Gear Tolerance Test Card (Module 0.5–1.5)

Gear Tolerance Test Card (Module 0.5–1.5) — 0.4mm / 0.2mm Nozzle

Question: How small can your printer make gears that actually rotate smoothly?
Print this card-sized test kit to check your real-world gear capability with only a few grams of filament.

✅ Bonus: After printing, rate your result with the S/A/B/C rotation rank and share it in the comments (details below).

1) Why print this?

• Know your limit: See which small gears truly rotate on your printer/settings.
• Save filament: Test first, before printing a big mechanical model and finding out the gears don’t move.
• For designers & makers: Helps you choose safer gear sizes for your own designs.

2) Two versions (same geometry)

• 0.4mm Nozzle Version (Main / Standard)
• 0.2mm Nozzle Version (High detail)

The only difference is the engraving on the base plate (0.4 vs 0.2), so you can compare fairly with the same design.

3) Included gear sizes

This card includes paired gears for:
m0.5, m0.6, m0.7, m0.8, m0.9, m1.0, m1.2, m1.5

Smaller module = smaller teeth = higher difficulty.

4) Print & Assembly (important)

To keep gear quality high, gears and base are printed as separate parts, then assembled.

Assembly steps

1. Pair the same module first (this prevents mixing different sizes by mistake).
2. Place the gear perfectly vertical above the peg.

3. Press straight down until it seats.
    

   

⚠️ Please avoid

• Do NOT press at an angle. The peg may snap.

If it doesn’t go in

• If a gear is so tight it won’t seat, do not force it → that size is beyond your current precision (forcing it may break the peg).

If it feels loose

• If gears slide on easily and may fall off when flipped, it can mean your print is more precise than the clearance this test assumes.
  In that case, you can likely use tighter clearances in your own designs.

5) Rotation Accuracy Rank (S / A / B / C) — tell me yours!

Creator’s result (for reference): I printed this as S Rank on the 0.2mm nozzle and A Rank on the 0.4mm nozzle — now I’m curious: what rank will your setup get?
Use this fun ranking to describe your result:

• S Rank (Ultra Precise)
  Rotates very smoothly; fit can be loose enough that some gears may fall off when flipped — this is not “bad,” it’s a sign of very high precision.
  Creator note: Your setup may handle tighter clearances than typical.
• A Rank (Great Balance)
  Seats securely with a “click” feel, rotates smoothly, and doesn’t fall off easily.
• B Rank (Tight but Works)
  Needs noticeable force to assemble; rotation works but feels heavier.
  Tip: Tuning (temperature/flow/XY compensation) or a finer nozzle may help for smaller gears.
• C Rank (Limit Reached)
  Won’t assemble properly and/or gears don’t mesh/rotate.
  Tip: Try larger gears (bigger module / bigger tooth size) or improve print precision (settings, calibration, finer nozzle).

💬 Comment your rank (and nozzle size if you want) — I’d love to see how different setups perform!

Designer Notes (optional)

• Card size: ~85 × 56 mm
• Keyring hole: ~3 mm (for a keyring / strap)
• Peg/bore fit clearance (designed):
  • For m0.5: 0.20 mm diametral clearance (≈0.10 mm radial)
  • For m0.6–m1.5: 0.10 mm diametral clearance (≈0.05 mm radial)
• Tooth clearance reference: clearance ≈ 0.25·m