You might find this little tool useful:

3D-printed holes gauge block

This is a block with a series of vertical and horizontal holes from ⌀1 mm to ⌀3.6 mm (nominal) in 0.1-mm increments. I print this block with any new printer / new material at the layer thickness and speed I use most often and keep the blocks as references.

Then, when I want to print a part with a hole in it that will end up printed at the final diameter without any rework (or very close, but usually it ends up exactly right) I use the gauge block I printed with the printer and the material I intend to print the part out of to find out which nominal diameter hole I need to use in the model for the hole.

For instance, the block in the photo was printed on a Prusa Mk4 with PLA at 0.2 mm layer thickness. If I want a ⌀0.8-mm vertical hole with no interference in my final part in PLA out of that printer, I’ll need to model a ⌀1.2-mm hole. I know that because the shank of a 0.8-mm drillbit will slide freely in the vertical hole marked ⌀1.2 in the block.

Or if I want a hole that I can screw an M3 screw into without having to run a tap through it, the block tells me I would have to use a ⌀3.2-mm hole to fit a ⌀3-mm pin in freely, and I back off 0.4 mm to get a hole in which the screw thread will engage well but reasonably lightly, or 0.5 mm for a tighter engagement (but with a bit more risk with horizontal holes near an edge, because the layers might separate) so I know I’ll have to model a ⌀2.8 or ⌀2.7 hole in the model.

I use those gauge blocks all the time. They save me a lot of time on parts that I print often because I never have to ream or thread the holes: they come out the printer just right and ready to use.

  • 11111one11111@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    What’s the deviation tolerances of the actual hole sizes? I’m American so I’ve only machined using inches or converting metric to inches. So are we talking +/-.005 or +/-.0005? Decided to make gages for hydraulic tube sizes for real time quality assurance from our picking and packing department to use. Ended up going with counter sinking pins for carpentry but never found a female gauge option for the male tube connections. Wasn’t important enough to spend any more time or money on. That’s also why I said fuck the machining gage pins, they’re expensive as fuck. What you made tho is exactly what i was looking for.

    • lemmyman@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      If I’m reading your comment right, you might be talking about gauging for inspection purposes, but that’s not what OP has here. I’d call it more of a printer calibration block.

      • 11111one11111@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        I know what I’m looking at and know what I was looking to have made. Why would you even comment to tell me I’m wrong in knowing what I want when my comment specifically says I decided against going with inspection gages? Thank you for such an annoying reply.