A Look at Automating 3D Printer Bed Leveling, and First Layer Calibration

My latest article, in which I explore the auto-leveling features in the Anycubic Vyper 3D printer, has been published at Hackaday. I found the idea of integrating a strain gauge into the hot end to look well done, and in short, it works as advertised and gives perfectly serviceable results.

In the article I talk about why bed leveling and first layer calibration remain a pain point for 3D printers and users, discuss some ways people have tried to make the problem go away, and take a close look at the method implemented in the Vyper.

One thing that is unusual for 3D printers -- compared to other CNC machines -- is that there is a strong trend toward using build surfaces that are coated (or textured), and swappable. This makes the problem more difficult, because these swappable build platforms are never completely flat, and no amount of adjustment with screws will adjust out the imperfections in them. It's up to the machine to work around them.