Max Volumetric Speed Limits Your Print Speed

Setting your maximum volumetric speed (MVS) is a crucial step in optimizing 3D print quality and preventing under-extrusion. Volumetric speed represents the rate at which your printer’s hotend can reliably melt and extrude filament, measured in cubic millimeters per second (mm³/s). When you set a cap on the MVS in your slicer, your printer will automatically adjust the movement speed based on your chosen layer height and line width. The slicer calculates the resulting maximum speed using the formula: Print Speed (mm/s) = Volumetric Flow Rate (mm³/s) / (Layer Height (mm) × Line Width (mm))

If you increase either the layer height or line width (common with larger nozzles), the maximum print speed is automatically reduced to prevent exceeding the hotend’s capacity. For example, with a higher layer height or wider extrusion, your print speed must decrease to maintain the same volumetric flow, ensuring consistent, high-quality extrusion and avoiding issues like gaps, jams, or weak prints.

This approach is more robust than simply setting a maximum “print speed” in mm/s. Linear print speed alone does not account for how much material is being deposited per second: with a large nozzle or big layer height, the filament volume per second can easily surpass what the hotend can handle even at modest print speeds. By capping the MVS, your printer will slow down automatically for thicker lines or layers, yet speed up when printing thinner or finer layers—all while staying within safe extrusion limits for your specific printer and filament. This adaptive control makes volumetric speed a far more representative metric for maximum throughput than just relying on linear print speeds, especially for advanced users who frequently change nozzle size or print settings.