How To Tune The Flow Rate On Your 3D Printer!

[@TheEdgeofTech]

Here is the site link: 3D Maker Engineering: www.3dmakerengineering.com/blogs/3d-printing/flow-rate-calibration

[@TH3DStudio]

Just a heads up but the owner of this company threatened to sue us after him and his wife were banned from our Facebook groups after spamming their product links all over in there without approval. Still have the emails where he threatened to "see us in court in Indiana" because he was booted for repeatedly breaking the rules.

[@TheIllegible]

they require an email to download the model now.

[@sayrith]

@@TheIllegible I just used a generic calibration cube with vase mode.

[@TheEdgeofTech]

There are some questions in the comments about using .48. After this calibration is done, you should be able to go back down to 0.4, or any other other line width you would like!

[@johnmorenov]

thank you very much, i was needed that info

[@Bluedemonde]

So just to be clear, once we get the measurements of the walls, do the calculations and when I get to 100% flow rate I turn the Extrusion width to 0.4mm?

[@CRCinAU]

Yeah - so this touches on a concept that not many people have understood in the 3D printing world. Your E-Steps are specifically for extruding a known amount of filament. We normally calibrate this based on 100mm extruded - and it gives you the base on what to start on. When running this test, the flow rate is *a percentage* of your initial calibration. It doesn't matter what the reference filament is, but if you then go and re-calibrate your e-steps and that changes, all of these measurements will change too. So be aware on what you're adjusting, and as Jim says: 1) Calibrate your e-steps once - and never adjust this again unless you modify your printer extruder etc. 2) After esteps, use this test which sorts out the per filament variations. And remember, if you ever change your esteps, then all the filament calibrations will need to be redone.

[@LostContentScar]

would changing nozzle type or count as a modification, I suspect it would change flow rate. So would you need to chop and change according to nozzle size and type?

[@TheExtremeElementz]

Seriously thank you for this video! I do want to say going forward if you decide to show off both Cura & Prusa slicers please indicate that ahead of time. I literally was like "AW MAN HE IS USING PRUSA SLICER" and paused the video and went to YT to find someone showing how to edit these settings in Cura. Only to come back.. press play and POW there it was LOL you had the video showing Cura too! (I know I should have just waited) But seriously thank you for making the video with the Ender 2 Pro, you and CHEP are the only ones who are creating content with that printer and TBH it's a great bang for the buck printer and for many people I believe it will be there first one so having good content like this is insanely helpful as a new member to the hobby. Thank you! I just wish when searching via YT that your videos came up considering they don't come up specifically for the Ender 2 Pro.

[@TheEdgeofTech]

Thank you for watching! I'm glad it helps! And I appreciate the feedback!!

[@TheExtremeElementz]

@@TheEdgeofTech I do have a question that didn’t seem to be answered. With a .4 nozzle I was instructed to set the values to .48 after I find my flow rate and change that going forward would I keep all of those perm parameters set to .48 or should I change them back to their default values before running this test?

[@gorgonbert]

For the measurements it’s advisable to use a micrometer or thickness gauge instead of calipers.

[@woodwaker1]

I agree. I forgot that an expert made that recommendation to me. You get another order of accuracy.

[@TheEdgeofTech]

Not a bad idea! But not everyone has one, so I like to film and show tutorials with tools that most people will have. I appreciate the advice though!!! Thanks for watchin!

[@AndrewAHayes]

I agree I have 3 pairs of vernier calipers which all give a slightly different measurement and for most things they are ok but for calibrations I will use my micrometer every time

[@GeorgeWells00]

Another super-easy explanation on flow rate. This is just awesome and my prints now look better than ever!

[@ThantiK]

On CURA it's called "Spiralized Outer Contour"... why they don't call it something more _REASONABLE_ is beyond me.

[@quantiglenickclarencehogri8857]

Bro I've been trying to find out for ages it was pissing me of so much I was going to smash my 3d rpintwr

[@undeadly1103]

THANK YOU

[@DanTheBrit]

when you do this cube, make sure to scrape the last top layer sides as it may have some bulged on the last couple layers. This gives bad readings with calipers. Unless you can specifically mesure the middle, and only the middle, this is what has given me correct readings.

[@woodwaker1]

Jim, good video and an important alignment process. I also check two or three measurements per side at different locations to see if there are any variations.

[@TheEdgeofTech]

Great Tip David! Thanks for watching!

[@EmoryM]

I’d have liked to see you reprint the cube with the new flowrate and show me if it worked.

[@badandy880]

What's the rationale for adjusting the layer thickness to 1.2*nozzle? Is this something I should be doing with all prints?

[@kryptone3032]

I have the same question

[@boboscurse4130]

Wow, it's that easy? In Bambu is the flow ratio the same as the extrusion rate you refer to?

[@Doughy_in_the_Middle]

New / changed filament (especially if it's one that has been opened) always gets an e-step check first, then I heat everything up and do a single-layer disc (about 40-50 mm with a normal nozzle). This will double check adhesion and flow. If it looks "off", then I do a flow cube. However, I've always done three walls, averaging them. There's too much variation with a single wall in my opinion. Fun tip: on the center of the bed, use a dry erase marker and draw a symbol (arrows, lines, whatever) that is specifically oriented in a certain way. When the print goes down -- unless it's black -- the marker will adhere to the bottom of the print. If it leaves any residue, quick alcohol wipe removes it.

[@sensible3d406]

Estep every filament change? Really….. ?

[@SantiagoLuz]

It doesn't make sense for me to calibrate E-steps that often. There should be slight difference between filaments, that's why we fine tune it using flow rate.

[@DennisCrawfordJr]

Thanks Jim, this is great and only takes a few minutes. what about temp towers they seem to take about 1hour 24 minutes at .2 layer height on my ender 3v2. is there a better way to figure out the temp without printing for almost 2 hours?

[@TheEdgeofTech]

I know there are a few options out there. To be honest I don't know the times on all of them. I know Teaching Tech had one that was pretty fast!

[@DennisCrawfordJr]

@@TheEdgeofTech thanks. I really appreciate all the info you put out. Rock on!

[@3DJapan]

Cura vase mode is "Spiralize Outer Contour".

[@carlbate3786]

is there a version of this with cura i havent a clue where to look for the extrusion with parameters

[@carlbate3786]

doh why did i press pause cura version was 15 seconds after cheers man

[@benbodrero6520]

Maybe it's just me, but I'm confused on what to do with the results. Previous to this calibration, my extrusion width was 0.40 (.4 nozzle). Even though the calibration requested a .48 extrusion width, do I still apply my new multiplier against my old width? Also, can someone explain why the calibration uses 1.2 x nozzle diameter?

[@daveedaem]

Its not just you...I'm the same. So as a default all the slicers are 0.4 Then he changed it to 0.48 in vase mode and did the calculation. But then what do we do with original line width?? Do we leave it at 0.48 now? Put it back to 0.4? Is this for all prints or just vase mode?? 🤷‍♀️

[@benbodrero6520]

@@daveedaem so I think I've figured out more since my question. I currently figure that 1.2 x nozzle diameter was simply a common assumption. Really, it should be suggested to choose an extrusion width that fits your job. For instance, just this morning I used this same approach to calibrate my .4 nozzle down to a .24 extrusion width. (I found online that .6x to 1.2x nozzle diameter is a good range to work in) Anywho, whatever width you calibrate to then becomes the basis of your profiles moving forward. The flow rate calibration can also work with multiple walls which is something I'm considering in the future.

[@daveedaem]

@@benbodrero6520 Thanks Ben. I just left it at .4 and printed the cube in all the filaments I use. Some were very accurate, Petg and TPU for example. PLA+ needed 1.05 flow rate, but now they all print extremely accurately. So I'm going to stop there. 😁

[@metalneck7280]

I emailed Jim about this exact same question and this is the response he sent me: "After you do the calibration and get your flow rate set, you should be able to go back to any line width you want to use. I believe they use .48 Just to make a nice thick wall to measure. But you should be able to go up or down from that with no issue once you have your flow rate."

[@camilocortes6315]

WORKS PERFECT!!!! better than orcaslicer flow calibration!!! only you need the number of the calculator and used with the orcaslicer formula, like this: (your actual flow ratio)x(ZERO)x(the number of the calculator without %)= your new and perfect flow ratio

[@Zuul47]

Jim, what needed up happening with your Aliexpress on stream purchase from March?

[@TheEdgeofTech]

Definitely a scam and never shipped! 🤣 Got my money back!

[@Zuul47]

@@TheEdgeofTech ooof lol glad you got your money back. The other guy got his back too I saw him post in the discord lol

[@-Gunnarsson-]

A rough visual example of 3 walls. Original flow (__)(__)(__) = 1.5mm ~ After you calibrated. = 1.2mm~ The touching points get smaller. And less optimal for printing 😮

[@scotttovey]

Why did they call it extrusion multiplier? Did someone trademark flow rate?

[@steampunkg0]

Can I do this on my bambu I'm having problems with my hatchbox pro filament makes stringing and little globs after moving to the next layer

[@raygunzd]

Thanks Jim, I'll try this out on some of my favorite recycled PETG.

[@TheEdgeofTech]

Awesome Ray! Let me know how it goes! Thanks for watching!

[@dogjennings1171]

It still amazes me how few people know to do this and temp towers

[@TheEdgeofTech]

Right! It really can help if you just take some time and tune your printer!! Thanks for watching!

[@undeadly1103]

did you know about it until someone told you or you read it somewhere? 😆

[@Bluelight82]

Do you need to calibrate your extruder? I mean can't you just compensate with flow rate in the slicer only, and it would do the same thing?

[@Scottie_70]

btw after i get the flow rate (mine say 103%) and i change my line width back to default settings - now my line with in the calculator says 94% - which setting should i go with?

[@Scottie_70]

so after you change your exstrution width to x1.2 for this test printof cube and you get to that proper 100% on all 4 sides do you go back to the default line width in your slicer or leave at that x 1.2 value?

[@Printed_Visionz3D]

so 102% is 1.02 in the slicer? you didnt mention what it would be

[@LostContentScar]

Do you need to do e steps still, if you're using sonic pad?

[@tjCooper88]

of course

[@tomking4726]

For some reason my printer stutters on the corner of the flow rate test cube. I've tried slicing with Cura and PrusaSlicer. Anyone got any idea why that might be?

[@JohnDStrand]

Thanks for the info Jim! Great Video!

[@TheEdgeofTech]

Thanks John!

[@jamesmaniaciiii1454]

How do you compensate for printing speed? Cura will default to print this cube at 10mm/s because of short part distance. But the webpage to download the cube says to print at normal printing speed. If I set to 100mm/s the cube doesn't come out well at all.

[@Schjoenz]

Why Prusa? Why not Creality Print?

[@Offcut55]

I downloaded the cube in PETG set as described and had to adjust to 94% did another cube with that flow setting and did the calculations again it stated 100%! So looks like it should be near perfect now? On the flow at least

[@sayrith]

What's the formula?

[@Engineering_Science]

All of mine was .45 and one was .46 I think it is calibrated and assembled the 3D printer using a precision granite plate.

[@samuelbentz]

I've been wondering what the point of calibrating your e-steps is if you have to adjust your flow rate anyway. Does it really make any difference? Shouldn't you just be able to adjust your flow rate instead of doing a calibration that ends up needing another calibration?

[@sayrith]

I got really bad top/bottom layers; turned into a mesh. But my walls were .48....?

[@KenRossPhotography]

Another great tip - adding this one to my list and about to load a fresh roll of Duramic PLA+ to try it on :)

[@TheEdgeofTech]

Awesome! Let me know how it goes!

[@KenRossPhotography]

@@TheEdgeofTech not great actually. I ran the test 8 times, each time taking careful measurements and entering them in, then adjusted the flow per the website. Eventually I settled on a measure of .5 to .51 - that was as close as I got with an 80% flow.

[@Rejetor]

I followed the instructions and all the walls were 0.45 then I reprinted with the new extrusion multiplier of 1.07 and the wall were 0.45 again, what did I did wrong?

[@HayBarnGarage]

Where is this flow rate value in the slicer?

[@bigrocklabradoodlesnorth2448]

Question, once you get your results do you keep the nozzle size you calculated ( 0.4mm x 1.2 in my case ) for any prints that you do? Or do you put that value back to 4mm? ( the 0.4mm x 1.2 is just for this test? )

[@cosmickatamari]

Hey man, you have some great videos and with my 2nd 3d printer coming in this week, I got some good tips. My suggestion (and take it for what it's worth) is not do the "like/sub" thing in the middle of your video. I just watched 4 videos of yours and thought it would be better at the end. The people who get use out of the videos generally stay to the end and if aren't subbed, will do it without it being mentioned, IMO.

[@craftsmanchris7]

Great video man! I have a question. I am using Ender 3 S1 pro. I followed the steps you show on the video, I adjusted the line width to 0.48 and print with 100% flow. On the website the result was 94% flow. I used that and print another test with the same specs but with the new flow rate 94%. The new widths are 0.46 on all sides but not 0.48. What is the problem?

[@jimjh2671]

HI Jim answer me this. I have done this in prusa slicer, followed exactly my siders were all over .48 (.56 .53 etc) so it gave me a multiplier of .89 . ok good. I re-do the rest. sides are .50 and .51 and ..52, but now the multiplier goes back to .94 Is this correct? to me it should go down not up as I am over .48

[@benbodrero6520]

This is really similar to my results. I would interpret your second iteration to be .89 x .94 = .837. So yes you are getting closer and the value just needs to decrease a bit more. Note that this thought process is also what is happening on the first iteration, meaning that the first round is 1.00 x .89 = .89 to get the updated multiplier.

[@vickicorrigan6927]

Hi I have just watched the video thanks. I’ve always calibrate flow watching your Luke Hatfield version and get what I assume are good rates ( e steps are calibrated). I’m using cura 4.13.1 on an ender 3 v2. I used the settings you said in the video the flow rate calculator says I should use a flow rate of 38% doing it the LH way(average wall was 0.85) it tells me 97% so what am I doing wrong? 1 wall, layer height 0.2, line width 0.48 (as suggested) flow at 100% and spiralise outer contour checked. My readings are 0.51, 0.53, 0.52 and 0.53. Flow 38%. Surely that’s not right?

[@Fenweekoh01]

hmmm its just bouncing me between low and high values in cura 5 beta and prusaslicer running klipper fw first cube .95,.89,.80.96. put that in and got a value of 53% ok, re ran the test at that rate and got a wall thickness of .35, .47, .35, .34. put those numbers in and then im back up to 125 or something, put those numbers in and im back down to 40 something. Next up prusaslicer, first cube .65, .61, .62, .46 result 81% second cube .30 walls all the way around and the tool says im back up to 160% i have to be doing something terribly wrong here

[@squirrelbrain8608]

Great video Jim! Many will find this helpful 🖒👍

[@TheEdgeofTech]

Thank you!! I hope it does help for sure! Thanks for watching!

[@Bourn3J]

This video does not cover if you are over extruding or your flow rate is too high. I got a .7 and .6 wall thickness. I averaged it out at .65. To calculate your new percentage use this formula (desired wall thickness X 100) / (your average). Mine was (.48 X 100) / .65 = 73.84 percent.

[@kevinjones6924]

Great info Jim! Always wondered why there were differences between filaments when everything else was correct. Teaching old dogs new tricks my friend, thank you!! 👍🏻😉

[@TheEdgeofTech]

Glad it was helpful! And I learn something new every day in this hobby, there is so much to know! haha

[@Spartacusse]

Great video. I prefere doing 2 walls, taking 2% off the outer wall for better aesthetics and leave it just a little bit over sized at .84 for the 2 walls for a .4mm nozzle. Also I prefere to create the material profile in cura for each of my brands/color and write down the flow rate for each material in the Description box, this has the added benefit of auto updating the printing profile using the material's temperature and retraction settings in case they are different between materials. The flowrate still has to be set manually unfortunately.

[@MageLeaderInc]

I really feel like a lot of the settings you have to put in your slicer should be adjustable directly on the printer.

[@IamFrost]

im confused, theres no % on flow ratio its just 0.9-1+

[@billclark5943]

I built my first printer in 2013 and have tried every calibration technique known to Maker. They all have a potential for error. A couple years ago I decided to just make the machine output the calculated amount of filament as provided by the slicer. The calibration method is to pick an ordinary print that needs about 5-10 meters of filament then physically measure out that amount plus an extra foot or so, run the print and see what I get. On one of my printers with a Titan aero I have the steps/mm set to the published value and my extrusion multiplier is .81 to get it dialed in. Since trying this I have had no extrusion issues, consistant, high quality prints and is my preferred method. Another plus is if your printing with a material that is very hygroscopic you can just pull out the amount required for the print plus a foot or so extra and reseal the spool. If I ever get some spare time I plan to make or get a tool to measure how much filament I want to peel off the spool. Give this technique a try. I doubt you'll be disappointed. If it doesn't work as good as I say there is probably other issues.

[@oldsalty3d122]

Awesome video! I like how you mention that the extrusion rate can vary between filament colors. I found that out a while back and what I like to do is make a profile in PrusaSlicer for each brand and color. That way all I need to do is select that profile, no need to remember the extrusion rate for each, or write it on each new spool.

[@TheEdgeofTech]

For sure! I love the idea of saving the profiles in your slicer! I do that too, but for brands. Your way is a great idea!

[@mariuspetcu7482]

Thank You, Thank You for that 🤝. I am watching for some time your videos and now I realized I didn't subscribed yet, but now I am 😅👍

[@bertram-raven]

Be aware the download page uses a known email scammer linking system. Do not put a genuine email address in the pop-up. I suspect the site was compromised rather than being a deliberate act by the author.

[@a1hamer]

How you copied little Stephan (0.22) with your hair , haha Great content thanks !

[@TheEdgeofTech]

Haha Who is Little Stephan?

[@lap87]

@@TheEdgeofTech CNCkitchen i believe

[@TheEdgeofTech]

@@lap87 I figured that's who he was talking about, but I have much longer hair than Stefan! :P Stefan is awesome though!

[@jellybeans6533]

"times it" Are you 8 years old? It's called multiplication, so "multiply it".

[@Kotaztrafee]

Mine said my flow should be 32%. LOL My prints went all to hell when I started messing with acceleration and I can't get it back. Going to do the measurement of the filament calibration and take it from there. LOL 32%?!