I agree. This seems to be a common complaint. Our application is industrial tooling and we need parts to fit together with minimal hand forming. By providing user defined individual axis scale correction parameters, Formlabs can also benefit by doing web surveys of their deployed population to learn what axes are needing correction and hopefully make design / build improvements.
Bump for this. I haven’t exhaustively tested to see if the error on one axis is uniform or varying across the build area, but even just a “scale axis by x.xxx%” adjustment would be really handy. I’m a bit under 1% out on one axis which is probably fine for figures or ‘art’, but for prototyping and assemblies that have to mate with other objects (circuit boards, LCD screens) even just 1% can cause misalignment and fitment problems.
If the error is non-linear across an axis, a calibration/deformation ‘grid’ would be nice for those of use that need to hold good precision over the entire build area and are willing to characterize and enter correction coefficients…
Good idea. At least for x, y, z linear adjustment.
As of PreForm 1.2.1-- thanks! My slightly ‘long’ X-axis prints (68mm on a 67.5mm part) have now dropped in to an “I can make that work” dimension of 67.42mm after entering a -0.74% X-axis correction in PreForm’s new “Fine Tuning” option. Thanks a bunch! My parts now mate with ones printed by Shapeways. 