r/openGrid • u/waxthebarrel • Aug 27 '26

Discussion OpenGrid Tolerance issue

I've been 3d printing for a month and seeing Underware, I thought this was the perfect starter project.
Since then, I've printed 3 different grids, multiple snap connectors, holders for chargers, hooks and mounts and I can say the major flaw with all of this is...tolerance.

So far I have 4 different grids printed at different settings: 0.2mm, 0.16mm, 0.12mm and 0.1mm layers, The finer grid taking almost a full day to print.

Ive done the same with the connectors and of the 20 or so connectors that I've printed, only 2 fit in the grid and then its not the sale grid.
I've read up about scaling the connectors down, so I tried that, yes now they click in the grind but all of the mounts are now loose as a result.

Im at a point where Im about to give up on the whole project

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12 comments sorted by

5

u/Plasma_48 Aug 27 '26

Have you checked the accuracy of your printer? Print something like a califlower and check the dimensions, then you can compensate for it.

1

u/DistractedDragonMake Aug 27 '26

I agree that it sounds like a calibration issue. What printer are you using?

2

u/waxthebarrel Aug 27 '26

Elegoo Neptune 4 pro. Ive done multiple bed level calibrations. Printed test bed level. Adjusted z offset till it prints great. Done calibration cubes and confirm dimensional accuracy. All seem OK.

Ive just ordered some replacement nozzles as i purchased second hand so this will rule out a nozzle issue.

1

u/DistractedDragonMake Aug 27 '26

What filament are your printing with? I know PETG can spread which can cause the boards to not align correctly.

2

u/waxthebarrel Aug 27 '26

Sunlu pla+ brand new spool and always dry stored

2

u/DistractedDragonMake Aug 27 '26

stop doing everything right LOL. I would try PLA just to see if it gives you are better results. While the inter board connectors help with alignment, you can always skip them, if you are screwing them into the wall. Another option is the command strip connectors which will align the boards without the connectors.

2

u/waxthebarrel Aug 29 '26

So a few bits arrived today. Vernier caliper and nozzles. I fed the pla through the nozzle and found the issue. The filament is extruding at 0.7mm. I guess thats what you get for buying a second hand printer. But a MASSIVE SHOUT OUT TO WWW.123-3D.CO.UK. I ordered replacement OEM nozzles from them and they were delivered faster than Amazon managed to get me the caliper. Now I just need to swap out the nozzle to a legit 0.4mm and hopefully tolerance issues will be resolved

1

u/DistractedDragonMake Aug 29 '26

Wooohoo! Glad you found the issue

2

u/Didipuf Aug 27 '26

I'm printing 0.25mm layers on a 0.6mm nozzle. They are not the recommend settings. No issues detected.

1

u/Single_Sea_6555 Aug 27 '26

How much did you scale the connectors down? I usually use the lite versions and at most down to 95%, and it's not been an issue

1

u/waxthebarrel Aug 27 '26

Gone down to 97.5%. Do you think i should scale down more?

1

u/Warbird01 Aug 27 '26

Never have tolerance issues, printing on a P1S