How to Calibrate E Steps While 3D Printing: The Step-by-Step Tutorial

Have you ever wondered why your 3D prints don't come out as expected despite carefully setting up your printer and choosing the suitable filament? Well, here, the reason might be your extruder's E-steps. If you're seeing issues like over-extrusion or under-extrusion, it's time to calibrate your E-steps to get the best results.We’ve compiled all the information for you so you don't have to face any problems.

This detailed, step-by-step guide ensures your printer extrudes the suitable filament, which leads to better print quality and fewer headaches.Don't worry, they are super-easy.

Let's get started.

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Step 1: Gather the Required Tools & Materials The first and foremost step is to gather the required tools and materials. Before diving into the calibration process, make sure you have all the necessary tools and materials on hand and they are:

Your 3D printer: Ensure it's set up and functioning correctly. Non-flexible filament: Use a cheap filament to avoid wasting expensive materials. Calipers: It’s needed for precise measurements. Permanent marker: To mark the filament. en and paper: To note down measurements and calculations. Computer with slicer software: Like Simplify3D, Pronterface, or OctoPrint to communicate with your printer. ource code editor: Notepad++ or regular Notepad for creating G-code files using the SD card method. Connection to your printer: It is used to connect a USB cable, Wi-Fi, or SD card.

Step 2: Preparing Your Filament The next step is to prepare the filament. Accurately preparing your filament is very important for precise calibration and go towards the next step. Here's how you can do it:

1. Load Filament: For Bowden extruders: Unload any filament currently in the extruder. Disconnect the Bowden tube from the extruder's output. Reload the filament into the extruder and ensure it starts coming out of the nozzle. For direct extruders: You might want to remove the heater block and nozzle from the feed tube to prevent blockages and save filament during calibration. 2. Mark the Filament: Measure and mark the filament 120 mm from the entrance of the extruder using a permanent marker. This extra 20 mm allows for measurement of over- or under-extrusion.

Step 3: Communicating with Your Printer The third step is to communicate with your printer. Communicating with your printer correctly is essential for a smooth calibration process. You can use either the Serial Interface Method or the SD Card Method. Let's understand what are these methods and how you can adopt them.

Serial Interface Method: 1. Connect to the Printer:

Connect your printer to the computer via USB or Wi-Fi. Open your slicer software and connect to the printer. 2. Enable Relative Mode:

Send the command M83 to enable relative mode on the extruder. This ensures that the extruder moves relative to its current position rather than an absolute position. SD Card Method: 1. Create a G-code File:

Open your source code editor and create a new G-code file with the following commands: M83: Sets the extruder to relative movement M18 S60: Keeps the steppers alive for an additional minute after extrusion M109 T0 R200: Sets the active extruder and hot end temperature and waits for it to be achieved G1 E100 F100: Extrudes 100 mm of filament at a rate of 100 mm per minute G4 S90: Waits 90 seconds for the filament to finish extruding M104 S0; Sets hot end temperature to 0 Please save the file as ext_cal.gcode and load it onto an SD card.

Step 4: Start Extruding The next step is when you finally start extruding. Extruding the filament accurately is the next critical step. Follow the appropriate way based on your chosen communication method. Both methods have different method to execute it so make sure you do it correctly.

Serial Interface Method: 1. Preheat the Hot End:

Preheat the hot end to 200 degrees by sending the command M109 T0 R200.

2. Extrude Filament:

Send the command G1 E100 F100 to extrude 100 mm of filament.

SD Card Method: 1. Insert SD Card:

Insert the SD card into your printer and select "Print from SD card."

2. Start the Print:

Choose the calibration file (ext_cal.gcode) and start the print.

Step 5: Measure the Extruded Filament In the next step you measure everything. After extruding the filament, it's time to measure the amount extruded to determine if your printer is accurately extruding the desired length.

1. Measure:

After the extrusion is complete, measure the distance from the extruder entrance to the mark on the filament. If the distance is precisely 20 mm, your extruder is calibrated correctly. If the distance is more than 20 mm, your printer is under-extruding. If the distance is less than 20 mm, your printer is over-extruding.

Step 6: Calculate the Correct Steps per Millimeter Value There comes the next step where you have to calculate the correct steps. Calculating the new steps per millimetre value is essential for adjusting your extruder's calibration.

1. Determine Current Steps per Millimeter:

Send the command M92 to your printer for the current steps/mm value. Look for the E-value in the response. If M92 doesn't work, use M503 or check your printer's firmware or manufacturer's documentation. 2. Calculate New Steps per Millimeter:

Subtract the measured distance from 120 mm to get the actual length extruded. Actual length extruded = 120 mm - measured distance Multiply the current steps/mm value by 100 mm to find the steps taken.

Steps taken = current steps/mm value * 100 mm Divide the steps taken by the actual length extruded to get the new steps/mm value.

New steps/mm value = steps taken / actual length extruded Step 7: Set the New Steps per Millimeter Value Setting the new steps per millimetre value is critical to ensuring accurate filament extrusion.

Serial Interface Method: 1. Set New Steps:

Send the command M92 E###.#, replacing ###.# with the new steps/mm value. Save the new setting with M500. SD Card Method: 1. Create a G-code File:

Create a G-code file with the command M92 E###.# and save it on the SD card. Insert the SD card into your printer and select "Print from SD card." Run the calibration file to set the new steps/mm value. Step 8: Confirm the Calibration Then, finally, the last step is to confirm the calibration. To ensure the new calibration is accurate, you need to repeat the extrusion process. Let me explain this to you again so you don't miss out on anything.

1. Re-extrude Filament: Repeat the extrusion process from Step 4 to confirm the new calibration. Measure the extruded filament again to ensure it is exactly 100 mm.

Conclusion In conclusion, you can say that calibrating your E-steps is essential for achieving accurate and high-quality 3D prints. Following these simple steps ensures that your printer extrudes the correct filament, which results in better print quality and fewer issues. Remember, patience and precision are essential to successful calibration. So, make sure you do everything carefully without missing any steps in between.

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How to Calibrate E Steps While 3D Printing: The Step-by-Step Tutorial

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