A printer cannot jump to full speed, it has to accelerate, and short moves end before it gets there. This works out whether a move actually reaches your set speed, the peak speed it hits if not, and how long the move takes.
How to use it
- Enter your acceleration setting in mm per second squared.
- Enter the target print speed and the length of the move.
- The tool works out the distance needed to accelerate and whether the move is long enough.
- Read the real peak speed and the time for the move.
What it does
Reaches speed, or not
It tells you plainly whether a move of a given length ever hits the speed you set, or peaks lower and coasts back down.
Real peak speed
For short moves it gives the actual top speed reached, which is what governs time on detailed prints.
The kinematics, done
The acceleration distance and triangle-move maths, worked out so you do not have to.
What people use it for
Understanding print time
Raised the speed and the print took the same time? On short moves acceleration rules. This shows why.
Tuning acceleration
See how much a higher acceleration actually buys you on the move lengths your prints are made of.
Input shaping context
Higher acceleration is where ringing appears. Know the speeds your moves really hit before chasing it.
Good to know
- Small, intricate models are dominated by acceleration and jerk, not top speed. Tune those to speed them up.
- Long, straight moves (large flat infill, big single walls) are where a high top speed pays off, because the move is long enough to reach it.
- Raise acceleration until you see ringing or hear the frame protest, then back off, and consider input shaping to go higher cleanly.
- Firmware limits acceleration per axis. The lightest axis usually tolerates the most, the bed the least on a bed slinger.
Questions
Does my printer reach its top speed on short moves?
Often not. A printer needs distance to accelerate, and short moves finish accelerating and decelerating before ever hitting the set speed. Enter acceleration, target speed and move length to find out.
What is the acceleration distance?
The distance needed to reach the target speed, which is speed squared divided by twice the acceleration. If two of those distances do not fit in the move, the printer never reaches the speed you set.
Why does this matter for print time?
Small, detailed prints are mostly short moves, so raising the set speed does little: acceleration governs them, not top speed. This shows why a faster speed setting sometimes changes nothing.
What acceleration should I use?
It depends on the machine's rigidity. Light, well-braced printers run several thousand mm per second squared, heavy bed slingers less. Push it until ringing and lost steps appear, then back off.
Also called
Searched as an acceleration calculator, acceleration distance calculator, does my printer reach top speed tool, or a print kinematics calculator. It shows what speed a move really reaches.