Where in gcode file is the Flow % stored? Difference between USB and SD Print?

[elhungarian 0]

Hi all,

spent the weekend building my Ultimaker Original +. Got it done in roughly 25 hours, took my time.

I'm mainly trying to use SD Print so I don't have to have my laptop running also.

I printed the same piece https://www.youmagine.com/designs/delrin-clip-for-ultimaker-original

using 100% and 103% Filament Flow % and the bottom of the piece looks the same. A friend of mine also has this same Printer and he claims there are subtle differences between SD print and USB print. I opened the gcode file for another .stl file im printing now and i couldn't see a difference between 100% flow and 103% flow. Where is this value stored in the gcode file?

Is there really a difference between SD and USB print?

Thanks for the help!

[neotko 1,417]

Flow increasing by soft and by hardware might be different. You can adjust the flow on the slicer so it extrudes more, or on the machine so it extrudes more. I never do it on the machine. If you do it on the machine it might work different. But there's no gcode to change the flow like on the machine.

Edit: Correction, you can do Gcode to control the flow, like on the machine

M221 S100 ; Set extrude factor override percentage

Edited October 20, 2015 by Guest

[SandervG 1,521]

On the Ultimaker Original there aren't many settings stored on the machine itself. You can tune the flowrate on the UltiController.

I don't think there is a specific field in the gcode that tells the flowrate.

The difference I could think of is that printing over SD is safer, because it won't be interfered by a crashing computer or problems connecting through USB.

Could your friend give any examples?

The difference of only 3% may also be to subtle to notice anyways.

[Dim3nsioneer 558]

In the Marlin version of Ultimaker there is a general flow rate setting which can be adjusted by using M221 Sxxx as @neotko wrote. Furthermore you can set an additional flow rate for each extruder in that firmware by M221 Ty Sxxx (y=0 for the first extruder, y=1 for the second and so on). In the general Marlin version only the individual flow rate exists. M221 Sxxx would change the flow rate of the first extruder.

[elhungarian 0]

Flow increasing by soft and by hardware might be different. You can adjust the flow on the slicer so it extrudes more, or on the machine so it extrudes more. I never do it on the machine. If you do it on the machine it might work different. But there's no gcode to change the flow like on the machine.

Edit: Correction, you can do Gcode to control the flow, like on the machine

M221 S100 ; Set extrude factor override percentage

 

Thanks for the help. Does that mean if i set the Flow in Cura to 103% that it automatically adjust the model so that 103% flow is represented in the gcode throughout the movement of the head? Meaning that adding the M221 S103 would theoretically cause another 3% increase ontop of the software generated 3% flow increase?

[elhungarian 0]

@SandervG @Dim3nsioneer

Thanks for your help. I was wondering about the flowrate since my initial row (bottom of printed items) seemed to have too round of strings of material. I believe now the table was leveled too low. Then I leveled it too high and had all kinds of other issues. Slowly getting the hang of things.

[neotko 1,417]

 

Flow increasing by soft and by hardware might be different. You can adjust the flow on the slicer so it extrudes more, or on the machine so it extrudes more. I never do it on the machine. If you do it on the machine it might work different. But there's no gcode to change the flow like on the machine.

Edit: Correction, you can do Gcode to control the flow, like on the machine

M221 S100 ; Set extrude factor override percentage

 

Thanks for the help. Does that mean if i set the Flow in Cura to 103% that it automatically adjust the model so that 103% flow is represented in the gcode throughout the movement of the head? Meaning that adding the M221 S103 would theoretically cause another 3% increase ontop of the software generated 3% flow increase?

 

Exactly

[NKakon 0]

On the Ultimaker Original there aren't many settings stored on the machine itself. You can tune the flowrate on the UltiController.

I don't think there is a specific field in the gcode that tells the flowrate.

The difference I could think of is that printing over SD is safer, because it won't be interfered by a crashing computer or problems connecting through USB.

Could your friend give any examples?

The difference of only 3% may also be to subtle to notice anyways.

 

How can I change the flow rate during the middle of a print? do you know if there is such a way?

There's the Tweak at Z plugin but that's just something you set at the beginning, I'm wondering if theres something to let me change it during the print when I realize that I need it.

Thanks

[gr5 2,269]

You can change it live during a print in the TUNE menu or you can add the gcode to the appropriate spot in the gcode file. Whichever you do second takes precedence. Same for most settings such as fan speed. So for example if you set fan to 50% and then on the next layer a gcode sets it to 40% it will go to 40%. Most recent command wins.