Filament Tuning in Orca Slicer: Expert Tips for Perfect Prints

[@jeffreybrew]

Hi Len, I just watched this video and noticed you a couple things were a bit off. I didn't read all of the comment left by others so I don't know if someone else noticed this. According to step 5 in the instructions you displayed in your video, you needed to update the flow rate for Pass 2 with the results obtained from Pass 1. You selected the tile numbered 5 from Pass 1. The calculation for Pass 1 is 0.98x(100+5)/100 = 1.029. The Flow Rate setting for the Filament Test preset should have been updated with 1.029 before performing Pass 2. After you've updated the Flow Rate setting, perform the Pass 2 calibration (step 6). You selected the tile numbered -1 from Pass 2. According to step 7, you needed to perform another calculation replacing 0.98 with the result of your previous calculation, 1.029, and plug -1 in as the modifier. The new formula is 1.029x(100-1)/100 = 1.01871, or 1.019 when rounded to three digits. An easier way to perform this calibration is to subtract the value of the tile selected in Pass 2 from the value of the tile selected in Pass 1. This is why there are no tiles with positive number in Pass 2. In your example, you selected 5 from Pass 1 then -1 from Pass 2 giving you 5-1 = 4. If you plugged 4 into the formula in step 5 [ 0.98x(100+4)/100 ], this would also result with a calibrated flow rate of 1.019. After all of this, my prints improved substantially. Thanks fro making this video!

[@Hermitmaster]

Pass 1 he selected the middle tile, numbered 0. Your comment says " You selected the tile numbered 5 from Pass 1"?

[@jeffreybrew]

@@Hermitmaster Correct. He also said to use the next higher numbered tile, which is the tile numbered 5. But, that is not the point I am trying to make.

[@philipp170878]

@@jeffreybrew Actually he said "pick the higher numbered if you are caught between two". As the tile with number 0 was pretty much on point, he decided to pick the tile with 0 and thus did not update the value after pass 1.

[@jeffreybrew]

​@@philipp170878 BEST PRACTICE Always go high in Pass 1 then let Pass 2 pull it down. EXPLANATION Regardless of how good a particular Pass 1 tile looks, I always select the next higher tile. In this case, that would have been the +5 tile. Why? The nine tiles in Pass 1 are numbered in increments of five (+20, +15, +10, +5, 0, -5, -10, -15, -20) which leaves four possibilities between each of the nine Pass 1 tiles. Therefore, a better result might be found somewhere between +5 and 0. The ten tiles in Pass 2 are number in increments of one (0, -1, -2, -3, -4, -5, -6, -7, -8, -9) and are ALWAYS subtracted from the first pass. By selecting the next higher Pass 1 tile (i.e., +5), Pass 2 will print the four possibilities above (-1, -2, -3, and -4) the target Pass 1 tile (i.e., 0) as well as the four possibilities below (-6, -7, -8, and -9). In this example, Pass 1(+5) has the same flow rate as Pass 2(0) and Pass 1(0) has the same flow rate as Pass 2(-5). The math is simple enough confirm this. Even if two of the Pass 1 tiles have similar results, you would still want to choose the higher of the two Pass 1 tiles. I hope this helps.

[@L3X369]

This is the best tuning video I ever seen in my life. Straight to the point, with examples and everything. Thanks!

[@maxdefire]

When photographing flow rate plates, you should point the light source almost horizontally so that each imperfection can be seen better.

[@lendizzle77]

Thanks for the tip!

[@mikekiske]

@@lendizzle77 Hi there! Do you know how to fix the issue with the A1 Mini printer that keeps 'knocking down' the temperature tower calibration, like you mentioned in the video (04:30)? Thanks!

[@valentinleuci]

My p1s is only 2months old, got some issues with calibration on bamboo studio, don’t get me wrong, it’s working but…Orca have more pro stuff. You showed all this stuff straight to the point. Many thanks subbed 😊

[@joell439]

YT fortunately just promoted your channel to me with this episode as I’ve been exploring why I need to buy an X1C. Apparently I’ve been away from 3D printing so long that I wasn’t even aware of Orca Slicer 😳. Man, so much has changed and improved in the last 3 years. Very nice work. Tight presentation ,explanation and high quality video. I’ve immediately subscribed and look forward to learning more. 👍👍😎👍👍

[@lendizzle77]

Thanks for watching and subscribing

[@shadows555555]

So true. Even though I've only been in the space for 2 years, the innovation and changes in this short period has been astonishing. I just ordered an X1 carbon and await its arrival in 2 days. Excited to compare to my 2 other printers and play with the multi material capabilities.

[@joell439]

@@shadows555555 LOL - I finally bit the bullet and ordered my X1C. It is expected to be here the end of the week too. I predict it’s gonna be a crazy weekend. 😜

[@shadows555555]

@joell439 Same here bud. I purchased the CMYK Bundle and some CF PAHT, but I've got a stockpile of a bunch of other filaments already in the house

[@shadows555555]

@joell439 Same here bud. I purchased the CMYK Bundle and some CF PAHT, but I've got a stockpile of a bunch of other filaments already in the house

[@sammyblaze4234]

i agree, taking a photo really helps, i can imagine editing the photos to black and white and adding sharpness/contrast can also really help, that way the colors don't mess up the image quality like the bright yellow in the last photo.

[@independent900]

Hey Len, I'm 3 weeks new to 3d printing and have struggled to find an intro video for new users that explains the different build plate types, the intended uses and benefits of each type, and of course their weaknesses. The videos all ASSUME the viewer knows, for example, what PEI, cold, and hot plates are and when and why to use them. Given how many people seem to be buying an X1C as their first printer, maybe this is a worth content topic...or I'm just an incompetent searcher and the bids are already there😊

[@lendizzle77]

Check this out. It is what I use for reference. wiki.bambulab.com/en/general/filament-guide-material-table

[@independent900]

@@lendizzle77 Thank you! That is the reference I've been looking for.

[@lucasfalcao3d]

Thanks so much for this video, it's the easiest step by step, calibration tutorial that I've found. This procedures should be done for every filament brand, even if it's the same type? I saw other person saying that they only calibrate pressure advance, if it's the same filament type.

[@independent900]

Len, thanks for the great vids. I wanted to share that I bought the PEI plate right after seeing your first review of it. I absolutely love it for what I'm doing. My prints have been good, I LOVE LOVE LOVE not having to glue and clean the cold build plate and how incredibly easy it is to remove the print and the calibration crap from the plate. It may not be universally perfect for all prints, but it's a winner for me. I'll continue to follow your journey in search of the perfect build plate. Thanks.

[@lendizzle77]

Thanks for sharing!

[@mastercarclub]

But if we need to update something on flow test one? What are we going to change?

[@GAMarine137]

Yeah, the calibration every print seems very necessary. Hopefully the X2 will be much better. For now, I will try out some of your tips. Thanks.

[@Festivejelly]

So my problem with this is you're not really showcasing that well the before and after. I think you need to be showcasing a few different prints from different angles. Else someone could go down a massive rabbit hole changing things they dont really need to change.

[@nikkolaus]

I had to fight with Bambu Lab for like a week to get them to accept that the textured PEI plate they sent me with the printer was warped and causing stuff to be printed incorrectly (i believe you guys call it layer shift). The BL Rep said, and I quote, *"If the warping is on the PEI plate, I can assure you that this should not impact your printing results."*......like, wtf, how does that even make sense? "The thing you are printing on may be warped but it won't translate to the print!" They literally think they make PERFECT infallible parts.......

[@roadshow69]

I'm using Bambu Labs High Temp plate for everything now. No glue and it works with the lidar.

[@georgespapillon364]

Thank you for a great video ! Do you have to do this for each Brand and type of filament. Because it takes a lot of time...! Thank you.

[@0x80O0oOverfl0w]

Love the video, those are the exact reasons why I disabled all the AI/automation settings for my X1C. It's a great printer, but like you mentioned, there's too many issues with the lidar and the camera.

[@reggievillar523]

very well documented video. a big thumbs up for me, well done.

[@ThePhilocypher]

Thank you for the video. Something I'm still confused on is PLA+. It's not listed as it's own filament. Does that mean that I just stick with PLA settings? Does anyone have experience with this?

[@elidari60]

Hi, I learn a lot from your videos. Thank you so much I am trying to print TPU i’m having a problem where can I change the printing speed? Thank you very much

[@hangman4011]

Hello Len. I was trying the flow rate out for myself, but for some reason I get almost no adhesion from the -15 and -20. All the others stick fine, but those two just peel right off the plate. Is it needed to have them if I don't expect the numbers to get that extreme?

[@chrisb6865]

I would really like to see you take this a bit more in depth after these initial tests...You said you could probably get your benchy a bit better with more fine tuning, I would love to see that fine tuning in a video

[@JHinterl]

isn't it possible at the flow rate test 1, when I know just to cali 0 to +10 (that's just 3 parts instead of 9) and might be much faster. but are the params then correct for the left 3??

[@JasonSmith-b6k]

For some reason when I run pressure advance using Orca on my Voron 2.4 I see no difference between from top to bottom. Not sure why? The flow rate, and temp tests ran correct.

[@andreasjawienun6357]

Hi Len, thanks for the "how-to". Very much appreciated. Just bought an X1C. Not sure if I don´t regret it already. Lots of trouble with ringing. Starting manual calibration. That being said: I print lots of ASA which is prone to filament shrinkage of about 0,45% (=shrinkage value 99.45%). At what point in the calibration process do I correct this value in orca slicer. Thanks in advance for your reply. Best regards.

[@Limeandsugar130]

I print quite a bit of ASA as well. Did you figure it out?

[@andreasjawienun6357]

It was lots of testing/calibrating. I calibrated shrinkage factor second to last only followed by correcting scaling per axis. I have a dimensional accuracy of 1-2/100mm on my most commen part sizes now. Stefan from CNC Kitchen just put out an informative clip on calibration. I am fighting seam height at the moment. My seams throw dimensional accuracy off by 15/100mm on round objects. I haven’t had any success with wipe on loop and or extended wipe lengths. @LenDizzle (or others) if you have any tips on making seams invisible (especially on round objects) please share. I would greatly appreciate those. Thanks in advance.

[@hansherrera6969]

Would this help my moving parts not be stuck together?

[@unlock-er]

Hiya Len, your video is very very clear and was able to follow, unlike some others who seemed to have skipped the small details. However, I'm just wondering, as I'm new to Orca, the tickbox for flow calibration @5:20 is not available for me (I'm using Ender 3 printers). Is that option only available on Bambu's printers? ta Also, if +20 happens to be the smoothest from pass 1, where and how do I use this figure in order to then do the second pass?

[@AltoidsYob]

Hi, Bambu Studio and its forks won't display this option for anything but the X1C (or other Bambu printers with LIDAR). You can ignore anything pertaining to that check box since your printer can't attempt to do it in the first place.

[@1937Brett]

My nozzle seems to be going up and down alot also making more of a noise when doing so any Advise

[@imacmill]

I'd like to know how many meters of a filament spool it takes to do these calibrations, especially if you add in temperature and retraction towers.

[@nortonshields8405]

If you were to do a Vertical Fine Artifact test where would input that information and do you know if Orcaslicer has "Input Shaping" as yet - thanks

[@ssullivan]

Can you make a video on tuning the cooling for each filament. I can get them to look good easily on the X1C but that usually comes at the expense of layer strength. I would really like to find the ideal cooling and speed values for best quality with best strength. Thanks for the great videos!

[@lendizzle77]

Good idea!

[@Volvoamazon62]

Hi, how do you get the menu when hitting print? I only get a upload and print option. Thanks

[@dugy40]

You lost me on the volume test. You chose 15. You didn’t explain how to count the layers. Thank you. Great video.

[@Antoz1103]

Hey i printed asa. My flow is 95% in Filament settings. My flow ratio under quality is set to 1.2 the top layer setting is 0.99 and my top wall lines are at 0.42 and the top layer is extreme overextruted. But why? All other slcers i use print very good ...

[@JeffDepies]

Great stuff! Two questions: Safe to assume that after you modify the flow rate or pressure advance values you should never use the flow calibration option when sending the job to the printer? And second, I do not see the pressure advance setting in BambuStudio. If I change it in orcaslicer and save that profile to the cloud, will bambu studio honor it? Thanks!!

[@lendizzle77]

1) That is correct. Do not use flow calibration. 2) I need to look at the updated Studio software. The old software did not have an option for pressure advance.

[@rspierenburg]

I know this is old, but I was just curious. Do people calibrate by Vendor? or by Vendor and Color? by spool?

[@xVolta]

I calibrate for each vendor, plastic type, and where I care about quality, each color. For example, if I've got Inland PLA Sparkle Blue and Inland PLA Sparkle Purple, I might use the same calibration for both colors, but if I then use Inland ToughPLA Blue and Inland PLA Glow blue I'd calibrate each of those separately, and end up with 3 calibrated filament profiles, and use those profiles for future spools of those same filaments. Sometimes different colors in the same brand & type will require separate calibration, the different additives for each color can change how it prints. If I see problems on the first print using a profile for a different color, I'll calibrate for that specific brand-filament-color, but most of the time it isn't necessary. Sometimes a new spool will print poorly using the profile for the previous spool in that brand-filament-color, and require separate calibration. This is pretty frequent with cheap "fashion" filaments found on Amazon. I take that as a sign the filament manufacturer has poor quality control and avoid that brand in the future, I don't have time to waste calibrating for inconsistent filament.

[@stanleyhavok]

Thanks for the video Anyone know what the new Calibration VFA ( under the more tab) is for?

[@E.H.N]

Ender 3 S1 - I see no difference in the PA test?

[@1937Brett]

How's does this help bed adection?

[@TedTedness-wu4vb]

I have to use the PEI plate 6) P1P's and 1) X-1C as for what I sell can't have added fluid to cause or attract bacteria. I scrub my PEI with a 3M pad and lightly sand the plate with 2000 grit sand paper and use Dawn detergent scubs with bristle brush every 30 ish run on that plate. I use 70% ISO with a microfiber EVERY run.

[@GargamelCZ]

Can anyone please answer - do I have to calculate PA from PA tower differently, when I use a 0.6nozzle with 0.3layer height?

[@glorias9125]

Len, how do set the nozzle and build plate temps in Orca Slicer? What am I missing?

[@lendizzle77]

the little page next to the filaments. on the left side

[@FilmFactry]

Is this machine specific gcode? I have ender 3s with both duet and klipper. This test should not mater what printer correct? I would like to calibrate, thanks.

[@lendizzle77]

I don't think it matters. The Ender 3 V2 is a printer available to select.

[@lendizzle77]

It also has an option for Generic Klipper printer

[@scott8135]

when you was saying times 11m by .02 for pressure advance, Shouldnt that be .22?

[@lendizzle77]

You are correct.

[@5m4r7]

The default setting is 0.02. But when you start the test its starts its at 0.002 and increment from that . That's why he ended up with 0.022. I was confuse too.

[@zino2007]

@@5m4r7I think 0.002 were the steps and not the starting point

[@zino2007]

@@lendizzle77 now I am confused, what is the correct value? Thanks

[@JeppoTheWrecker]

Can these setting be taken over to the standard bambu software, or do you then need to keep using the Orca software ?

[@lendizzle77]

Hey Steven. Everything can be transferred easily except pressure advance. Bambu Studio does not have an option for it. I think you can add it to the gcode but do not know how to do it that way.

[@paulmyfinger]

Like an export import of the profile or does it have to be done manually

[@rlajordan]

I noticed when you saved the filament test, that the name of the 7th filament changed to Filament test. I stopped using Softfever because of this problem. Every time i saved a filament it changed all the names in the AMS to the same name. Why is that and is there a fix?

[@lendizzle77]

Its because they had the same name "Generic PLA." I can go change the other one back. The frustrating thing to me is there is no way to send it to the printer to save it as a filament type to select when loading.

[@rlajordan]

Ok, but that seems to be a software problem. It seems they are using the name instead of the location for the renaming.

[@Jonezyyy16]

Do you have to do a new calibration if you want to use ludicrous mode? Or should the same settings work for all speeds?

[@lendizzle77]

You set ludicrous mode during the print so it uses the calibration from the start.

[@Jonezyyy16]

@lendizzle77 so all calibration settings should be fine between the different speed settings then? I just assumed if it was calibrated in standard speed then it might not work for ludicrous mode

[@lendizzle77]

That’s how it’s set up to work, however, doing the max volumetric speed test and setting that on the filament will give you the best chance

[@coronitaflotante]

my flow rate test look pretty much the same all the way from the 20 to the -20 you can tell a little bit by the texture of the ridges but in plain eyesight they pretty much look the same. what do you suggest im actually using a neptune 3 pro not a bambu

[@jamesmc8055]

I was having the same problem with my Ender 5+ and it turned out the slicer was not changing any flow rates for the individual plates. I hope that helps.

[@coronitaflotante]

@jamesmc8055 I can see it changes flow very slightly because on the lower end you can start telling there are gaps but that was only when I changed filament to tune. I was doing it with a hatchbox yellow and could not tell the differance but now I am tuning a hatchbox Grey filament and you can bearly tell the difference

[@tristangold2772]

just fyi @LenDizzle 11mm x 0.02 is NOT 0.022 it's 0.22 so the pressure advance configuration is incorrect. my test best layer was at 32mm so i would put 0.62 pressure advance not 0.062 as 32mm x 0.02 is 0.62

[@djgraffiti5627]

None of those settings when you hit print show up to disable flow rate

[@rickyneeter69]

Should you do this for bambu filament aswell?

[@lendizzle77]

I have

[@danielesebastiani9905]

Hello, I'm new with orca slicer, how I can decrease or increase the object dimension ? Thanks

[@lendizzle77]

at the top where it says scale

[@arcscalper]

orca is having some calibration issues, when I start printing the filament calibration, the nozzle write lines outside of the bed

[@lendizzle77]

Interesting. Uninstall/ reinstall? I’m assuming you have the right printer selected

[@arcscalper]

@@lendizzle77 yeap everthıng ıs right, but when i slice to plate "custom" calibration alwas faild to up side

[@lendizzle77]

Can you send a video to me email?

[@arcscalper]

@@lendizzle77 sure i will, thank you

[@paulmyfinger]

Does this need doing for every filament?

[@lendizzle77]

Every brand/ type of filament yes. I have tried 4 colors of the eSun PLA+ i calibrated in the video and all 4 work great. I would suggest calibrating each brand you run but not every color.

[@VascoAlmeida84]

hello, didnt understand how you got the value for max volumetric speed?

[@lendizzle77]

Sorry! There isn’t a formula. After slicing, change the color scheme to flow and look at the flow rate of the print in the slicer and match it to just under where the print starts to mess up. Basically the test speeds up as it’s going, your max is just under where it fails. Not an exact science but there isn’t any documentation.

[@edmundtee9084]

@@lendizzle77 I guess this is for flow rate...what would the calculation for max volumetric speed setting? tks!

[@lendizzle77]

Sorry! There isn’t a formula. After slicing, change the color scheme to flow and look at the flow rate of the print in the slicer and match it to just under where the print starts to mess up. Basically the test speeds up as it’s going, your max is just under where it fails. Not an exact science but there isn’t any documentation.

[@edmundtee9084]

@@lendizzle77 ah...I see...haha...ok. understood now... thanks! have a good day!

[@janjanuary8186]

perfect

[@antonkukoba3378]

It's hard to watch the video where the person is just reading, and you see him doing that