With the advance of desktop 3D printing, the quality of filaments has also increased continuously. While uneven diameters and winding errors were not uncommon in the early days, even inexpensive materials now score highly in terms of consistency. For most users, the selection of the usual brand is sufficient. However, anyone who produces their own filaments or is dependent on perfectly calibrated extrusion rates will benefit from precise diameter monitoring.
This is exactly where the open source WInFiDEL sensor from Sasa Karanovic comes in. The device measures the filament diameter in real time and visualizes the data clearly. At its core is a slim mechanism with two bearings: one firmly anchored, the other mounted on a lever with a magnet. As the filament passes through, the magnet moves according to the diameter. A linear sensor records and transmits the calibrated values to an ESP32 microcontroller.
This allows easy integration into the network. Live monitoring can be realized via a browser-based interface as a progression graph and API connection. In contrast to its predecessor InFiDEL, which only provided raw data for the printer firmware, WInFiDEL also allows manual process monitoring by the user.
For occasional users, the mere use of tested materials should be completely sufficient. However, anyone who values the highest possible precision and insights into material consistency and extrusion accuracy will find WInFiDEL a simple but powerful open source tool.
He has not only published details of his development on GitHub, but has also published an explanatory YouTube video:
Subscribe to our Newsletter
3DPresso is a weekly newsletter that links to the most exciting global stories from the 3D printing and additive manufacturing industry.
