Volumetric Flow Rate Calculator | swiftwand.ai
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🌀 Volumetric Flow Rate Calculator
How fast can your hotend actually print? The limit is volumetric flow — how many mm³ of plastic it can melt per second. Pick your hotend, filament, nozzle and layer height to get the max volumetric speed (mm³/s) and the max print speed (mm/s) it allows, plus a safe starting value for max_volumetric_speed in OrcaSlicer, Bambu Studio or PrusaSlicer.
1. Hotend
2. Print settings
Flow factor vs PLA
Line width follows the nozzle
Keep it under 75% of the nozzle
Usually about 105% of the nozzle
Max volumetric flow
–mm³/s
Max print speed
–mm/s
at this layer height and line width
Slicer starting value
–mm³/s
max_volumetric_speed (75% of max)
Max flow by hotend (PLA)
| Hotend | Max flow | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Creality stock (V6-style) | 12 mm³/s | Typical budget printers such as the Ender 3 |
| E3D V6 | 15 mm³/s | The classic standard hotend |
| Phaetus Dragon | 18 mm³/s | Dragon HF: 30 mm³/s |
| E3D Revo Voron | 22 mm³/s | Used on Voron builds |
| Slice Mosquito / Bambu Lab stock | 25 mm³/s | Quality-oriented |
| E3D Volcano / Creality Spider | 30 mm³/s | Long melt zone for big nozzles |
| Phaetus Rapido | 35 mm³/s | Built for speed |
| E3D Revo High Flow | 40 mm³/s | High-flow nozzle on the Revo system |
| Phaetus Rapido 2 / Plus | 50 mm³/s | Newer high-flow generation |
| E3D Super Volcano | 60 mm³/s | Production-class flow |
Values are typical PLA figures from maker specs and community flow tests (checked May 2026). Real limits change with temperature, nozzle and filament brand, so treat them as a starting point.
Filament flow factors
- PLA: 100% — the baseline; flows the easiest
- ABS / ASA: 70% — a bit more viscous
- PETG: 60% — viscous; a hotter nozzle helps
- Carbon-fiber filled: 60% — fibers slow the melt down
- Nylon: 50% — viscous and needs high temperature
- TPU: 40% — flexible; must be printed slowly
How it is calculated
- Max flow = hotend PLA flow × filament factor × √(nozzle ÷ 0.4)
- Max speed = max flow ÷ layer height ÷ line width
- Example: E3D V6 (15) × PLA (1.0) × 0.4 mm nozzle = 15 mm³/s. At 0.2 mm layers and 0.42 mm lines, that is about 179 mm/s.
Using it in your slicer
- Start at 70–80% of the calculated max — this page shows 75% as the starting value.
- OrcaSlicer / Bambu Studio: Filament settings → Max volumetric speed. OrcaSlicer also has a built-in Max flowrate calibration test.
- PrusaSlicer: Filament settings → Advanced → Max volumetric speed.
- Klipper: Klipper does not cap volumetric flow on normal print moves, so set the limit in your slicer.
- If you see under-extrusion, gaps or clicking extruders at high speed, lower the value by 10–20%.
More for Klipper users: Pressure Advance tuning guide · Mainsail vs Fluidd vs KlipperScreen · Klipper roadmap 2026. Japanese version: Volumetric Flow Rate 計算機