Vision Miner Wiki

Pressure Advance

Pressure Advance is a firmware feature that compensates for filament elasticity and flow dynamics within the hotend. Properly tuning Pressure Advance improves print quality, particularly regarding sharp corners and the appearance of the print seam.

This guide explains how to understand, adjust, and calibrate the Pressure Advance setting for your Vision Miner 22IDEX V4 using PrusaSlicer. The goal is to fine-tune extrusion behavior to achieve sharper corners and minimize seam artifacts (bulging or gaps). While we provide well-tested default values in our PrusaSlicer profiles (optimized for a 0.4 mm nozzle), factors like nozzle diameter and filament moisture content can necessitate adjustments for optimal results.

Before you begin - safety and risk

Read the Safety - Before You Begin article to understand the hazards involved in working on the Vision Miner 22IDEX V4 - including electrical, thermal, mechanical, and chemical risks. All procedures in this wiki are provided as recommendations only. By choosing to follow any procedure, you do so at your own risk.

Working Principles

At its core, you can think of Pressure Advance as a smart way the printer adjusts filament flow just before speed changes, somewhat like dynamically altering retraction during a print move.

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Tools & Materials

  • Computer with PrusaSlicer installed
  • Vision Miner 22IDEX V4 connected and operational
  • Filament (the specific type you are calibrating)
  • Calibration model (e.g., a simple cylinder or 20 mm cube .stl)

Pre-checks

  • Before printing, run Print Check List
  • Have a suitable calibration model file ready

Hot nozzle and bed

The printer's nozzle and bed can reach high temperatures. Avoid touching hot components during operation.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Understanding Pressure Advance Effects

Pressure Advance primarily affects two visual aspects of your print:

  • Corners: Properly tuned Pressure Advance results in sharp, well-defined corners. If corners are rounded, Pressure Advance might be too high. If corners have excessive bulging or overshoot, it might be too low.
  • Seam: The seam is where the printer starts and stops extrusion on each layer.
    • If the seam bulges outward significantly from the print surface, Pressure Advance is likely too low (or off), causing excess pressure release at the layer end.
    • If there is a gap or depression at the seam, Pressure Advance might be too high, retracting too aggressively before the layer change.
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2. Locating the Pressure Advance Setting in PrusaSlicer

The Pressure Advance value is set via custom G-code within the filament profile:

  1. Open PrusaSlicer.
  2. Go to the Filament Settings tab.
  3. Select the filament profile you wish to adjust from the dropdown menu.
  4. Navigate to the Custom G-code section in the left-hand panel.
  5. Locate the Start G-code text box.
  6. Look for a line M572 D0:1 S0.035. This command sets the Pressure Advance value. If the line is not present, the printer will use its firmware default or none if not configured.
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3. Baseline Values and Adjusting for Nozzle Size

Our default profiles often use a Pressure Advance value suitable for common materials with a 0.4 mm nozzle.

  • Default (0.4 mm Nozzle): A typical starting value for many plastics (like PLA, ABS) is S0.035.
  • Larger Nozzles (0.6 mm): Pressure effects are less pronounced with larger orifices. You should decrease the Pressure Advance value significantly. Try starting around S0.01 or even disabling it completely by setting it to S0.0.
  • Very Large Nozzles (0.8 mm and up): It is generally recommended to disable Pressure Advance entirely for very large nozzles - set to S0.0.

Disabling Pressure Advance requires explicit command

To disable Pressure Advance, you must explicitly set the value to zero using the G-code command: M572 S0.0. Simply deleting the M572 line from the custom G-code will cause the printer to revert to its built-in firmware default (which might be 0.035 or another non-zero value), not disable it.

4. Calibration Procedure

  1. Evaluate: Carefully examine the corners and the seam of the printed model.
    • Seam Bulging / Overshooting Corners? → Pressure Advance might be too low. Increase the S value slightly (e.g., from 0.035 to 0.045).
    • Seam Gap / Rounded Corners? → Pressure Advance might be too high. Decrease the S value (e.g., from 0.035 to 0.010, or from 0.01 to 0.0 for larger nozzles).
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Use dedicated calibration models for faster iteration

Use a calibration model for Pressure Advance tuning (like a cylinder or square) for faster iteration cycles.

  1. Iterate: Modify the M572 S<value> in the filament's start G-code, re-slice, and print again.
  2. Save Profile: Once satisfied, save the modified filament profile.

Troubleshooting

FAQ

Support

If you could not find an answer here, reach out to our support team.

On this page

Working PrinciplesTools & MaterialsPre-checksStep-by-Step Instructions1. Understanding Pressure Advance Effects2. Locating the Pressure Advance Setting in PrusaSlicer3. Baseline Values and Adjusting for Nozzle Size4. Calibration ProcedureTroubleshootingFAQSupport

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