[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":25},["ShallowReactive",2],{"content-dimension-calibration-en":3},{"about":4,"steps":7,"faq":12},[5,6],"Plastic shrinks as it cools, belts stretch and extrusion is never perfectly exact. That is why printed parts often differ from the model by a few tenths of a millimetre. With ABS and ASA the shrinkage can reach almost one percent, with PLA it is usually small. From a measured part the tool calculates the scale per axis: new scale = current scale × nominal \u002F measured.","In FDM printing, holes usually come out slightly too small because the nozzle pushes material inwards at the inner edge. For that the tool gives the X-Y hole compensation that OrcaSlicer and Bambu Studio apply per side, or the diameter you can draw in CAD instead.",[8,9,10,11],"Print a calibration cube (e.g. 20 mm) or a larger part – the larger, the more accurate.","Measure each axis several times with a caliper and enter nominal and measured size.","Apply the new scale per axis in the slicer.","For holes: switch to “Holes”, enter the nominal and measured diameter and apply the compensation.",[13,16,19,22],{"q":14,"a":15},"Why is a small calibration cube inaccurate?","At 20 mm, a measuring error of 0.05 mm is already 0.25 %. Small parts are also dominated by edge effects such as over-extrusion. For the scale, a part of 100 mm or more is far more meaningful.",{"q":17,"a":18},"Should I correct the scale or the E-steps?","If the walls are off because too much or too little material comes out, use the [[extruder-calibration]]. If the outer dimensions of a large part are off evenly, the scale is right. The axes’ steps per mm are almost always correct with belt drives and can be checked with the [[steps-per-mm-calculator]].",{"q":20,"a":21},"What does X-Y hole compensation do?","It enlarges every hole in the model by the set value per side without changing the outer contour. If a 5 mm hole is only 4.8 mm, that is 0.1 mm per side. If your slicer lacks this option, simply draw the hole in CAD larger by the difference.",{"q":23,"a":24},"How much do the materials shrink?","PLA and PETG usually shrink only a little, ABS, ASA and nylon considerably more, often by 0.5 to 1 %. The value depends on brand, colour and chamber temperature and is best measured with a large test part.",1793721090379]