Micron Accurate Mechanical Contact Indicator
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A flexure mechanism that causes a flag to move visibly when the probing tip is moved in the order of microns.
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Model information
- Source
- Printables
- Category
- Tools
- License
- GNU General Public License v3.0
This indicator is used to detect movements of a few microns or less, It uses a distance multiplying mechanism known as a Scott-Russell Flexure to cause a flag to move when a probe tip is pressed a s little as a micron into a surface. It was designed to be used with the RepRapMicron micron-scale 3D printer but has other uses.
A wire probe tip is fixed to the flexure mechanism with cyanoacrylate adhesive ("Super Glue"). The tip of the flag is near to the tip so they can both be seen simultaneously when viewed through a microscope. A 3mm hole is provided for mounting.
It works best when the probe is lowered relatively quickly as this causes the flag to "twitch" rather than slowly creeping to a new position. By observing this twitch, a surface can be pinned down to within 0.5μm
A protective cover is provided for storage. Push an M3 nut into the slot in the holder. You can then screw the probe assembly to the holder with the tip in the protective recess.
The mechanism can be printed on a good 3D printer in PLA or PETG. Pursa Mk4 and Prusa XL are known to produce functional mechanisms.
Assembly details and source can be found on the RepRapMicron Github repository and wiki https://github.com/VikOlliver/RepRapMicron/wiki/Touch-Probe together with details on wire probe fabrication. A hypodermic needle may also be used as a sharp probe tip.