{"id":820,"date":"2022-01-29T10:17:56","date_gmt":"2022-01-29T13:17:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nuevo.impresion3d.website\/?p=820"},"modified":"2022-01-29T10:17:56","modified_gmt":"2022-01-29T13:17:56","slug":"flow-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/impresion3d.net\/en\/flujo\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Calibrate Your 3D Printer's Flow Rate to Produce More Accurate Parts."},"content":{"rendered":"

What Is Flow in 3D Printing?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Flow is the setting in the slicer software that allows you to control, via software, the amount of filament that will be pushed through and purged by the extruder<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This amount of extruded filament will determine whether your parts are accurate<\/strong> whether or not it changes in size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why It's Important to Calibrate Flow<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Calibrating your printer's flow rate will not only give you more precise parts, but it will also help you avoid problems such as under-extrusion or walls that don't stick together (to name a few issues, among others).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine printing parts that don't fit, that won't turn, that can't be sold because their dimensions don't match what your customer requested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having your printer perfectly calibrated is priceless; you'll be able to set the standard for 3D printing, standing out in your field as someone who is reliable and produces high-quality prints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Calibrate the Flow Rate of My 3D Printer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To calibrate the flow rate, you'll need to configure your 3D printer software to print a calibration cube and take some measurements. Based on this, we can perform the necessary calculations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 1: Open Cura and Configure Settings.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In Cura, you'll add a calibration cube by clicking:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extensions \u2013 Part for calibration \u2013 Add a cube<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"How<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Next, you'll configure the following settings:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quality<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Layer height: 0.2 mm<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Initial layer height: 0.2 mm<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Line width: 0.4 mm (must match the size of your nozzle)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n
    \n
    \"How
    Layer height: 0.2 mm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    Walls<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Wall thickness: 0.8 mm (this will correspond to the size of the nozzle you have)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Number of wall lines: 2<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n
      \n
      \"How<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

      Higher or lower<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • Upper layers: 0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Lower layers: 4<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n
        \n
        \"How<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

        Filling<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Filling density: 0.0 %<\/p>\n\n\n

        \n
        \"How<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

        Material<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • Printing temperature: 205.0 \u00b0C<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Print plate temperature: 50.0 \u00b0C<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Flow: 100.0 % (It is important to set it to 100%)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n
          \n
          \"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

          Speed<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
          • Print speed: 50.0 mm\/s<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Wall velocity: 25.0 mm\/s<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n
            \n
            \"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

            Displacement<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Enable retraction: Disabled<\/p>\n\n\n

            \n
            \"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

            Next, search for \u201ccompensate for overlaps<\/strong> \u201dwall-mounted\" and you're going to disable<\/strong>. If it doesn't appear in the list, you can search for it in the search bar and turn it off.<\/p>\n\n\n

            \n
            \"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

            Step 2: Print the cube and take measurements<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

            Once the cube has been printed, you'll need to measure all the walls and calculate the average measurement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            In my case, the measurements are: 0.74 mm \/ 0.71 mm \/ 0.74 mm \/ 0.74 mm<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            When I calculate the average, I get a total of 0.73 mm<\/p>\n\n\n

            \n
            \"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

            Step 3: Apply the formula<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

            (Wall thickness \/ Average thickness) * 100 = New flow rate<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            In my case, it would be: (0.8 mm \/ 0.73 mm) * 100<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            That would leave us with 1,095<\/strong> * 100<\/strong> = 109,5<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            109 %<\/strong> That would be the new flow rate to set in Cura (in my case).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Step 4: Set a new parameter in Cura and repeat Step 2<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

            Now that you have the new flow value, you'll need to enter it into Cura and run the test again to make sure everything is okay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            After setting the new value, print the cube again (this time, be sure to enable retraction) and take the measurements again to see the results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            0.80 mm \/ 0.77 mm \/ 0.80 mm \/ 0.80 mm<\/p>\n\n\n

            \n
            \"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
            \n
            \"\"
            How to Calibrate the Flow, 2nd Print Test.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

            Now your new parameters should give you parts with more accurate dimensions. Even so, you should conduct all kinds of tests to verify that this is actually the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            YouTube Videos<\/h2>\n\n\n\n