Slide Tolerance Tester

Every printer/filament/slicer introduces very slight differences in print tolerances, etc. For models with moving parts its very important to calibrate the print such that parts slide smoothly, but are not overly loose. This was designed specifically for the Fast Phone Docker, which has a lot of sliders, so that the end user to be able to accurately predict the required clearances before compiling/printing their design. It is generic however, and can be used for any other models as well.

There are three parts to this test -- the slider top sits on top of a 1mm base, is 5mm tall, and 5mm wide. This is used to measure tolerances in sliding parts not involving the first layer. There is also a protrusion on the slider piece, which is 5mm tall (without a base) and 5mm wide. The protrusion can be used to measure discrepancies in height, and for the size of the elephant foot.

You should also be aware that in some tests, the corners at the end of the sliders can bulge a bit. This will become apparent if the slider sticks when it reaches the end of the slot. If you are planning to print with ABS, you will need to account for these bulges, or be prepared to file them off in your final print. If using PLA, these bulges will wear themselves away over time.

For terminology, be aware that the term Clearance refers to the space on either side of the slider. This will be half the difference between the slider width and slot width, so if you need a 5.1mm slot for a 5mm slider to slide smoothly, then you need 0.05mm clearance on either side). The Fast Phone Docker in particular has clearance field.

Most users can simply download the STL file, and print that. I have also attached the customizer for anyone wanting to test specific tolerances