Seeking Guidance on A1 Printer Calibration Options

Bambu Lab A1 Series General Discussions
1

Hello Bambu Lab community!

I’m relatively new to the Bambu Lab ecosystem and the A1 printer, and I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed by the filament calibration options. I could use some help to understand them better.

For the A1, I see two places in Bambu Studio where Flow Dynamics calibration can be selected:

  1. In the ‘Send print job to’ dialog.
  2. In the Calibration tab.

I assume the option in the print dialog is for automatic Flow Dynamics Calibration, while the one in the Calibration tab is manual only.

My questions are:

  • When should automatic Flow Dynamics calibration (not) be selected?

  • Why/when is manual Flow Dynamics calibration preferred?

  • When is Flow Rate calibration needed?

  • Where are the Flow Dynamics calibration and Flow Rate calibration parameters stored?

I would love to better understand these topics. Can anyone help?
Thanks!

2

Hello davinciano

When to do the Flow Dynamics Calibration?

  1. If you introduce a new filament of different brands or models ;

  2. if the nozzle is worn out, as the friction in the nozzle will change;

  3. If you replace a new nozzle, as there is tolerance in the manufacturing;

  4. If the filament is damp. Moisture will change the viscosity of the filament.

  5. If the max volumetric speed or print temperature is changed in the filament setting.

“If you are on the filament configuration page, you have not selected any PA profile for the supplies filament for this slot, and “Flow Dynamics Calibration” is not checked before printing begins. In this case, it will use the default extrusion compensation parameters. In most cases, it is possible to get good printing results with the default parameters.”

In general, when you notice that the auto Flow Dynamics calibration is not working as expected.

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It depends on the model you want to print. If you need a very precise print, calibrating Flow Dynamics before printing is a good choice. However, if you are printing a test model, I don’t see it as necessary to turn it on. You can still achieve very good results with the default Flow Dynamics calibration.

I speak from my own experience printing both with and without Flow Dynamics calibration.

Bambu Lab says that the data is stored in the printer and used if no Flow Dynamics calibration is done before printing.

If you have any further questions, feel free to ask, and welcome to the 3D printing community!
Sorry if my English is not perfect; I have to admit it is a work in progress.
Link used here to explain: Flow Dynamics Calibration | Bambu Lab Wiki

Daniel Geada

3

Thanks for your answer and pointers.

I will probably have more questions but will have to do some more printing and testing first.