<p>How to Calibrate. Oh man that is a good 2-3 page long blog post.. So I will try to give you the bullet point section. </p>

<p>High level</p>

<ul>
<li>Mechanical </li>
<li>Firmware </li>
<li>Software</li>
<li>repeat</li>
</ul>

<p>Mechanical
Level everything. Bed. The X axis. Make sure there is no binding, etc. Also make sure the surface you are on is flat before leveling the printer by it.</p>

<p>Firmware
Get that printer moving. This is where you do you Steps per MM. I like <a href="http://reprap.org/wiki/Triffid_Hunter&#39;s_Calibration_Guide" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Triffids guide</a>.</p>

<p>Now is when you go into the software and start setting your slicer settings. This includes your filament measurements etc. You should go back 2-3 times between this step and the previous to make sure your extruding EXACTLY what you think you are. As mentioned by others filament calculation is hard. You need to measure across a lot of material. Take the averages. You will never get it perfect as the plastic is never perfect. Picking a solid supplier is a factor here too. </p>

<p>Once you think you have that all working. Repeat. Start at step one. </p>

<p>After your done looping though you will start with the slicer calibrations. Which is the meat of your question. You will take collections like <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:533472" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this one</a> or <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:52946" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this one</a> and tweak settings until you can pass each test. Do your tests in this order</p>

<ol>
<li><a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1637" rel="nofollow noreferrer">single wall test</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:271736" rel="nofollow noreferrer">hollow cube</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2064" rel="nofollow noreferrer">solid cube</a> Here is a <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:24238" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Bonus solid cube</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:12925" rel="nofollow noreferrer">bridging test</a> (honestly I rarely do this one..) </li>
<li><a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:342198" rel="nofollow noreferrer">part fitting test</a></li>
</ol>

<p>Now for testing when switching material. Honestly its best to start with their settings, and tweak them. I like to have a spread sheet of xy speed, Z lift, temps. Massage it till you are happy. The firmware settings like jerk and acceleration will be less of a factor between materials. Get it perfect once and don't touch it (till you decide it is not perfect).</p>

<p>You will be testing the new material with the same STLs as I mentioned in the precious section. You also might want to look into Simplify 3d (no affiliation) if you get really into it. Also SAVE THE SETTINGS. Nothing sucks more then losing all this work and having to recreate these profiles for materials. Do not trust slic3r to back them up, or to not randomly delete them. Hard lesson there.</p>

<p>Far as max speeds and accelleration..</p>

<p>Max speed will really be a function of how fast can you hear up plastic. If you have a e3d with Volcano mod you can really crank the speed up. So you go to the point where your extruder just cannot hit target temps AND you are unable to print solid infill. Far as acceleration and jerk. When you knock your extruder causing your print to shift, then you know it is accelerating / jerking too hard.</p>

<p>Best of luck! Let me know if I can clear up a section for you.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-06T21:06:41.850Z
2017-01-06T23:16:30.397Z
2017-01-06T23:16:30.397Z
MakerModder
<p>Recalibrating your machine for the new filament diameter is a good idea. Filament diameters vary slightly between manufacturers. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-06T19:56:19.900Z
Calibrating your machine for the new filament diameter, after changing to a new filament; doesn't answer "what calibration steps should be taken after changing to a new material?"
Diesel
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-06T20:04:41.570Z
I see what you meant, and edited to clarify
Diesel
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-06T20:58:18.467Z
Hi Diesel. Welcome to the group. Might I recommend taking a look at the answers the top 10 users provide? I have noticed your solutions are a bit short and do not include enough information.
MakerModder
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-07T02:05:42.237Z
Message received, I'll try and be better in the future :)
Diesel
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-06T19:02:05.303Z
2017-01-06T20:02:52.833Z
2017-01-06T20:02:52.833Z
Diesel
<p>Does anybody have an overview of what things should be calibrated (and in what order) for a certain 3d printer or after changing the printing material?</p>

<p>I only know about:</p>

<ul>
<li>calibrating the extruder steps per mm, e.g. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUPfBJz3I6Y" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Tom's youtube tutorial</a></li>
<li>determining the print temperature, e.g. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSOPsRiiOZk" rel="nofollow noreferrer">RepRap Neo's youtube tutorial</a></li>
<li>calibrating the extrusion multiplier (for each different filament), e.g. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnjE5udkNEA" rel="nofollow noreferrer">RepRap 101's youtube tutorial</a></li>
</ul>

<p>How to calibrate/determine the maximum speeds or accelerations?</p>

<calibration>
Calibrating steps/order
Thomas S.
# Calibrating steps/order

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-01-06)

Does anybody have an overview of what things should be calibrated (and in what order) for a certain 3d printer or after changing the printing material?

I only know about:

* calibrating the extruder steps per mm, e.g. [Tom's youtube tutorial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUPfBJz3I6Y)
* determining the print temperature, e.g. [RepRap Neo's youtube tutorial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSOPsRiiOZk)
* calibrating the extrusion multiplier (for each different filament), e.g. [RepRap 101's youtube tutorial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnjE5udkNEA)

How to calibrate/determine the maximum speeds or accelerations?

**Tags:** calibration

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2017-01-06. Score: 1

How to Calibrate. Oh man that is a good 2-3 page long blog post.. So I will try to give you the bullet point section.

High level

* Mechanical
* Firmware
* Software
* repeat

Mechanical
Level everything. Bed. The X axis. Make sure there is no binding, etc. Also make sure the surface you are on is flat before leveling the printer by it.

Firmware
Get that printer moving. This is where you do you Steps per MM. I like [Triffids guide](http://reprap.org/wiki/Triffid_Hunter's_Calibration_Guide).

Now is when you go into the software and start setting your slicer settings. This includes your filament measurements etc. You should go back 2-3 times between this step and the previous to make sure your extruding EXACTLY what you think you are. As mentioned by others filament calculation is hard. You need to measure across a lot of material. Take the averages. You will never get it perfect as the plastic is never perfect. Picking a solid supplier is a factor here too.

Once you think you have that all working. Repeat. Start at step one.

After your done looping though you will start with the slicer calibrations. Which is the meat of your question. You will take collections like [this one](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:533472) or [this one](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:52946) and tweak settings until you can pass each test. Do your tests in this order

1. [single wall test](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1637)
2. [hollow cube](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:271736)
3. [solid cube](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2064) Here is a [Bonus solid cube](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:24238)
4. [bridging test](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:12925) (honestly I rarely do this one..)
5. [part fitting test](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:342198)

Now for testing when switching material. Honestly its best to start with their settings, and tweak them. I like to have a spread sheet of xy speed, Z lift, temps. Massage it till you are happy. The firmware settings like jerk and acceleration will be less of a factor between materials. Get it perfect once and don't touch it (till you decide it is not perfect).

You will be testing the new material with the same STLs as I mentioned in the precious section. You also might want to look into Simplify 3d (no affiliation) if you get really into it. Also SAVE THE SETTINGS. Nothing sucks more then losing all this work and having to recreate these profiles for materials. Do not trust slic3r to back them up, or to not randomly delete them. Hard lesson there.

Far as max speeds and accelleration..

Max speed will really be a function of how fast can you hear up plastic. If you have a e3d with Volcano mod you can really crank the speed up. So you go to the point where your extruder just cannot hit target temps AND you are unable to print solid infill. Far as acceleration and jerk. When you knock your extruder causing your print to shift, then you know it is accelerating / jerking too hard.

Best of luck! Let me know if I can clear up a section for you.


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2017-01-06. Score: 0

Recalibrating your machine for the new filament diameter is a good idea. Filament diameters vary slightly between manufacturers.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Calibrating your machine for the new filament diameter, after changing to a new filament; doesn't answer "what calibration steps should be taken after changing to a new material?"  
> **username_2**: I see what you meant, and edited to clarify  
> **username_1**: Hi Diesel. Welcome to the group. Might I recommend taking a look at the answers the top 10 users provide? I have noticed your solutions are a bit short and do not include enough information.  
> **username_2**: Message received, I'll try and be better in the future :)  

---

