Part 7: Measuring filament
Using a laser micrometer is better for measuring filament but they are pricey about $1500 for the cheapest one. So, I thought I’ll buy the laser micrometer later once I’ve made enough money from sale of filament.
I use this setup:
This uses a dial indicator, it’s available on aliexpress and it can measure with the resolution of 0.001mm. You can search for “digital dial indicator” then buy the one which explicitly lists resolution of 0.001mm (range upto 12.7mm) do not confuse it with a cheaper unit which looks similar but can only measure 0.01mm.
#Aliexpress US $26.40 52%OFF | 0.001mm Dial Indicator Gauge Metric/Inch Range 0-12.7mm/0.5" Electronic Micrometer 0.00005" Digital Micrometer RS232 Data Output
https://a.aliexpress.com/_dTW21he
You’ll need a roller contact tip/point for the dial indicator, it’s also available on aliexpress but I found that it costs $10–15 which I did not feel like waiting for so I 3d printed my own and used the precision bearings from a hard drive.
#Aliexpress US $10.00 45%OFF | MagiDeal Bike Rim Gauge Dial Indicator Roller Contact Point Fitting Parts
https://a.aliexpress.com/_dYpgB0y
These bearings from the hardrive have very minuscule to no runout! These are perfect for the task of measuring filament diameter. Usually finding such bearing in the market is difficult, these precision bearing sometimes cost $10 apiece or even more but the ones from scrap hardrive are free.
All these digital caliper or dial indicator have the same digital output, so you can use Arduino to read it and record the values:
