Flow Rate Calibration Guide - 3DMaker Engineering

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Qty: View cart () Continue shopping Flow Rate Calibration Overview:

Calibrating your flow rate (extrusion multiplier) will ensure you are getting the optimal volumetric flow from your hot end. This will allow you to produce strong, dimensionally accurate prints.

Prerequisites:

-Calibrated E-Steps (view guide)-Accurate calipers to measure print (amazon link)Calibrating Flow Rate

Flow rate calibration is extremely simple and can be completed in less than 30 minutes using the process below.

Step 1: Download our test file and import it in your slicer

Download

Step 2: Modify your existing slicers settings to match the list below

• Line Width: 1.2X Nozzle Diameter (Ex. 0.4mm Nozzle = 0.48mm Line Width)
• Layer Height: 0.2mm (or set to your normal printer layer height)
• Vase (Spiralize) Mode: Enabled (this should also make infill set to 0%)
• Print Speed: Set to your normal wall printing speed

**Verify that the walls are one line thick and vase mode is active

Step 3: Save the gcode and begin print

Step 4: After the print has finished and cooled, carefully remove it from the build surface and take measurements of each of the four sides. Ensure you are taking measurements towards the center of the walls. Enter these four values into the calculator below.​

Step 5: Enter parameters below and calculate the new flow rate. If you are using vase mode number of walls will be one. Some users prefer to run this test with 2 or more walls instead of vase mode so feel free to experiment with both, however, we prefer using a single wall.

Step 6: Update flow rate (extrusion multiplier) in your slicer settings with the calculated value.

**Please note this value will likely be different for every roll of filament.

Step 7 (optional): Rerun the test with the updated flow rate and verify your measured value and slicer values match. Ideally, if your slicer is set to one wall and a line width of 0.48mm, your measurement should also be 0.48mm.

That's it, now your extruder is fully calibrated!

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4 comments

• I get a 50% flow rate. How can that be??

  Noel October 9, 2022

• I followed your flowrate calibration. Do I keep the line width at 0.48mm on my slicer for my prints or do I put it back to 0.4mm after calibration is complete?

  Paul October 9, 2022

• After calibrating flow, should I set my line width back to 1x Nozzle Diameter, or should I normally be printing with 1.2x Nozzle Diameter?

  John Ilko October 19, 2022

• Hello. I used your calibration cube file. I measured the printed cube Used your calculator entering the values. 4 walls .48 line width Wall1 .66 Wall2 .62 Wall3 .63 Wall4 .68 Your calculator says to go to 295% flow when the walls are already too thick. What is the correct solution please?

  Larsen October 19, 2022

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