• Video of Z alignment procedure
• ZL alignment jig
• ZLT alignment jig

New Z alignment procedure for the Z extrusions.

Looking for some folks to help test this. If you have what appears to be Z banding, give it a shot. First, print this part (I recommend printing a few of them, it’s small).

To do this, you have to do the following steps (assuming a functional RailCore)

1. Remove your bed
2. Remove a leadscrew from the anti-backlash nut. Leave the bottom of the AB nut on. (unless you have the lower half of the nut on the bottom side of the yoke. if so, remove it)
3. Remove your leadscrew coupler
4. place the printed part over your stepper motor shaft. It will be a very tight fit, seat it fully.
5. lower your yoke - ideally the hole for the leadscrew will fall nicely over the printed part. If so, you’re well aligned. Mine did not.
6. loosen all 7 nuts on the top and bottom Z brackets.
7. adjust until the yoke fits nicely over the alignment tool. BE CAREFUL YOUR CARRIAGE DOESN’T GO OFF THE END OF THE RAIL
8. push the lower part of the Z extrusion firmly against the outside frame extrusion.
9. tighten the lower Z bracket
10. make sure the yoke still slides nicely on and off the alignment tool
11. use a square, or 123 blocks to square the top of the Z extrusion to the frame.
12. Tighten down the top bracket, making sure the Z extrusion is tight against the frame.
13. Remove alignment tool
14. reinstall coupler
15. reinstall Leadscrew

This is pretty much the same process as before, but the alignment tool is a much more rigid attachment and alignment point and should give MUCH better alignment. It helped all of my leadscrews.

Another tip: test you can fit it on a spare stepper shaft BEFORE you pull your printer apart. Especially if you don’t have a second printer to print a new one.

It’s just a 5mm hole in one end of a 10.35mm diameter cylinder, 25mm long.