Retraction distance troubleshooting

Sovol SV06 Plus
1

Hello, I’m new to 3d printing and this is my first printer. I’m currently working on the retraction settings to eliminate stringing and the calibration tests went thru 1mm to 6mm. Stringing was present at all distances and I’m on the next set of calibration tests (4-9). I was wondering, isn’t this pretty high for this printer?..

The filament is 1.75 Polymaker pla pro printing at 220C and the retraction speed is still the default 30mm/s. Using Ultimaker Cura 5.4.0 as the slicer program.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

edit: my printer is the sv06 plus (originally posted under regular sv06 XD)

2

i suggest using this plugin if you dont have it already
Ultimaker Cura Marketplace.
and this wiki about it
Retract Tower · 5axes/Calibration-Shapes Wiki · GitHub.

follow what they say and see if you get any better results. I had no issues tuning mine using it.

edit: fyi my settings is 30mm/s and 0.5mm distance.

1 Like
3

Welcome to 3D printing! Stringing can be tricky, especially when you’re still dialing in retraction settings. For a 1.75mm PLA Pro filament at 220°C, a default retraction speed of 30 mm/s is usually a reasonable starting point, but the retraction distance might need adjustment.

For the SV06 Plus, 4–6 mm retraction is on the higher side for direct-drive setups, but not uncommon if you’re trying to eliminate stringing. If you’re still seeing strings, you could try:

  • Increasing retraction speed slightly (e.g., 35–45 mm/s)

  • Lowering the printing temperature in small increments (210–215°C)

  • Enabling “Combing Mode” in Cura to reduce travel moves over open spaces

Also, make sure your filament path is as smooth as possible and the nozzle is clean. Sometimes small tweaks to travel speed and coasting can also help reduce stringing.

It’s a lot of trial and error at first, but once you find the sweet spot, prints will improve significantly.