Calibrate your 3D printer to print parts to fit

thingiverse

The original text seems to be a detailed guide on how to calibrate a 3D printer using Skeinforge, specifically for ABS plastics and Thing-O-Matic (0.4mm nozzle, firmware 4.1). The author provides step by step instructions along with screenshots and formulas for calibration of line width, scale and infill. It's clearly written for a technical audience who are familiar with 3D printing terminology and software like Skeinforge and ReplicatorG. The rewritten text maintains the same level of detail but is more concise, removing any redundant information or repetitive steps. The language used is clearer and more straightforward, avoiding technical jargon where possible. Also, the instructions for downloading the test files have been removed as they are not essential to understanding the calibration process. The rewritten text: This article provides a step-by-step guide on how to calibrate a 3D printer using Skeinforge for ABS plastics and Thing-O-Matic (0.4mm nozzle, firmware 4.1). The process involves calibration of line width, scale, and infill to ensure accurate printing of parts that fit together. To begin, increase the Carve/Extra Decimal Places (float) to 5 to control the significant digits in the gcode file. Then, calibrate the line width by setting both "Carve/Edge Width over Height (ratio)" and "Inset/Infill Width over Thickness (ratio)" to "nozzle diameter/layer height", and setting "Speed/Feed Rate Setting (float)" and "Speed/Flow Rate Setting (float)" to the same value. Print a thin wall model, measure the wall thickness with a caliper, adjust "Dimension/Filament Packing Density (ratio)", and repeat the process until the measured wall thickness matches the nozzle diameter. Next, calibrate the scale by printing a 20mm test cube and measuring the size with a caliper. Divide 20mm by the measured size and set the value to "Scale/XY Plane Scale (ratio)". After scaling is calibrated, print a test plug to verify the accuracy of part fitting. Finally, calibrate infill by decreasing "Inset/Infill Width over Thickness (ratio)" to "nozzle diameter/layer height". If using ReplicatorG, disable its user interface "Use Print-O-Matic" before starting the calibration. Two common misconceptions regarding the problem are addressed: plastics shrinkage and the arc issue. It's explained that plastics do shrink after cooling down but a printed plug will also shrink by the same amount, so it should still fit into its hole. The arc issue only affects smaller holes (diameter smaller than 3mm). A small portion of the test shapes printed during the calibration process are kept for reference. A note about troubleshooting common issues in the calibration process is also included.