It covers key aspects such as flow rate, pressure advance, temperature towers tests, and advanced calibration techniques. Each section includes step-by-step instructions and visuals to help you better understand and carry out each calibration effectively.
To access the calibration features, you can find them in the Calibration section of the Artillery Studio interface.
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Important: After completing the calibration process, remember to create a new project in order to exit the calibration mode.
¶ The recommended order for calibration is as follows:
¶ 1. Temperature: Start by calibrating the temperature of the nozzle and the bed. This is crucial as it affects the viscosity of the filament, which in turn influences how well it flows through the nozzle and adheres to the print bed.
You can refer to the following steps to start the temperature tower test
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After printing is completed, you will obtain such a temperature tower model; the temperature tower is a very intuitive test. The temperature tower is divided into multiple layers in the vertical direction, and the printing temperature for each layer is different. We can determine the optimal printing temperature based on the printing conditions of each layer.
Generally, the layers produced at the optimal temperature will have less wire drawing, better inter-layer bonding, lower warping, better hanging and bridging quality.
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¶ 2. Flow: Calibrate the flow rate to ensure that the correct amount of filament is being extruded. This is important for achieving accurate dimensions and good layer adhesion.
Steps are as follows:
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The software will automatically create a new project, which contains 9 calibration blocks. Each block will be printed using a different flow rate. Slice and print this project.
Carefully examine the printing results and select the block that you think has the smoothest surface：
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Calculate the new flow ratio using the following formula: Current flow ratio x (100 + the number corresponding to the smoothest surface block) / 100. For example, if your current consumable settings have a flow ratio of 0.95, and the number on the smoothest surface block is 5, then the new flow ratio is 0.95 x (100 + 5) / 100 = 0.99.
Remember to save your consumable settings after modifying the flow ratio!
¶ 3. Next, we will make further adjustments and repeat the previous procedure:
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This time there are 10 calibration blocks. We still need to identify the one with the smoothest surface.
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If the flow ratio you obtain after coarse adjustment is 0.99, and the number on the smoothest block of the surface during fine adjustment is -1, then the final flow ratio is
0.99 × (100 - 1) / 100 = 0.98.
Once again, remember to save the consumables settings!
¶ 4. Pressure Advance: Calibrate the pressure advance settings to improve print quality and reduce artifacts caused by pressure fluctuations in the nozzle.
The Artillery Stuido offers three methods for setting the calibration pressure advance amount. Each mode has its own advantages and disadvantages. Please note that each mode has two types, corresponding to the short-range extrusion and long-range extrusion machines.
Be sure to select the corresponding calibration type based on the actual situation of your machine.
Here, we will only demonstrate the underline mode. The underline mode is the fastest and most direct method, but the accuracy of the final result heavily depends on the first-layer printing quality of your printer. We strongly recommend enabling the printer's grid leveling function when using this mode：
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Print the engineering file and observe the printing result yourself. Select the line that appears the most uniform and take the corresponding number. That is the most suitable PA value. Just fill this value into the pressure advance option in the material settings.
For example, according to the result shown in the figure below, the optimal PA value is 0.032
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¶ 5. In FDM printing, cooling has a significant impact on the printing quality, especially when the model contains structures such as overhangs, bridges, or sharp small details.When the printing speed is too fast and the cooling process is insufficient, the following result will occur：
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The cooling-related settings can be adjusted on the settings page for the consumable filament, as shown in the following image.
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- ① Specific cooling layer
The first setting is "Disable Cooling for the First n Layers", which functions to turn off all cooling fans during the printing process of the first n layers.
For example: When "Turn off cooling for the first n layers" with n = 3, this means that during the printing of the first 3 layers, both of these cooling fans will be in the off state. This can enhance the adhesion between the model and the heating bed.
- ② Auxiliary component fan
This setting is used to adjust the rotational speed of the cooling fan on the side of the printer. This fan operates at a fixed speed during printing and does not change on its own. If the printer does not have a cooling fan for the auxiliary components, this setting will not take effect.
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- ③ Fan speed of component cooling
The rotational speed of the component cooling fan will automatically change according to the printing time of each layer. The adjustment is jointly controlled by two speed thresholds and two layer time thresholds.
For example: If two fan speed thresholds are set at 10% and 80%, and the corresponding layer time thresholds are 30 seconds and 3 seconds. Then, when the single-layer printing time is ≤ 3 seconds, the fan speed is 80%; when the single-layer printing time is ≥ 30 seconds, the fan speed drops to 10%; and when the single-layer printing time is between 3 and 30 seconds, the fan speed is calculated through interpolation based on the two speed thresholds, changing within the range of 10% to 80%.
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In addition, there is another setting that affects the rotational speed of the component cooling fan, which is "Keep Fan Always On". When this setting is enabled, the component cooling fan will remain continuously running without stopping, and will operate at least at the speed set in the "Minimum Fan Speed Threshold". The purpose of this is to reduce the number of times the fan is turned on and off.
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- ④ Print speed
When the fan speed has reached the maximum threshold and the single-layer printing time is still shorter than the minimum layer time threshold, the cooling may still be insufficient. Therefore, another method to enhance cooling is to reduce the printing speed, thereby extending the single-layer printing time.
This can be achieved by enabling the "Reduce printing speed to achieve better cooling" function. This function will automatically reduce the printing speed to ensure that the layer time is not shorter than the "minimum layer time threshold". However, when the printing speed reaches the "minimum printing speed", if it still fails to meet the requirements of the minimum layer time threshold, the speed reduction will no longer continue. That is to say, the speed reduction limit of this function is the "minimum printing speed".
For example, if the minimum layer time threshold is set to 4 seconds and the minimum printing speed is 20mm/s: When the printing speed is too fast and causes the single-layer time to be less than 4 seconds, the system will automatically reduce the speed to ensure at least 4 seconds of single-layer printing time, thereby improving the cooling effect; However, if the speed has already been reduced to 20mm/s, the single-layer time still cannot reach 4 seconds, then the speed will remain at 20mm/s and continue printing without further reduction.
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¶ 6. The rewind setting can be used to help alleviate and improve the wire drawing problem that occurs during printing.
The principle is as follows: Before the tool head performs a coasting movement, a portion of the consumable filament is pulled back from the hot end of the printer in advance. This reduces the pressure of the molten filament in the hot end, thereby minimizing the possibility of wire drawing on the coasting path.
The retraction action is usually carried out before the empty travel movement. After the empty travel movement is completed, the consumable filament will be returned to the hot end, ensuring that the filament can be properly extruded and preventing the printing piece from having insufficient extrusion.
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Parameter Introduction:
¶ Length
The retraction length refers to the length of the consumable filament that is pulled back from the hot end during the retraction process. If this parameter is set to 0, it means that the retraction function is disabled.
¶ Z-hop height
After the retraction operation is completed, the nozzle will slightly rise and create a certain gap between it and the printed piece. The purpose of this setting is to prevent the nozzle from scraping or colliding with the printed piece when it is moving without a load. It should be noted that the maximum height of this rise cannot exceed 5mm.
¶ Retraction speed
The speed at which the consumable filament is pulled back during the retraction process refers to the rate at which the filament is withdrawn from the hot end when the retraction action is being performed.
¶ Deretraction speed
The speed of re-loading the consumable filament after the retraction refers to the rate at which the consumable filament is sent back to the heating end after the empty travel movement is completed. If this parameter is set to 0, it means that the rate of re-loading is the same as the retraction speed.
¶ Retract on layer change
After enabling this function, whenever the printing process reaches the layer change operation, the system will automatically perform a reverse action. This setting helps to better control the pressure of the consumables within the hot end during the idle stage of the layer transition, reducing the occurrence of wire pulling or material leakage between layers.
¶ Wipe while retracting
When performing the retracting action, the nozzle can be set to continue moving along the previous path, thereby removing any possible leakage of consumables from the nozzle. This operation effectively prevents the formation of spots on the printed surface due to residual ink on the nozzle when the idle period ends and a new printing area begins, and helps improve the cleanliness of the printed surface.
¶ Matters need attention
¶ The retraction value should be set reasonably
Retraction is crucial for the quality of 3D printing: if it is completely disabled, the molten material in the hot end is prone to wire drawing and material leakage during idle travel, which will affect the surface quality of the printed piece. However, it is necessary to avoid setting the retraction value too high (such as having an excessively long retraction length or too high frequency), otherwise it may lead to:
- The extruder pulls back too much material, resulting in insufficient extrusion during printing and inter-layer gaps;
- Frequent or excessive retraction may cause the extruder to get clogged, affecting the continuity of the printing process.
¶ Compatibility differences of materials
The applicability of retraction varies depending on the material properties:
It is not recommended for flexible materials (such as TPU): These materials have elasticity, and the retraction action may cause the diameter of the material filament to shrink and the shape to deform, thereby causing clogging of the extruder or uneven extrusion.
It is recommended for rigid materials (such as PLA, ABS, PETG): For these materials, retraction can effectively reduce wire drawing and material leakage, significantly improving the surface accuracy and overall quality of the printed piece.
¶ The influence of material condition
Wet materials (such as PA, PETG, etc., which are hygroscopic materials) are more prone to wire drawing and material leakage during printing, and simply adjusting the retraction parameters often cannot completely solve the problem. It is recommended to prioritize drying the materials (such as using a dryer to dry according to the material requirements), and then optimize the retraction settings to more effectively improve the printing quality.