Klipper: what it is and why fast printers use it

How Klipper works

Traditional firmware such as Marlin calculates everything on a single board with a slow processor. Klipper split that up: motion planning is handled by a more powerful host computer, and the microcontroller in the printer only fires the steps of the stepper motors precisely.

The configuration is in a plain text file, and changes can be tried without flashing new firmware. The details are in the official documentation.

The difference shows most in speed. A well-tuned printer can accelerate and brake without the frame ringing, and the plastic flows evenly from the nozzle meanwhile. That is why faster printers can give comparable quality in less time, and less time means a lower price per part.

What Klipper brings

• Higher speeds and accelerations. The computer can plan movement more finely, so the printer can go faster without losing accuracy.
• Input shaping. Klipper can measure the resonances of the frame and suppress ripples behind edges, with more in the resonance compensation documentation.
• Fine tuning. Pressure advance, for example, adjusts the pressure in the nozzle so that corners are sharp and free of bumps.

That is why Klipper is popular among enthusiasts, and many modern fast printers are built on it or on something similar.

Drawbacks

Klipper needs a second device and a bit of technical skill, especially when you build your own setup. A badly written configuration can cause faults that do not exist in lighter firmware. For an ordinary user of a finished printer, the manufacturer usually takes care of this.

For your order

You do not need to care which firmware a printer uses. What matters to you is that you get an even print and a lead time based on real print time. Our Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 printers run the manufacturer's firmware, and we do not state whether it is built on Klipper, because you do not need to know. What can show up in quality is covered under ghosting.