4010/32 - Metric Gauge Blocks

These blocks may appear as simple as a printable model gets. Designing them was unexpectedly meticulous; implementing automated mesh exports required additional technical effort; and in the end, the range of practical use cases turned out to be astonishing.

Applications

Like all of my designs, this model originated from a specific, real-world need.

When I began building furniture—particularly cabinet corpuses following the System 32 standard (32 mm hole spacing)—I encountered a recurring alignment issue. While drilling jigs with 32 mm spacing are widely available, they assume a fixed reference offset. Varying panel thicknesses require recalculating that offset when indexing from an edge. A simple, precise spacer block eliminates the guesswork. I've also built an excel sheet to reference all practical offsets to simply lookup required gauge block and drill guide combinations.

What started as a solution for cabinet construction quickly evolved into a versatile measuring aid. These blocks are especially useful in situations where calipers, rulers, or tape measures are awkward to position.

Examples:

• Aligning mirrors or picture frames
  Place a gauge block between the object and a reference surface to establish a consistent spacer. Use a spirit level to confirm alignment.

• Voron 0 assembly
  The build manual specifies a 25 mm offset between the linear rail and the end of the extrusion. While this can be achieved with calipers locked via a set screw, simply resting the rail on a 25 mm gauge block is faster and more reliable.

• Magnetic encoder spacing
  In a project requiring a magnet-to-IC gap of less than 3 mm, a 3 mm gauge block provided immediate verification that the magnet was positioned within tolerance.

Over time, I’ve found these blocks indispensable for repeatable spacing tasks where direct measurement is either inconvenient or less robust.

Print Instructions

For practical use, clear readability of the labelling is essential.

The mesh files are designed in two different ways to achieve this:

• Option 1 All mesh files contain multiple bodies, allowing the labels to be printed in a contrasting colour. Especially for the gauge blocks, this is tedious to setup.

• Option 2 All files have cut-outs for the labels. Print with a single filament swap at layer 2 and 200% bridge flow ratio. 

An automatic filament changer is convenient but not required to achieve good results. A detailed explanation of both approaches can be found in my article: Single Extruder Multi-Color Labelling

Customization

Fusion 360 source files are included in the download section.

• The tray is semi-parametric. While dimensions can be adjusted, the labelling is statically placed and must be modified manually if expanding the range.

• The gauge blocks are fully parametric.

An export automation script is also available. It generates the mesh files automatically based on parameter values. If there is sufficient interest, I may publish a detailed breakdown of the workflow and scripting logic.