Ultrasonic Alignment tool for Bed Leveling+zeroing of stage + Filament monitor

[ShadowX]

It has to reference to the tip of the nozzle. Even if the device is accurate in itself, each level would be different if the device moves even slightly. I have not even factored the issue with the angle in reference to the nozzle tip. If the probe is at an angle, the distance measurement may change. It has to be rigidly mounted and the value between the sensor and the nozzle has to fixed. In fact, it has to be even more accurate than the measurement taken by at least a magnitude of 2 in order to provide accurate measurement.

i can understand if the device is useful for other types of machines such as CNC or routers, but for 3D printing, the distance of the nozzle to the print bed has to be less than the thickness of the print layer (typically, .2mm or .3mm). If it can not accurately measure to that level and be repeatable, it will not serve the 3D printing community well.

I provided a link to a typical use case for an automatic level probe in 3D printing. This is an IR probe that does not contact the bed surface. However, if this device can perform at the same level of accuracy and repeatability, it would be an interesting device to support. The IR probe in this video is around $25, so the price has to be competitive to it also. The IR probe does have limitations such as the the bed surface has to be reflective to the IR and not provide false readings. The probe also has to be very close to the surface the surface within 3mm. The ultrasonic sensor would eliminate some of those issues if it can compete at the same level. It also a tough market since there are other options such as mechanical switches, FSR sensors, and even a direct probe such as BLTouch.

The sensor may need to be as close to the tip of the nozzle as possible in delta printers. Delta printer effectors may have a tilt and you want the probe to be as close to the nozzle to minimize the effects of effector tilt. The size of the device is critical to be able to place it close to the nozzle without interfering with the air from the cooling fans.