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calibration

Christophe Barlieb edited this page May 3, 2026 · 1 revision

Calibration data

This page records the SPD-to-RPM and SPD-to-flow calibration measured on the CCL-ALTAR-01 unit specifically. If you replace the StoneFlower controller, change firmware, or swap the auger/ram ratio away from 1, this data is no longer valid — re-measure.

📷 Photo of the calibration test rig: graduated cylinder under nozzle, timer, ram-position marker.

Current calibration (CCL-ALTAR-01, ratio pot = 1)

Quantity Equation Domain
Auger RPM RPM = 0.386 · SPD + 14.94 SPD ≥ 50
Volumetric flow Flow [mL/min] = 0.097 · SPD + 3.75 SPD ≥ 50

Per-revolution displacement: the BIG ram delivers 0.2513 mL per ram revolution.

Dead zone: SPD 0 to ~40 → 0 RPM. This is why S1 is the convention for "extruder off" in generated G-code — anywhere in the dead zone is true zero flow, but S1 is the smallest valid command and so is the canonical idle.

Sweet spot: the StoneFlower manual recommends 1–3 rev/s for paste-clay extrusion. With the CCL curve, that maps to:

1 rev/s = 60 RPM  → SPD ≈ 117
3 rev/s = 180 RPM → SPD ≈ 428

So the working SPD range for normal printing is roughly 120–430.

When to recalibrate

Re-measure the curve if any of these change:

  • Auger / ram ratio pot moved off 1
  • Microstepping pot (A6) repositioned
  • Speed pot (A7) repositioned
  • StoneFlower firmware reflashed
  • Stepper or driver swapped
  • Significant ram seal or auger-flute wear

Recalibration procedure (sketch)

  1. Park the robot off the build plate; clamp a graduated cylinder under the nozzle.
  2. With the cell at idle, command discrete SPD values from a script: 50, 100, 200, 300, 400, 600, 800.
  3. Hold each for a fixed dwell (e.g. 30 s); record RPM (visible from auger marker if accessible) and volume captured.
  4. Fit linear regression separately for RPM(SPD) and Flow(SPD) over the non-dead-zone range.
  5. Update the equations on this page with the new fit and date the change.

📷 Plot of the SPD→RPM and SPD→Flow regressions with measured data points.

Don't extrapolate. The linear fit is only validated in the measured domain. Below the dead zone, treat as zero flow; above the manufacturer-recommended max, the auger physics gets non-linear.

Other ratio pot positions

The front panel has positions 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4 for the auger/ram ratio. Only 1 has been characterized. Other positions are valid hardware settings but the SPD→flow relationship will scale (approximately, not exactly) with the ratio. If you experiment with another position, log it in Lab studies and re-fit on this page.

See also: Materials for the water-percent / clay-recipe side of extrusion behavior, and G-code conventions for the S1 idle rule.

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