<p>My Man, The Ender 3 Marlin firmware saves your E-Steps on the SD Card and you basically have to check the E-Steps every startup because the Firmware sets back the E-Steps Value every shutdown to the minimum 93. Thats a known issue of the Enders and still on the Mk.3 aka Ender 3v2 present. It's an easy fix.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-02T16:34:43.867Z
SMarlin? Would that happen to be a typographical mistake?
Greenonline
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-02T11:17:50.160Z
2021-08-21T21:24:58.593Z
2021-08-21T21:24:58.593Z
GabbaGandalf
<p>The following saved me from under extrusion on Ender 3 Pro.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Check the diameter of the material referenced and the nozzle parameter in your slicer (Cura, ...). Then re-slice.</p></li>
<li><p>If not sufficient, it may be a printer parameter issue. The extruder parameter is missconfigured: the stepper to filameter distance ratio is not correct and as a result, it does not feed the  requested length of filament.
To fix the printer parameter, send the following gcode sequence (use a G-code console like "GCode Sender - Pronterface"). 
We will follow this procedure:</p>

<ul>
<li>ask to feed 100&nbsp;mm of filament </li>
<li>mesure the actual length feeded</li>
<li>read the parameter inside the printer</li>
<li>write correct value.</li>
</ul></li>
</ol>

<p>G-code: </p>

<pre><code>M83 ; set to extruder relative mode
; Be ready to mesure how much filament will really be consumed
G1 E100 F100 ; request 100 mm of filament
; Let "L" be the length in mm you mesured
; Now read the extruder related value in the printer
M503 ; and let "V" be the last number at line "echo: M92"
; Then set the correct value 
M92 E{V*100/L}; Eg "M92 E222"
M500 ; write to memory
</code></pre>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-19T17:15:21.350Z
It turned out to be the tensioning spring on the extruder drive that was the issue. It provided too much tension at first so loosening the screw that acts as the pivot for the extruder bearing arm solved that. However I found that filament then began to slip inside the extruder so adding a couple of spacers to the end of the spring fixed that. Now it's extruding great.
Tinkerman255
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-18T16:59:29.713Z
2020-03-27T16:03:24.293Z
2020-03-27T16:03:24.293Z
Bastoon
<p>It is not too rare to create a new machine in Ultimaker Cura to be set to 2.85 mm as this is the default. Also some bugs in the past did reset or assume this diameter unless you manually set it, and unless we know your exact version we can't confirm it is really this.</p>
<h2>Underextrusion why?</h2>
<p>The 0.55 mm more radius result in an underextrusion due to the pressed through volume, and since <span class="math-container">$V=A\times l$</span>, we need to see the area to see how severe the underextrusion is for one given extruded length. <span class="math-container">$A_{1.75}=2.405\text{ mm²}$</span> and <span class="math-container">$A_{2.85}=6.379\text{ mm²}$</span> are rather obvious, so <span class="math-container">$\frac {\text{real extrusion diameter}} {\text{calculated extrusion diameter}}=\frac{A_{1.75}}{A_{2.85}}=37.7\ \%$</span>, so only about 40 % of the needed filament is pressed through the nozzle as the slicer thinks it is almost twice the diameter. This matches well with the 130% still being very spotty, as that'd need a much higher factor to compensate for the underextrusion. A compensating extrusion multiplier would be <span class="math-container">$\frac 1 {0.377}=265.25\ \%$</span>.</p>
<h2>Fixing</h2>
<p>To fix this, check under filament and set it to 1.75 mm so you force the correct diameter. Remember that filament diameter is <strong>not</strong> saved in the <em>printer profile</em> but in the <em>material database</em>.</p>
<p>You might need to restart Ultimaker Cura to activate these new settings.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-10T23:30:36.003Z
Agreed. It's a classic Cura gotcha.
Mick
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-11T15:59:47.977Z
I created a new printer profile and made sure the filament diameter was set to 1.75". I then made sure the material was set to PLA 1.75". I'm still getting severe under extrusion. Here's my current settings: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10_HiEnVGtU1GS1N-Scy-6KG363BIa31d/view?usp=sharing
Tinkerman255
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-11T19:23:05.440Z
None of the settings in this file, or the one on the question, have anything to do with filament diameter.
Joel Coehoorn
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-11T19:29:37.087Z
Also, by my math converting both 1.75 and 2.85 diameters into areas of circular filament cross-sections, 1.75 is less then half the area of 2.85. You'd need 204% extrusion to make up for the incorrect setting.
Joel Coehoorn
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-11T19:36:23.507Z
Finally, there was a bug in Cura where it would _ignore your filament setting_ if you did not have a specific material selected, and revert the default 2.85. I believe this was fixed, but not knowing what version of Cura you have, make sure you actually select a material, and the filament size is set for that material.
Joel Coehoorn
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-11T19:37:38.347Z
@JoelCoehoorn corrected, I messed a factor 2 somewhere...
Trish
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-12T04:52:10.700Z
Okay, I figured out what the problem was and it is twofold: In Cura 4.0 changes to your filament selection don't seem to take effect until you restart Cura. After I did this, the filament diameter was correct and that helped a lot with the print. Secondly, I noticed the lever that controls the feeder pressure was wiggling, and so I tightened that bolt. Those two things combined lead to the atrocious prints I was getting. Now everything is working perfectly!
Tinkerman255
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-12T04:57:49.260Z
@Trish BTW, the problem was that you should've divided the area of the 2.85" diameter filament by the area of the 1.75" diameter filament. This would've given you the correct extrusion flow rate of 264.7%. Instead, you have the numerator and denominator flipped.
Tinkerman255
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-12T06:08:36.767Z
@Tinkerman255 Beware that it isn't inch ("), but the diameter is in millimeters [mm]. But you loose the unit once you divide the two. (One inch is 25.4 mm)
0scar
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-04-01T16:30:39.247Z
@Tinkerman255 please do not post files from external websites. If you must, please include the key portions in the question, as the question will not be able to stand the test of time when the file link is removed.
MakerModder
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-10T20:10:32.530Z
2019-03-12T12:47:55.510Z
2020-06-18T08:29:41.667Z
Trish
<p>I've been using my Ender 3 for about four months now and it's been working wonderfully. The print quality is amazing and all the prints are very strong. Then about three weeks ago, my entire system crashed while Ultimaker Cura was open and it lost the profile for my 3D printer. I recreated the profile to the best of my ability with other people's working profiles online, but none of them worked right. I've been getting severe under extrusion in all my prints, and they're incredibly fragile. For now, I've just been printing a 1"x1"x1" test cube. I've tried many steps from other people's posts online to fix the problem, including:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Raising the print temperature for PLA to 200&nbsp;&deg;C.</p></li>
<li><p>Checking the extruder for signs of too little tension or too much tension. I checked, and the PLA has light tooth imprints on it, and no grinding or damage to the filament.</p></li>
<li><p>Clearing out the extruder. I disassembled the whole extruder assemble, and flushed all the plastic from each part with a heat gun, and metal pick, and then tried reprinting, but it didn't work.</p></li>
<li><p>Trying a newer Ultimaker Cura version. At the time, I was using Ultimaker Cura 3.1 and hadn't updated because it was working well. I then tried the newest stable release of Ultimaker Cura 3.6, with a few different profiles, and then I also tried the beta version of Ultimaker Cura 4.0, but none of these worked.</p></li>
<li><p>Increasing the extrusion rate. I incrementally increased the extrusion rate from 100&nbsp;% all the way up to 130&nbsp;%. The prints looked a little better and were a lot stronger, but this still didn't fix it.</p></li>
<li><p>Trying a different slicer. I then downloaded Slic3r and created a new profile in that. The prints turned out a lot better, but there was still significant under extruding.</p></li>
<li><p>Checking the filament tube for any burns or damage, and ensuring it's inside the extruder assembly all the way.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>If anyone can help me figure out what's going on with my printer, I'd really appreciate it!</p>

<p>Here are some pictures of the prints I've been getting:
These were made in Ultimaker Cura with different small changes to the profile made</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/zZDWV.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/zZDWV.jpg" alt="Ultimaker Cura Settings Under Extrusion"></a></p>

<p>These were made in slic3r with a flow rate adjusted up to 130%
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/rV2sO.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/rV2sO.jpg" alt="Slic3r Under Extrusion"></a></p>

<p>These were prints I made before I lost all my settings in Ultimaker Cura.
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/V7hie.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/V7hie.jpg" alt="Good Prints"></a></p>

<p>Here's some of the material I read/watched and checked before posting myself:</p>

<ul>
<li><a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2931/i-am-experiencing-some-severe-under-extrusion">I am experiencing some severe under extrusion</a></li>
<li><a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6807/sudden-underextrusion-on-ender3">Sudden underextrusion on Ender3</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/8vxttn/under_extrusion_on_ender_3_sharing_my_mistake_and/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">r/3DPrinting: Under extrusion on Ender 3</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x35aWmnZ_A0" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Fixing a Filament Flow Problem on CR-10 mini, CR-10 or Ender 3 by CHEP</a></li>
</ul>

<p>Edit: Here's my printer profile:
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sn2d9IWmpEiSsuOhOJTkYu7RPEc8xjO1/view?usp=sharing" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Ender 3 Profile Google Drive</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-11T07:34:26.550Z
Hi Tinkerman255 and welcome to the 3D Printing.SE! I don't want to rude, but your "good prints" are not that well either. Are you sure it isn't an issue that progressed over time or over the crash? Please do check the filament diameter setting, it fooled me countless times when I changed to a newer Ultimaker Cura version and use both 2.85 mm as 1.75 mm filament intermittently.
0scar
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-11T16:21:51.850Z
I agree with you that the print quality before the crash wasn't the greatest. However, it was very consistent and strong, so I had no complaints. It printed with that quality since the time I got it, so I'm confident it isn't an issue with the hardware. As for the filament diameter, I made sure it's all set correctly, and that hasn't helped either
Tinkerman255
<print-quality><ultimaker-cura><slic3r><creality-ender-3>
Ender 3 severe under-extrusion
Tinkerman255
# Ender 3 severe under-extrusion

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-03-10)

I've been using my Ender 3 for about four months now and it's been working wonderfully. The print quality is amazing and all the prints are very strong. Then about three weeks ago, my entire system crashed while Ultimaker Cura was open and it lost the profile for my 3D printer. I recreated the profile to the best of my ability with other people's working profiles online, but none of them worked right. I've been getting severe under extrusion in all my prints, and they're incredibly fragile. For now, I've just been printing a 1"x1"x1" test cube. I've tried many steps from other people's posts online to fix the problem, including:

1. Raising the print temperature for PLA to 200 °C.
2. Checking the extruder for signs of too little tension or too much tension. I checked, and the PLA has light tooth imprints on it, and no grinding or damage to the filament.
3. Clearing out the extruder. I disassembled the whole extruder assemble, and flushed all the plastic from each part with a heat gun, and metal pick, and then tried reprinting, but it didn't work.
4. Trying a newer Ultimaker Cura version. At the time, I was using Ultimaker Cura 3.1 and hadn't updated because it was working well. I then tried the newest stable release of Ultimaker Cura 3.6, with a few different profiles, and then I also tried the beta version of Ultimaker Cura 4.0, but none of these worked.
5. Increasing the extrusion rate. I incrementally increased the extrusion rate from 100 % all the way up to 130 %. The prints looked a little better and were a lot stronger, but this still didn't fix it.
6. Trying a different slicer. I then downloaded Slic3r and created a new profile in that. The prints turned out a lot better, but there was still significant under extruding.
7. Checking the filament tube for any burns or damage, and ensuring it's inside the extruder assembly all the way.

If anyone can help me figure out what's going on with my printer, I'd really appreciate it!

Here are some pictures of the prints I've been getting:
These were made in Ultimaker Cura with different small changes to the profile made

[![Ultimaker Cura Settings Under Extrusion](https://i.sstatic.net/zZDWV.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/zZDWV.jpg)

These were made in slic3r with a flow rate adjusted up to 130%
[![Slic3r Under Extrusion](https://i.sstatic.net/rV2sO.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/rV2sO.jpg)

These were prints I made before I lost all my settings in Ultimaker Cura.
[![Good Prints](https://i.sstatic.net/V7hie.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/V7hie.jpg)

Here's some of the material I read/watched and checked before posting myself:

* [I am experiencing some severe under extrusion](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2931/i-am-experiencing-some-severe-under-extrusion)
* [Sudden underextrusion on Ender3](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6807/sudden-underextrusion-on-ender3)
* [r/3DPrinting: Under extrusion on Ender 3](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/8vxttn/under_extrusion_on_ender_3_sharing_my_mistake_and/)
* [Fixing a Filament Flow Problem on CR-10 mini, CR-10 or Ender 3 by CHEP](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x35aWmnZ_A0)

Edit: Here's my printer profile:
[Ender 3 Profile Google Drive](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sn2d9IWmpEiSsuOhOJTkYu7RPEc8xjO1/view?usp=sharing)

**Tags:** print-quality, ultimaker-cura, slic3r, creality-ender-3

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Hi username_0 and welcome to the 3D Printing.SE! I don't want to rude, but your "good prints" are not that well either. Are you sure it isn't an issue that progressed over time or over the crash? Please do check the filament diameter setting, it fooled me countless times when I changed to a newer Ultimaker Cura version and use both 2.85 mm as 1.75 mm filament intermittently.  
> **username_0**: I agree with you that the print quality before the crash wasn't the greatest. However, it was very consistent and strong, so I had no complaints. It printed with that quality since the time I got it, so I'm confident it isn't an issue with the hardware. As for the filament diameter, I made sure it's all set correctly, and that hasn't helped either  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2019-03-10. Score: 7 | Accepted answer

It is not too rare to create a new machine in Ultimaker Cura to be set to 2.85 mm as this is the default. Also some bugs in the past did reset or assume this diameter unless you manually set it, and unless we know your exact version we can't confirm it is really this.

## Underextrusion why?

The 0.55 mm more radius result in an underextrusion due to the pressed through volume, and since $V=A\times l$, we need to see the area to see how severe the underextrusion is for one given extruded length. $A\_{1.75}=2.405\text{ mm²}$ and $A\_{2.85}=6.379\text{ mm²}$ are rather obvious, so $\frac {\text{real extrusion diameter}} {\text{calculated extrusion diameter}}=\frac{A\_{1.75}}{A\_{2.85}}=37.7\ \%$, so only about 40 % of the needed filament is pressed through the nozzle as the slicer thinks it is almost twice the diameter. This matches well with the 130% still being very spotty, as that'd need a much higher factor to compensate for the underextrusion. A compensating extrusion multiplier would be $\frac 1 {0.377}=265.25\ \%$.

## Fixing

To fix this, check under filament and set it to 1.75 mm so you force the correct diameter. Remember that filament diameter is **not** saved in the *printer profile* but in the *material database*.

You might need to restart Ultimaker Cura to activate these new settings.

> **Comments:**
> **username_6**: Agreed. It's a classic Cura gotcha.  
> **username_0**: I created a new printer profile and made sure the filament diameter was set to 1.75". I then made sure the material was set to PLA 1.75". I'm still getting severe under extrusion. Here's my current settings: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10_HiEnVGtU1GS1N-Scy-6KG363BIa31d/view?usp=sharing  
> **username_7**: None of the settings in this file, or the one on the question, have anything to do with filament diameter.  
> **username_7**: Also, by my math converting both 1.75 and 2.85 diameters into areas of circular filament cross-sections, 1.75 is less then half the area of 2.85. You'd need 204% extrusion to make up for the incorrect setting.  
> **username_7**: Finally, there was a bug in Cura where it would _ignore your filament setting_ if you did not have a specific material selected, and revert the default 2.85. I believe this was fixed, but not knowing what version of Cura you have, make sure you actually select a material, and the filament size is set for that material.  
> **username_5**: @username_7 corrected, I messed a factor 2 somewhere...  
> **username_0**: Okay, I figured out what the problem was and it is twofold: In Cura 4.0 changes to your filament selection don't seem to take effect until you restart Cura. After I did this, the filament diameter was correct and that helped a lot with the print. Secondly, I noticed the lever that controls the feeder pressure was wiggling, and so I tightened that bolt. Those two things combined lead to the atrocious prints I was getting. Now everything is working perfectly!  
> **username_0**: @username_5 BTW, the problem was that you should've divided the area of the 2.85" diameter filament by the area of the 1.75" diameter filament. This would've given you the correct extrusion flow rate of 264.7%. Instead, you have the numerator and denominator flipped.  
> **username_1**: @username_0 Beware that it isn't inch ("), but the diameter is in millimeters [mm]. But you loose the unit once you divide the two. (One inch is 25.4 mm)  
> **username_8**: @username_0 please do not post files from external websites. If you must, please include the key portions in the question, as the question will not be able to stand the test of time when the file link is removed.  

---

### Answer by username_2 on 2021-04-02. Score: 1

My Man, The Ender 3 Marlin firmware saves your E-Steps on the SD Card and you basically have to check the E-Steps every startup because the Firmware sets back the E-Steps Value every shutdown to the minimum 93. Thats a known issue of the Enders and still on the Mk.3 aka Ender 3v2 present. It's an easy fix.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: SMarlin? Would that happen to be a typographical mistake?  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2020-02-18. Score: 0

The following saved me from under extrusion on Ender 3 Pro.

1. Check the diameter of the material referenced and the nozzle parameter in your slicer (Cura, ...). Then re-slice.
2. If not sufficient, it may be a printer parameter issue. The extruder parameter is missconfigured: the stepper to filameter distance ratio is not correct and as a result, it does not feed the requested length of filament.
   To fix the printer parameter, send the following gcode sequence (use a G-code console like "GCode Sender - Pronterface").
   We will follow this procedure:

   * ask to feed 100 mm of filament
   * mesure the actual length feeded
   * read the parameter inside the printer
   * write correct value.

G-code:

```
M83 ; set to extruder relative mode
; Be ready to mesure how much filament will really be consumed
G1 E100 F100 ; request 100 mm of filament
; Let "L" be the length in mm you mesured
; Now read the extruder related value in the printer
M503 ; and let "V" be the last number at line "echo: M92"
; Then set the correct value 
M92 E{V*100/L}; Eg "M92 E222"
M500 ; write to memory

```

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: It turned out to be the tensioning spring on the extruder drive that was the issue. It provided too much tension at first so loosening the screw that acts as the pivot for the extruder bearing arm solved that. However I found that filament then began to slip inside the extruder so adding a couple of spacers to the end of the spring fixed that. Now it's extruding great.  

---

