SmoothFlow
SmoothFlow is the official Ginger Additive liquid, oil-like lubricant designed to improve pellet flow and melt consistency in the G1 pellet extruder. It reduces friction, stabilizes extrusion, and helps prevent clogs in the feeding zone.
What it does
Section titled “What it does”- Reduces friction inside the screw extruder so pellets flow consistently
- Prevents the extruder stepper from skipping when friction is high
- Lets you lower the printing temperature (avoids polymer degradation)
- Reduces the risk of melted plugs forming in the feeding zone
Where to use it
Section titled “Where to use it”Effective on:
- PLA (recommended for recycled PLA / rPLA)
- PETG (recommended for high-MVS prints and reinforced grades)
How much to use
Section titled “How much to use”There is one starting dose and one ceiling, and they are close together.
| By weight | Per kg of pellets | |
|---|---|---|
| Start here | 0.05% | 0.5 g |
| Never go above | 0.1% | 1 g |
0.05% is usually enough. If the extruder motor is still losing steps on it, go up — but 0.1% is the ceiling for any material, and past it the problem reverses: the pellets slip on the screw instead of gripping it.
Quick reference (virgin PETG)
Section titled “Quick reference (virgin PETG)”- 1 kg → 0.5 g SmoothFlow
- 2 kg → 1 g SmoothFlow
- 5 kg → 2.5 g SmoothFlow
- 10 kg → 5 g SmoothFlow
How to apply
Section titled “How to apply”- Pour the pellets into a sealed mixing container (or directly the hopper)
- Use a precision scale (0.1 g resolution) to dose SmoothFlow
- Shake the SmoothFlow bottle well before each use
- If using Liquid Masterbatch: pre-mix SmoothFlow with the masterbatch first in a small container, then pour both over the pellets — this distributes color and lubricant more evenly
- Pour the dose over the pellets
- Mix thoroughly (at least 10 minutes) in a sealed container — uniform coating is key
- Load into the hopper
- Purge a small amount of material before starting the print
Correcting an over-dose
Section titled “Correcting an over-dose”If you accidentally added too much:
- Remove the lubricated pellets from the hopper
- Load clean (untreated) pellets to dilute the screw
- Purge until extrusion stabilizes
Interaction with Ginger Slicer
Section titled “Interaction with Ginger Slicer”When using SmoothFlow you may need to adjust:
- Feeding Zone temperature — if you see irregular under-extrusion (low compression), raise the Feeding Zone by ~5–10°C to stabilize the feed
- If melt creeps up into the feed throat (plug forming), do the opposite: lower the Feeding Zone by ~10°C
- MVS (Max Volumetric Speed) — with SmoothFlow, you can typically increase MVS:
- PETG + SmoothFlow → up to ~400 mm³/s
- the material reaches the flow its profile asks for, instead of falling short of it
See Multi-Heating Zones and Max Volumetric Speed for details.
Where to get it
Section titled “Where to get it”SmoothFlow is sold by Ginger Additive. It is included in the standard G1 starter kit. Replacement bottles can be ordered through the Ginger Additive shop.
Symptoms that suggest you need SmoothFlow
Section titled “Symptoms that suggest you need SmoothFlow”- Extruder motor “clicks” or skips → see Extruder motor skipping
- Material sticking to the screw walls
- Increased motor current draw
- Feeding-zone clogs / melt creeping into the throat
- Required for PETG, rPLA, and PETG GF / flame-retardant in nearly all cases
- Some pellet suppliers compound a small amount of lubricant into recycled grades, but it’s usually not enough — adding SmoothFlow on top is recommended
- For virgin PLA, SmoothFlow is optional; use it only if you’re pushing high MVS or notice motor skipping