===== General ===== There are a lot of reasons why a 3D-printed whistle might not work in some way, but generally they can be reduced to a few main tuning issues to check * Flow percentage issue (generally too little flow) * Pressure advance issue * bridging layers are not solid, allowing air to escape the chamber(s) ====How a whistle works==== I find it helpful to understand how a whistle works in order to troubleshoot what a possible issue is. {{:wiki:screenshot_2026-01-25_at_21.44.56.png?400}} ==In the screenshot above, you have 3 main things happening== - Air enters via the airway - The air accelerates, usually by gradually making the airway smaller - Air hits the "blade", creating a fluttering effect - That fluttering, along with the air building up pressure in the chamber, makes the air inside the chamber vibrate, which creates sound ====So a whistle will most likely fail at==== * The airway - too restrictive or an obstructed path not allowing air to accelerate * The blade - not sharp/uniform enough to create fluttering * The chamber - air escaping and not building pressure ===== Practical things to check ===== From the above, we should check * If the airway has stringing or similar in it * You always want to "paint on" seams away from any of the above components * If the blade is not sharp * Points to a Pressure Advance, cooling, or flow issue * If there are holes in the chamber walls or walls of the whistle, allowing air to escape * Could be flow, seam, or retraction issue