Abstract
Recently, shape manufacturing method has been changed to a 3D printer. Since lamination type manufacturing method is the basis for forming a three-dimensional shape by repeated lamination, the horizontal accuracy of the lamination layer is very important. In the current paper, we have proposed a new leveling system to be installed in a large 3D printer. The light source was reflected from the water surface contained in the measuring device, and the inclination of the measuring device was measured from the light that entered into four regions of a quarter photodetector. The electrical signals generated differently according to the position of the beam spot incident on the quarter photodetector was acquired and compensated to be horizontal by using a motor mounted at the corner. Compared to a digital leveler, the newly developed leveling system gave errors of only 2 to 3%. This new device can be applied to various fields including the 3D printer in future.