Creating a material profile

When printing a new pellet material for the first time, you need a material profile that captures its specific temperatures, flow calibration, and behavior. This procedure walks through creating one from scratch using Ginger Slicer.

Overview

A G1 material profile consists of:

Temperature settings — three heating zones + bed
Rotation Volume — the actual flow per screw turn (must be calibrated)
Max Volumetric Speed (MVS) — the maximum delivery rate
Additives — SmoothFlow %, Liquid Masterbatch % if applicable
Print speed and cooling — fan %, layer time, speeds

You will iterate on these: start with a template, print a test, adjust, repeat.

Step 1 — Create the profile in Ginger Slicer

Open Ginger Slicer
Go to Filament → click the + button to add a new material
Name it clearly: e.g., rPLA Formfutura batch-2026-04
Under Type, select the polymer family (PLA, PETG, etc.)
Save

Step 2 — Set starting temperatures

Enter the starting temperatures based on the material family. Use the G1 zone naming (E0 = Feeding/top, E1 = Melting/middle, E2 = Nozzle/bottom):

Material	Feeding (E0)	Melting (E1)	Nozzle (E2)	Bed
PLA virgin	190°C	190°C	190°C	40–50°C
rPLA recycled	185–190°C	190°C	190°C	40–55°C
PETG clear	200–215°C	230°C	230°C	70–80°C
PETG GF	200–215°C	240°C	240°C	70–80°C

Always check the supplier’s datasheet for the recommended processing temperature range and start in the middle of it.

Step 3 — Run Rotation Volume calibration

The Rotation Volume is the most important G1-specific parameter — it determines actual flow output. Do not skip this step.

See Rotation Volume calibration for the full procedure. Briefly:

Print a 30 mm tall cylinder at low speed
Measure the actual wall thickness with a caliper
Adjust Rotation Volume up/down until wall matches the set line width

Save the calibrated value in the material profile.

Step 4 — Find the Max Volumetric Speed (MVS)

MVS is the maximum rate at which the extruder can deliver material without motor step loss. Exceeding it causes clicks, gaps, and layer shifts.

To find MVS:

In the G1OS dashboard, manually extrude at increasing feed rates while watching the motor
The MVS is the speed just before the motor starts clicking (“tak-tak”)
A safe starting value: 200–250 mm³/s; after adding SmoothFlow it can go to 300–500 mm³/s depending on material

Enter the safe MVS value in the material profile.

See Max Volumetric Speed for details.

Step 5 — Set fan and cooling

Fan speed affects how quickly each layer solidifies before the next one is deposited:

Material	Fan speed	Notes
PLA / rPLA	30–60%	Higher for tall/small objects; 0% for very large flat prints
PETG	20–40%	Too high causes delamination
PETG GF	0–20%	Fiber-reinforced needs slow cooling for layer adhesion

Also set the minimum layer time — this slows the print on short layers to allow adequate cooling. For PLA on small objects, 10–15 seconds minimum per layer is a safe starting point.

Step 6 — Print a first test

Print a simple test object (a cube, a cylinder, or the calibration object from Rotation Volume calibration):

Check for over/under-extrusion (adjust Rotation Volume)
Check for motor skipping (lower MVS or add SmoothFlow)
Check first layer adhesion (adjust Z offset and bed temp)
Check surface quality (adjust temperature and fan)

Make adjustments and re-print until quality is consistent.

Step 7 — Save and document

Once the profile is dialed in:

Save it in Ginger Slicer with a descriptive name including supplier and batch
Note in the profile description: Rotation Volume = XX mm³, MVS = XX mm³/s, SmoothFlow = 0.05%
Keep a log — different batches from the same supplier can vary by 5–10% in Rotation Volume

Tips from the field

Dry the material first — wet pellets give false calibration results. Always start with dry pellets
Run Rotation Volume first, then MVS — in that order
Start without SmoothFlow, calibrate, then add SmoothFlow and re-check MVS (it usually goes up significantly)
One variable at a time — change only one parameter between test prints
rPLA batches vary — save a separate profile per batch, not just per supplier