ESTEPS ENDER

If you’re having problems with under- or over-extrusion, there’s a possibility that your extruder’s E-steps aren’t calibrated. In order to find the right E-steps, you’ll have to do a little bit of math. Using a simple formula, you can calculate the new E-step with only three inputs.

Before starting, make sure that you’re able to navigate to “Control” > “Motion” on whichever Ender 3 you have. Some users have noted that this option is missing, perhaps due to the status or version of their firmware.

1. Measure 100 mm from a set point on your extruder and mark it. Mark an extra 10 mm above and under this 100-mm marking to make measuring easier later on.

2. Heat up your hot end and extrude 100 mm. (The temperature may need to go above 180 °C before the extruder will operate.) You can do this by clicking “Prepare” > “Move axis” > “Move 1 mm” and then slowly rotating the knob until you arrive at 100 mm.

3. Wait until the printer has finished extruding and measure how far from the 100-mm mark the filament stopped. If the mark has passed the extruder, then your extruder is over-extruding, and if it hasn’t reached the mark, then it’s under-extruding.

4. Use the marks above and under the 100-mm mark in order to estimate the amount of filament extruded.

5. Now calculate the correct E-steps by multiplying 100 with the current E-steps, then divide this by how much your extruder extruded. The resulting value will be your new, correct E-step value.

6. Click “Control” > “Motion”, then scroll down to “E-steps/mm” and change it to your new E-step value.