Top 11 Torture Test Prints & 3D Printer Calibration Tests

There’s nothing quite as disappointing as wasted time, and in 3D printing that also comes with wasting filament. Not only can this get expensive if failed prints are a common problem, but it’s also just incredibly frustrating. And this is why it’s a good idea to run some test 3D prints before you dive into your main project.

Test prints mainly refer to small example pieces that help you understand what settings or techniques need to be adjusted on your 3D printer to make the main print more reliable, and are unfortunately referred to as ‘torture tests.’

As well as helping you figure out what settings you need to adjust, these 3D printer tests also give you a better idea of what your printer can do, helping you temper expectations or understand where you may need more help with supports, overhangs, layer adhesion, etc.

Generally speaking, the most useful torture tests in 3D printing are small pieces that have just enough detail and variety to help you calibrate your settings, but not being so intricate or large that they take up any more time or filament than is necessary.

Here we’ll check out some of the most useful test prints to help keep your printer as reliable as possible and maximize the chances of successful prints moving forward. All of these test print files are efficiently designed and free to download.

3DBenchy

• Where to Download: Thingiverse
• Designer: CreativeTools
• What it Tests: Detailing, layer adhesion, and print speed.

Named after its role as a benchmark, 3DBenchy is the most well-known and top printed 3D printer torture test in the world, so much so that it even has its own website and following.

I remember when I first became interested in 3D printing and visited friends with printers, I was surprised at how many of these adorable little boats littered every one of their workshops. Once I got a 3D printer myself, I quickly understood why.

3DBenchy was designed to be a fast print that doesn’t use much filament but still has enough detailing and layers to give you a very clear idea of your printer’s settings and capabilities. It’s one of the most useful test prints out there, and will help you change your 3D printer’s settings to make sure everything runs smoothly going forward.

The community even encourages new takes, alterations, and fun uses for 3DBenchy that anyone is welcome to share like the Jaws Benchy. Who says trial runs can’t be fun?

Calirat

• Where to Download: Cults3D
• Designer: DK7
• What it Tests: Even lines, layering, and bed alignment.

The Calirat is another fun torture test for 3D printing that’s more adorable than most. The flat base gives you a good idea of whether or not your built plate is on equal kilter, as it will be easy to see where the initial layers haven’t properly set.

The shape of the rat will also help you see if the layers on your print are coming out evenly, as the sharp head but round ears give you a better impression of how your printer handles different shapes within one project.

The Calirat is a quick print at only 20 minutes, uses very little filament, and will give you a good all-round idea of where things are going right with your settings and what needs improvement.

Hollow Calibration Cube

• Where to Download: Thingiverse
• Designer: NumberSix
• What it Tests: Oozing, retraction, dimensional accuracy, and bridging

Sometimes genius exists in simplicity, and that certainly is the case for the hollow cube. The basic shape uses very little filament but tests for a lot of very important settings issues like retraction while also showing you if the layering is off by clearly showing if the filament is oozing.

Because the cube is hollow, the corners are connected by simple bridges, which are an important part of a lot of complex prints. This will let you know how your printer handles such bridges and whether or not you need to apply more supports.

If you find the bridges of this test print are dropping or failing and don’t know what to do, then you can always find the answers in our detailed article on successfully printing overhangs and bridges.

Double Helix Bridging Test

• Where to Download: Cults3D
• Designer: WILDROSEBUILDS
• What it Tests: Bridging

For a more in-depth look at how your printer handles bridges with its current settings, the double helix torture test is the best way to observe what your current settings can do.

Because of the shape of a standard helix, the bridges are all of different lengths and the model itself can be scaled to feature longer bridges. This will show you clearly and precisely what limits your bridges can reach under your current settings and with your current filament.

Temperature Towers

• Where to Download: Cults3D and Thingiverse
• Designers: B2TM and gaaZolee
• What it Tests: Temperature settings, overhangs, and cooling efficiency.

Temperature towers are extremely useful test prints that require a little more forethought than the 3DBenchy, but it tells you so much more about your printer settings than most of the smaller torture tests can.

Simply put, temperature towers are designed as tall stacks of different overhanging shapes designed to be printed at different extruder temperatures and layered on top of each other.

This effectively tells you how your printer will handle particular filaments at different temperatures, giving you a good idea of how you should adjust your settings to compensate for any failures in specific heat.

Each layer of a temperature tower should also include an overhang to show you if you need to be more mindful of supports in future projects. If the overhang is sturdy at 180℃ but drops at 210℃, then you’ll know where you need to be cautious with overhangs later on and apply more efficient supports.

Either of the files above makes excellent test prints that are invaluable when you’re looking to readjust your 3D printer’s settings. Just be sure to keep any cooling fan you’re using at the same speed throughout so you get accurate results.

Curve Overhang Test

• Where to Download: Cults3D
• Designer: HEYVYE
• What it Tests: Overhangs

To further observe your 3D printer’s capacity for overhangs, a more complex and easily botched part of 3D model printing. To ensure you won’t get any unsightly drooping or breakages with your overhangs, this handy test will show you how well your printer settings handle overhangs from 45 to 70 degrees.

The concave surfaces show what it would look like had you printed an overhang of that inclination without the need to actually print it. This makes it a very useful torture test that gives you a simple demonstration without all the cleanup that a failed overhang normally entails.

Calibration Ruler

• Where to Download: Cults3D
• Designer: JMMPROG
• What it Tests: Gap Width and Thickness

The calibration ruler is both a 3D printed tool and a test print in one. By applying different gap sizes as the ruler prints, you’ll get a decent idea of the width your printer can make such gaps and how reliably it does so.

This is a handy tool to keep around as it gives an easy-to-understand visual representation of gap widths. Though if they don’t seem right to you upon first printing, you can take a few steps to improve dimensional accuracy before moving on to your desired print.

Ultrafast and Economical Stringing Test

• Where to Download: Thingiverse
• Designer: s3sebastian
• What it Tests: Stringing

Stringing is one of the most frustrating problems you can run into while 3D printing. It relates to thin strands of rogue filament extruding where no printing should be taking place, resulting in an ugly mess that can damage or even ruin a good print even when removed.

Stringing may seem harmless at first, but it wastes a lot of filament and could be the symptom of any kind soon-to-be-worse problem that you’ll be glad you caught and fixed early.

To avoid disappointment, carrying out this fast and easy 3D printer test is an efficient way to find out if your printer is prone to stringing, letting you alter your settings and correct any mistakes ahead of time.

Each one only takes around 0.2 grams of filament, so you can carry out quite a lot of these tests as you configure your printer without wasting too much.

Dual Extruder Calibration Test

• Where to Download: Cults3D
• Designer: WALTERHSIAO
• What it Tests: Dual Extruder Accuracy

If you’re lucky enough to have a dual extruding 3D printer, then you probably can’t wait to start printing some cool and unique projects that would be a nightmare on standard single-extruder printers.

But because the printer needs to be told exactly when to use which extruder to reach the desired effect, it’s important to make sure they’re calibrated well. The last thing anyone wants is to see that the exciting colors they were expecting have come out all wrong.

This dual extruder calibration test is complicated enough to show you if your extruders are in fact working as they should and interpreting the instructions exactly, but not so complicated that you’ll waste a ton of filament along the way.

Octagon Multi-Purpose 3D Printer Test

• Where to Download: Thingiverse
• Designer: ctrlV
• What it Tests: Axis calibration, bed leveling, warping, extrusion widths, spikes, overhangs, and rafts.

One of the most versatile tests on this list is the Octagon multi-purpose tests. The flat and exact shape already tests for bed leveling and dimensional accuracy, while the many different kinds of bumps, shapes, and engravings on the outer rim test for just about everything else.

The shape and size of this torture test print make it an efficient checker of many different settings and printing techniques that could be problematic if not seen and solved. With such a versatile testing tool, it’s hard to believe that it’s only the second most well-rounded of all the test prints on this list.

This brings us to the All In One.

All In One 3D Printer Test

• Where to Download: Thingiverse
• Designer: majda107
• What it Tests: Everything

While many of the torture tests we’ve discussed so far are designed to test for or help fix specific problems, sometimes you want a multipurpose tool that tells you just about everything you need to know.

The all-in-one 3D printer test is a feat of ingenuity that will give you a good impression of how just about every setting on your 3D printer is coping with pretty much any task you throw at it.

Maybe you’ve just got your new 3D printer and want to give it a good overall test to make sure everything is ready to go, or maybe you’ve simply found yourself facing too many failed prints and not enough answers as to why.

Either way, this test print is your one-stop-shop for testing for and identifying any common problem from which your 3D printer may be suffering.

Even better, the designer, overwhelmed by how popular his useful creation became, has even asked the community to help him improve it if they find a way. So keeping this link saved and checking in from time to time could prove an invaluable habit that could save you a lot of heartbreak in the future.

Honestly, I highly recommend printing this test every now and then even if everything seems fine. You never know when an unexpected overhang is going to fail or if your printer may be about to start stringing.

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