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Beacon has announced the early May launch of Beacon Contact, a “low force” nozzle touch probing system that arrives as a free firmware update to all existing users of the Beacon RevH and RevD.

The RevH and RevD are Klipper-based eddy current displacement sensors, which measure the distance between a printer’s nozzle and the print bed by detecting changes in induction currents.

This helps level the user’s print bed to a resolution of 0.5 microns, Beacon says, ensuring a better first layer. Both devices attach to 3D printers’ toolheads, scan the user’s print bed, and create a bed mesh in as little as 20 seconds.

The RevH is the follow-up to the RevD, the latter of which is being phased out and available while stock lasts, starting at $65. Beacon says the RevH builds upon its predecessor by offering improved sensitivity and durability, as well as decreased thermal drift. The RevH is also available on Beacon’s website, and starts at $80.

Once updated with the auto-calibrating Beacon Contact, Beacon says the RevD and RevH will use its “TrueZero technology” to “determine the exact point of contact between the nozzle and the bed” – further boosting first layer accuracy.

Beacon also claims Beacon Contact uses “up to 50 times less force than traditional strain gauges and optical sensors”. That decreased force, which Beacon says is less than 30 g, should result in “less wear and tear” on print beds.

For more on Beacon Contact, be sure to read Beacon’s press release, which offers a bit more insight into how the firmware update will function. The RevH’s and RevD’s product pages are also a good source of further information, and contain exact specs and other technical data.

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License: The text of "Beacon Announces ‘Beacon Contact’ 3D Printer Probing System" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.