About this tool
If the extruder pushes more or less filament than requested, you get gaps, over-extrusion and inaccurate dimensions. For the E-steps test you mark the filament 120 mm before the extruder, extrude 100 mm and measure what is left. From the length actually extruded the tool calculates new E-steps for Marlin (steps per mm) or the rotation_distance for Klipper (mm per motor turn, which behaves inversely).
The flow rate fine-tunes the amount of material, for example for a new filament. Print a cube with a single wall, measure the wall thickness several times and compare it with the line width from your slicer. The new flow is the old flow times expected divided by measured thickness.
How it works
- Choose E-steps or flow rate, and for E-steps the firmware.
- E-steps: enter the current value, the requested length and the distances of the mark before and after extruding.
- Flow rate: enter the current flow, the expected wall thickness and your measurements.
- Apply the new value via G-code, in printer.cfg or in the slicer, and repeat the test to check it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I run the E-steps test?
Heat the hot end to printing temperature, mark the filament 120 mm before the extruder inlet and send G1 E100 F100 (with M83 for relative extrusion first). Then measure the distance of the mark. If 20 mm are left, the E-steps are correct.
Why does rotation_distance change in the opposite direction?
E-steps say how many motor steps one millimetre takes. Klipper’s rotation_distance says how many millimetres one motor turn moves. If the extruder pushes too little, the E-steps must go up and the rotation_distance down.
What is the difference between E-steps and flow rate?
E-steps are a property of the extruder and apply to all filaments. The flow rate (extrusion multiplier) is set per filament in the slicer and compensates for differences in diameter and material. Calibrate the E-steps first, then the flow.
What do I do with the new flow?
Enter it in the slicer’s filament profile, e.g. as flow ratio or extrusion multiplier (there as a factor, 95 % is 0.95). How much material per second goes through the nozzle is shown by the Volumetric Flow Calculator.