Hi

So first up, why spend all this time on getting the printer aligned? The most basic reason is because it's actually the easy way to do it. Going crazy with indirect measures for weeks is more frustrating than just getting it right up front. It is hardly unique to this printer. Any kit printer should be squared up. The great thing with this one is that it is a cube. There are lots of flat surfaces at right angles to each other. No strange 32.73 degree angles. No "humidity changes and it all moves" stuff. No bump into it and you need to re-align the whole thing.

The first objective of all this is to get the X,Y, and Z all in their proper orientation. The fancy term is orthogonal, the simple term is "right angles". The second objective is to get the X and Y axis guides (V-Slot) parallel to each other. The third objective is to take all play out of each axis. That is not in any sort of order in terms of importance. The all need to be done.

You *can* get this all done with a whole bunch of measurements. You can get a lot of it done by trial and error. You can print a bunch of cubes and then go chasing gremlins. People have been setting up fancy machines for at least a few hundred years. A very standard (and quick) way to set up a machine is to use levels. It is not the only way to do it. It does indeed work best with a precision (machinist's) level.

Before leveling out the machine, check the table. I do this a lot because the table I'm using isn't the best. Your table may not be as flakey as mine. If yours is solid, just move on. Double check the main frame to make sure it's still square and level.

Start with the left hand Y track. It should be properly spaced off the left hand side of the machine. Get it level front to back. Next step is to get the other track (V-Slot) level as well. Pre-set the eccentrics on the Y bed to "wide" and get the track moved over so the bed is up in the air on the rollers. It will not be perfect at this point. You just want it close enough that the eccentrics can do their job. Make sure the distance between the two rails is identical at front and back. At this point the rails are "right" and will not be touched again. Of course nothing is ever that simple, but that's the objective.

The eccentric adjustment can be a bit frustrating. It takes three points to define a plane. You have 4 in this case. The approach I used it to start from "loose" and rotate one of them clockwise and the other counter clockwise. You adjust / check / adjust / check. You do not want to get one way to tight. That will keep the other one from clamping down. Roll the bed back and forth. Check to see if it binds. Take both down a bit. Check again, take the one towards the loose end down a bit and see how it goes. You may need to back off the other roller if it is tight and the other one is not. The adjustments go maybe 1/16 of a turn at a time early and less than that at the end. If it goes loose in the middle, the rails probably are not level to each other.

When you are done with the adjustment on the bed it should do several things. It should not drag or bind at any point over the travel. It should be equally tight over the entire travel. There should be no vertical play at all (you can't move the bed up and down). There should be no play in the horizontal (you can't rotate the bed). There should not be any play at any point in the travel.

Next step is to get the belt straight and tight. The only way I could do this is to sit back and look at the belt from about 3 feet away from the machine. At the end, the fine adjustment is done finding the point that the belt is the most loose. That seems weird, but when the motor pulley or front bracket are centered, the belt is the most loose. Once it's centered, tighten it up by moving the bolt in the front assembly.

The Y bed should now be correct. It should slide back and forth It's time for a break.

Bob