Official Creality Ender 3 3D Printer Fully Open Source with Resume Printing Function DIY Printers Build Volulme 8.66x8.66x9.84 inch
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Availability:
Only 1 left in stock, order soon!
Arrives
Monday, Oct 19
Set name: Ender 3
Features
- Resume Printing Function: no worry to the immediate power outage or electric circuit error, Ender 3 has the ability to resume printing even after a power outage or lapse occurs, you can continue to print
- Creality Ender 3 3d printer, it is the most basic 3d printer model, more students and beginners can learn the 3d printer by this model, it can help to excercise your hands-on skills. It comes with several assembled parts, you need about 2 hours to assemble
- Advanced Extruder Technology: Ender 3 upgraded extruder greatly reduces plugging risk and bad extrustion; V-shape with POM wheels make it move noiseless, smoothly and durable
- Safety Protected Power Supply: Only needs 5 minutes for hot bed to reach 100 degree. Note: This Ender 3 3d printer just can print via sd card, or connect with the computer, it cant print via connecting with your phone
- Strict Test: Strict testing for key components before delivery and supports available. Kindly remind, to make sure the printer can power on normally without power off automatically, please check the side of the power supply and see whether the power supply voltage is 115V? You can have a look at the side of the power supply to confirm this point
Description
Comgrow is the first seller of Creality 3D on Amazon. We own 20+ technical staff to provide professional support to all customers. Comgrow is devoted to provide high quality and economical 3d printers, 3d printer accessories, 3d printer filament and excellent after-sales service to all customers. Black PLA Filament White PLA Filament Grey PLA Filament Blue PLA Filament Red PLA Filament Yellow PLA Filament Dryer Box
Specs & Other Info
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Comgrow |
| Build Material | High-quality Aluminum |
| Measurements | 16.14"L x 16.54"W x 18.31"H |
| Weight | Approximately 14.6 lbs |
| Compatible Devices | Primarily Laptops and PCs |
| Current Manufacturing Status | Still in Production |
| Model Number | Ender 3 |
| Product Release Date | March 27, 2018 |
| Manufacturer | Creality 3D |
| Place of Manufacture | China |
| Product Rankings | #1,597 in Industrial & Scientific, #2 in 3D Printers |
| Customer Satisfaction Ratings | Averaging 4.3 out of 5 stars from 14,341 reviews |
Frequently asked questions
Fully Open Source means that all of the Ender 3's design files and software are publicly accessible. This allows for easy modifications and customizations of the printer. It also cultivates a community where users can share their improvements and learnings.
The Resume Printing Function allows the Ender 3 3D Printer to recover from power outages, disruptions or pauses without losing progress on the current print. It resumes the print from where it left off, saving time and reducing wasted materials.
The Ender 3 3D printer has a print size of 8.66x8.66x9.84 inches. This refers to the maximum dimensions of an object that the printer can print.
Yes, the Ender 3 3D Printer is designed for DIY. It comes as a kit that you assemble yourself, which gives you a great understanding and control of the mechanics of your 3D printer. It's a great choice for enthusiasts and makers who want to learn more about 3D printing.
Similar Products
Top Amazon Reviews
π Abunda's Overview
This is our summary and key points to consider based on customer reviews.
The product is a 3D printer that is highly valued for its price and offers good quality prints. However, it seems to require significant adjustment and maintenance time, with some users suggesting multiple upgrades. Despite minor issues and a steep learning curve, reviewers found that the printer will yield great results once properly calibrated and adjusted.
Pros
- π° Good value for money.
- π Everything bolts up and works as expected.
- π§ Comes with spare parts.
- π» Offers a good selection of software for handling STL files.
- π Results in high-quality prints.
Cons
- π Poor assembly instructions.
- π³ Uses a micro SD card, which is inconvenient to use frequently.
- π Some stock parts may need to be replaced.
- π Requires extra time for adjustments and calibrations.
Should I Buy It?
Yes, especially if you're a bit tech-savvy and don't mind putting in some time to fine-tune the setup. While it requires patience to learn its quirks, the end product seems to be worth the effort. Expect to spend some time on setup and adjustments, but once thatβs complete it's a strong and reliable 3D printer.
Set name: Ender 3 V2
For being a novice 3D printer person, this device can do a lot of things. A friend of mine has this same printer and with his help and previous knowledge from using the same printer, I have really learned a lot and his expertise has helped me with a lot of questions that I would have had to ask others about. I ordered this 3D printer on 28 Jan 2021 and it was delivered on 04 Feb 2021. Creality really does a great job packing all of the parts and pieces. It took a little bit of setting up, but watching several YouTube videoes on how to unbox and setup this printer really was a big help. The most critical thing with this printer, is making sure that the bed is level. If your bed is not level, then the filament will not stick to the surface of the bed. It will take 30-45 minutes to level your bed. There are several videos on YouTube on "How to level your Ender 3 v2 printer". Also, depending on what type of filament you are going to use, you need to know what is the best nozzle temperature to set. I found that the GEEETECH, MILKA and HATCHBOX PLA filaments are the best, but that is my own opinion. I found that 185 Celsius for the nozzle temp and the bed temp of 50 degree Celsius was the best settings. But, most manufacturers will have printed on the side of the spool what temps to use and also when you use the "slicer program" for the things you want to print it will already be programmed into the "gcode". But, still set the temps to 185C and 50C for the PLA filaments and see how that works. I also ordered the "Ender 3 Springs, Creality Upgraded 4PCS Hot Bed Die Springs with 4PCS Aluminium Hand Twist Leveling Nut for Ender 3/3 Pro/3 V2, Ender 5/5 Pro/5 Plus, CR-10, CR10S/10S Pro, CR 20 3D Printer" kit. This replaces the springs that come with the Ender 3 printer and is a more sturdier spring (hot die spring) instead of the less sturdier spring that comes standard on this printer. It will keep your bed level after several prints. Also, make sure that you check the belts for the X and Y axis after several prints. All you have to do is to tighten the knobs just a fraction of a turn, but make sure not to overtighten. My friend printed me some additions, which we found on "Thingiverse.com", to add onto my printer which really helps, one is a pulley wheel that attaches to the side of the printer to help streamline the filament from the spooler to the extrueder so that it doesn't crimp when printing. Also, I have printed several items that I downloaded from THINGIVERSE.COM and all of them turned out great. I found out from my friend that using blue painters tape and the Elmer's Purple glue stick really helps the different filaments to stick to the surface. Put the blue painters tape down and then level your bed and once leveled, then use the purple glue stick on the painters tape and smooth with your finger. I also downloaded the slicer software "CURA" (the "slicer software") to create the "gcode" that this 3D printer uses to print your items that you download from "THINGIVERSE.com". There is a "slicer" program that comes with the printer on the SD Card and it looks just like "CURA" but Creality just added a few other things to make it look a little different. Either "slicer program" will work. I have also purchased about $200 worth of PLA (harder) and PETG (softer) filaments. Should not be running out of that anytime soon. Overall, Creality does make a great printer and so far, I have not had any issues to be really concerned about. Overall, I give this printer a 5 out of 5 stars. Just do your research on what you and your friends are likely to use. I am very pleased and recommend this printer to everyone. Those people that are giving this device bad reviews are ones that have no idea on what they are doing and have not done the reasearch in order to make this thing enjoyable. You just can not setup this printer and expect it to automatically print. There is some work involved and once you do the research and learn from those that have gone thru these situations, i guarantee that this device will be the next fun thing that you will ever own and have fun using day-in and day-out. I am glad i had the expertise from my friend or I might be giving some critical reviews also. Do your homework. I think this is the future toy that everyone will have in their household. Happy 3D printing! 19 April 2021 I have had this printer for almost 3 months now, and i can say that I have had no really big problems with this 3D printer from Ender. Yes, there is a few twikking that needs to be done from time-to-time, but if you have the patience, this thing can really be fun for you and the family. Once again, the biggest thing is getting the bed level but usually you don't have to worry with that until after 8-10 prints. Again, i use the Blue Painter's tape for the filament to adhere to and i also used the Purple Glue Sticker. For smaller and more detailed prints, using these 2 things can make for removing your print a little difficult. I use a little rubbing alcohol and it will come loose. For finer prints where things are more detailed, you might also want to slow the speed of the print from 100% to about 50-70%. I have printed some pedals or flowers for the hummingbird feeder that i made and the print speed needed to be adjusted and really did a fine job. Using the faster speed (100%), the detailed flowers were messed up. I would still recommend this to everyone. I enjoy my Ender 3D printer everytime i print something. Good luck.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2021 by Chewy
Set name: Ender 3
EDIT: Update 8-9-18 The company reached out to me and offered to replace some of the parts that I was having trouble with. I've changed the review from 3 stars to 5 starts for excellent customer service. Original review: I wanted so bad for this printer to be the best entry level printer on the market. Key word: wanted. I purchased this at the end of June as a small step into the 3D printing arena. With the success of the CR-10 (made by the same company as the Ender 3), I felt that the Ender 3 was a wonderful option if you didn't have a need for the large print space that the CR-10 has and were on an entry level budget. That's not to say that the Ender 3 has a small print space. For the price range, this has one of the largest. Assembly of the Ender 3 can definitely test your patience. If everything is not lined up just perfectly when you tighten all of the screws down, your end result will be a wobbly 3D printer. (FYI, the packaging that the printer came in helps resolve this issue if you set the printer on top of it.) Some of the first prints that I did weren't difficult to print as I wanted to ease into all of the features this has. Here's a quick list of my pros and cons: Pros: - Ease of use - The menus are easy to find and understand. It's incredibly simple to put your stl file on the micro SD card and start printing. While the placement of where the SD card goes in is a bit of a headache, you can get used to it over time. - Bed surface - I like the surface of the heated bed as it really grabs the plastic and it's one less thing you have to worry about (i.e. putting glue on the bed). Some times, it can grab the print a little too well and it makes removal quiet interesting. Cons: - Quality - In general, overall quality of the printer is lacking, but that just may be par for the price point. Prints can greatly vary from "it looks fine" to "what happened?" While I admit some of this may be my fault and inexperience with Cura, I've found that printing the same successful print can also give different results without any of the files being changed. Another quality issue were the rollers either being too tight or too loose from the factory. While some experienced 3D printing people know to look for this, someone who is taking this printer as their first step may not know how this will affect their prints. - Heated bed - Again, I like the build surface of the bed but I thoroughly dislike the bed overall. After spending so much time and effort into leveling the bed, making sure that all four corners are the right height and stay there consistently, disheartened is the best way to describe how it feels when you try and level the center of the bed. No matter what I did, the center of the bed was always too far from the nozzle. To fix this, I raised the bed but that causes all of the corners to now be too close to the nozzle. After much searching online, I came to find that this is a common issue and that the bed could be "cupped". A simple fix is to buy a 235mm x 235mm glass bed but that can be like throwing money at the problem. - PTFE tube and couplers - This issue may not present itself in the beginning but over time, you may notice consist under-extrusion (like having holes or gaps in the print lines) no matter what your settings are. A quick synopses of the issue is the coupler that holds the PTFE tube in the hotend slowly lets the tube back out as filament is fed in. This causes the filament to melt and expand to create a jam. No matter what your settings are in general, you're going to end up with poor print quality. There are videos online on how to get around this but again, you're spending money to fix the problem. Overall, I recommend this printer. While my experience may be vastly different from someone else, I seem to be having a similar experience to many other people online. I love the price point of the printer and that it helps you understand the 3D printing world. My advice is to do your homework. If this printer is exactly what you want and you don't mind that you may have to learn some things to get this running smoothly, then I hope my review has given you some insight.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2018 by D
Set name: Ender 3
Good entry level 3D printer for tinkering and prototyping. There's 3 issues you should be a aware of though: (1) BED WARP/BED FLATNESS: The bed will warp over time. It's a relatively thin aluminum plate that has a heating element in the center. The center starts to sag a bit over time. You'll probably get about 30 prints out of it before it becomes a problem. You can place a folded piece of aluminum foil as a shim between the bed and mat to compensate for it and get a few more prints, until it becomes a problem again. A more permanently solution for bed flatness is the harden glass mat that sits on top of the heated bed. (2) BOWDEN TUBE CLOG: The hot end side of PLA guide tube going into the extruder does not do well overtime and will expand slightly. After awhile it will expand enough for the melted PLA to backfill into the tube. Once this happens and it cools - the tube is done. You'll have to disassemble the extruder side and cut off the clogged tube to get it working again. They are better/higher heat rated Teflon tubes you could buy to replace it. There are direct feed systems that bypass the tube all together, but they cost more. (3) PLA TENSION SPRING: this spring is notoriosly weak on the Ender3 and you'll have to tighten this spring every 10-15 prints or the gear that feeds the PLA into the tube will slip. Your 3D prints will be stringy or have under extruded thin spots. The way to tell if this is happening is by staring at the gear and tension pulley to see if both are spinning. If only the gear is spinning and not the pulley, then this could be a tension problem. It a good idea to mark the tops of the gear and pulley with a black sharpie to see the movement more clearly. Try manually feeding the PLA into the tube by gently feeding the PLA into the gear/pulley system. If this helps, then you have a tension problem. If it doesn't help. Then you have a clog issue on the hot end. Even with all these issues, the Ender3 is still a good 3D printing system to get your feet wet.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2026 by Fair&Honest
Set name: Ender 3
The Ender 3 marked my entry into the 3D-printing world, and I love it! The 3D printer has been a godsend! If you're also newbie and searching for advice, here's my brief take on the Ender 3. It's awesome! The Ender 3 arrives in pieces that you must assemble. Since it is essentially a robot, assembly can seem overwhelming at first, but if you take it one step at a time, you'll be printing in no time. I found the printed instructions accompanying the unit to be more sizzle than steak, but, fortunately there are several videos on YouTube that make assembly a breeze. Believe it or not, assembling the unit yourself is beneficial because it familiarizes you with the device. It will allow you to easily make the minor adjustments that 3D printers often require. My wife and I have found that 3D printing comes with somewhat of a steep learning curve, but it's fun. YouTube and websites such as "all3DP dot com" have proven themselves to be life savers. The most common adjustments you'll make while 3D printing is "bed leveling." In truth, though, you're not actually "leveling" the print bed, but rather you're ensuring that the print nozzle is uniformly distanced from the bed (the print surface) on all its 4 corners. The nozzle needs to be super close, too. ...not about an inch or two away from the print bed, but rather it needs to be no further than the thickness of a piece of paper. Crazy, huh? When my wife and I printed a test file provided by Creality (the manufacturer), we frankly sat mesmerized at the unit's precision. It was like staring into a campfire and getting lost in the flames. The nozzle just zipped back and forth across the print bed leaving tiny bits of corn-based "plastic" one layer at a time, and eventually (over time) created a cat/dog thingy. In search of more things to print, we settled on two websites with tons of 3D-printable files that are very often free to download. The websites are "thingiverse dot com" and "cults3d dot com". The latter site takes longer to load, but seems to have more options. Creality has one too, but I haven't really checked it out yet. It's important to note that the files you download from such websites are *.stl files, whereas the Ender 3 needs *.gcode files. To make the file conversion, we downloaded a piece of software called Cura. It appears to be the best (free) software on the market for "slicing" 3D files into *.gcode files. That too has a steep learning curve, complete with complicated settings. But fortunately there are lots of tutorials online along with settings you can copy from experts. I mostly rely on "all3DP dot com" for that. After a while, we decided to invent our own designs and then print them into existence. In my opinion, the cat's meow -- the best and easiest 3D design application -- is Fusion360. It has a limited free version for students and schools, but otherwise it's quite pricey. My wife then found free, open-sourced design software called FreeCAD. We love it, and haven't turned back since. The filament we prefer is PLA. In our experience, PLA produces little to no fumes and it's guilt-free because it's corn-based and biodegradable. It should be noted, though, that not all PLA is created equally. This is primarily because (according to what I've read) pigments affect the PLA in different ways. So, when I order PLA from Amazon, I always look for the PLA with the most and highest reviews. Then, I refer upon their temperature recommendations. Overall, we absolutely love the Ender 3. At under $200, it's extremely affordable, and the process of printing things into existence can be (in my experience) somehow transformative. And if you find yourself confused about something, take my advice by not wasting time by trying to figure it out for yourself. Just refer to the experts on any of the websites I mentioned so, later on, you can focus on things that really matter...like design. Note: the bearing on a little fan went out. So, I reached out to Comgrow, they got back to me immediately, and now a new fan is on the way. No fuss no muss. Finally, at the risk of getting to personal, I'm a disabled veteran who benefits from focusing on tangible things. The process of 3D printing has proven itself to be such a godsend in that regard, that I think the VA should seriously explore ways of getting more vets 3D printing. I hope this helped newbies like me. Happy printing!
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Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2022 by Louie Cruz
Set name: Ender 3
so I bought this printer almost a year ago and I didn't even use it that much, I dont know exactly how many things I printed but definitely not even more than 20 this thing has less than 100 hours of printing and the amount of issues ive had is just stupid. I remember I printed less than 5 things and I had come across my first issue.. my prints kept coming off the print bed, it took me a bit but I realized I could just put some glue on it (like school glue sticks) and they would turn out fine (although I did have to clean the bed after every print) then I found this really awesome dragon, so obviously I printed it... well tried to print it. first time I tried to print it the nozzle clogged and I was kind of annoyed because it was like a 2 day print and it had printed for about 15 hours before failing and wasted a good chunk of filament, but I thought it was just you know a little mishap I mean not everything was gonna print perfect so i just tried again.. same problem so I changed some settings made sure everything was fine and I tried one last time. anddd surprise surprise it clogged AGAIN at this point I was starting to get pretty frustrated and almost just gave up but first I tried one last thing, changing the filament and same damn problem. then I didn't touch it for a while like maybe 4 months before getting the urge to start printing again, I watched every YouTube video, read every article online, and searched Google for hours to find all the possible problems and their solutions, I messed with every setting on the slicer, replaced the nozzle and I tried that dragon once again. this time I got about 70% into the print and I was super excited because it was almost done so I woke the next morning ran to the garage just to find out it failed with the same friggin problem as before. I thought maybe I just had to stick with printing some smaller quicker prints because obviously this dragon was just not working so I did that, and then another problem popped up, the thing wouldn't turn on, I'm not gonna explain the whole process but basically I had to reset the sd card and to get to this point i had spent about 4 hours trying to figure out what had happened and how to fix it when i simply got lucky took out the sd card and it suddenly worked anywau after that i tried printing other smaller prints that had previously printed just fine just to find out that all the other prints I tried were also failing. I bought some more nozzles in a variety of sizes and types of nozzles but before it even arrived I found out a piece of filament had gotten stuck in the Bowden tube again this had happened before and I had to cut off a part of the tube but now it was stuck right in the middle so I had to get a new tube but I was so frustrated with that thing that I just gave up this thing has been nothing but problems and I'm done trying to fix it only for another problem to reveal itself, I didn't talk about all the issues because I'm already tired of typing and you get the idea. I haven't even spent that much money on this to fix the issues because I've read lots of reviews of people spending double the price of the printer itself to try and solve these problems but ended up still broken. TLDR: dont buy this thing sure it's cheap it's one of the most popular beginner printers and really one of the most popular of all time but honestly it's trash, all the problems are just not worth it, I've spent way too much time trying to fix this thing. if you want a decent printer that won't cost you an insane amount of money you can get something like an elegoo Neptune 3 or a anycubic kobra for around 200-300 dollars sure it's more expensive but it will actually work.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2022 by Eddie M.
Set name: Ender 3
I have been thinking about buying a 3d printer for a little over a year. They have been pricy so I've not stepped into this arena, especially with so much information to wade through. So I bought this printer on a whim with a "lighting deal." First, I read other reviews and found YouTube for assembling the printer. The instructions help a little with the videos, but this is really the only negative. It's well made and simple to assemble so it made for a fun afternoon. Next thing to know is that I didn't know nearly enough. Once it's assembled, you have to level it. Luckily there's a ton of videos on this, and the assembly videos will go through that as well. It's not hard, but something I never thought of. I also got the auto leveler and installed it a few days later. That's a whole different thing that is amazing once you figure it out. Another thing i didn't realize is the print bed. This printer comes with one, obviously, and it does a good job. Keeping the bed level is hugely important for your prints. Also keeping it clean. It's never really clean though. I watched a ton of videos about using alcohol to clean it but that can actually be too harsh. Soap and water seems to be the go to across forums. Using some other adhesive is fair game as well. I didn't realize how much damage I did and bought a glass bed for my prints. Glass was amazing! It actually struggled to get prints to release. But the alcohol was too much and had already started to ruin my new bed. So, just soap and water should get you through most issues (and don't be afraid of the glass bed, it is pretty nice) Now, your filament absorbs water. I also didn't realize this and thought the various filament storage and dryer were just frivolous. They are, and they aren't. I have silica beads, and a vacuum sealer, so I don't strictly speaking need one of those. Also, my oven has a dehydration setting. However, it's nice to just have one on hand and not take up the kitchen or extra electricity from having the oven on. So, need one, no, but I'm not mad that my bundle came with one. Most of the rest of your questions can be Googled. But also, read forums, not just the popular videos and articles (it's how I've ruined two print bed). Everyone loves discussing the slicer (print configuration software basically) settings ands getting the most out of each print. I'm personally looking forward to learning to build my own designs, but don't feel like you have to. My kids love me printing endless frogs and cats for them to display and show off. My nephew likes the toys I've managed so far. Above I've mentioned things I've learned and wish I knew more about ahead of time. However I haven't really talked about the printer itself. It's been great. There's no real instructions because each print is a little different. You need to experiment to see what works best with everything. That may not be for everyone. But you can create surprisingly large prints with great detail with this printer. It's been smooth! It's worth noting that 3d printers can be loud, but it's not very. If say it's more quiet then most dot matrix printers. I can sit by it printing and work on other projects, or leave the room and I can't really hear it. So if you're wanting to break into this as a hobby, this is an excellent printer to start with. It's a little older so there's tons of help out there for it and it's been reliable. Replacement parts are not expensive, nor are upgrades. TLDR: This is a good printer and I'm happy with my purchase.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2023 by Drew
Set name: Ender 3
First: I UNFAIRLY began this review about the Comgrow Ender 3 stating that: "the pre-assembled Y-Axis shipped with severe dents on all four rollers, and two of the rollers on the X-Axis have minor defects in the form of tiny, shallow cuts that look like bin damage..." I WAS WRONG!!!!! Don't do what I did; I know we just can't wait to slap the machine together and get printing, but if you want to make the Ender 3 perform like a $5000.00 printer, there will be some adjustments and fine tuning to do. Here's where I went wrong: I studied this printer, its reviews, and many different YouTube channels long before I made the decision to buy it, and I understood that motion along the X-Y-Z axis must be smooth as possible, and I viewed at least a couple of videos that said their Ender 3 shipped with "flat spots". So, I put it together following the VERY BASIC (but very well-written, easy to understand) instructions, and both the Y and X axis had "hard, bumpy spots" at regular intervals, where these so-called "flat spots" and "cuts" contacted the extrusion, but instead of looking a little more closely at the setup as MOST of the videos suggested, I made an incorrect assumption because: I DID NOT FOLLOW THE ADVICE OF THE EXPERTS. Comgrow has already contacted me to provide replacement rollers, so their customer service alone has my FIVE STARS, not to mention their patience with impatient 58 year-old children like myself! THANK YOU COMGROW! People, don't get impatient like me: Take the time to examine the pre-built assemblies, and clean the V-Grooves and rollers thoroughly whether they look like they need it or not. This is because tiny bits of soft debris from the packing material, barely visible, can stick to the rollers and v-groove surfaces, and this is what caused me to believe I had flat spots. The next day, I disassembled the axis with problems, but when I examined the Y-axis rollers I saw no flat spots, and the "bin cuts" on the X-axis rollers were too superficial to cause the kind of "binding" I felt when manually sliding the axis. So I started from scratch, this time following the setup tips that I had ignored earlier. (C'mon, give me a break already; I've been drooling over the idea of having a 3D printer for years, so naturally I'm gonna throw the thing together so I can make it run as soon as possible!) After loosening the eccentric rollers, I cleaned each one, and wiped down the v-grooves in the extrusions, re-assembled, adjusted per the instructions, and the motion along both axis was smooth as glass. HERE'S WHAT I LEARNED: * Cleaning the parts before assembly will save you time and frustration... (EDIT 12/27/2018)****ORIGINAL TEXT: Roller pressure adjustment is CRITICAL - Too much pressure on the y-axis rollers cause the build plate to flex, which is why so many Ender 3 newbies complain about a "warped build surface"; it's not warped, the rollers are adjusted too tightly...)*** (NOTE ABOUT THE EDIT ABOVE: WRONG AGAIN! -->The build plate is mounted to a carrier plate on springs captured by adjustment screws; no amount of tightening will cause the build plate to warp, but it will flex the carrier plate.) * The belts must not be slack, but don't over-tighten them either; a belt that is too tight will transmit more resonance and provide less damping, exaggerating "cogging" effects, and placing undue side-load on the stepper bearings... Had I followed the above advice instead of making dumb assumptions, I would have been printing the same evening. The Ender 3's performance is impressive once set up and properly maintained, producing a print for me that was every bit as good as an ABS sample Stratasys sent me. My first print used the sample roll of PLA that shipped with the unit just to test the finish quality, but the sample roll only contains enough PLA filament to complete about 14mm of the SAMPLE DOG, so once satisfied with the mechanical operation, I mounted a spool of black ABS, pre-heated the nozzle and bed, started up SAMPLE DOG again. Once again, I was ignoring the advice of experienced owners because I had not enclosed the printer to improve printing with ABS, but after agonizing over feed rate and fan settings I let the Ender 3 print the SAMPLE DOG knowing certainly that I would return to a rat's nest of wiry black ABS threads, but the print was perfect. (EDIT 12/17/2018) Since the initial review, I have printed many different objects, abandoning PLA altogether, I print exclusively using ABS and PETG. IMPROVEMENTS I MADE OVER STOCK: *Cardboard box enclosure... *Upgraded filament driver parts... *Upgraded PTFE Bowden tube... * Upgraded Bowden tube connectors.. * Borosilicate glass bed, with PEI applied to one side... This setup allows me to make excellent ABS prints with no bed-adhesion problems, so the bed temperature can be much lower, preventing "elephant's foot" and other first-layer problems.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2018 by Mbunds
Set name: Ender 3
I just got this the other day. It's a learning experience trying to get nice prints. For the price this is a great deal for what you get. Is it the best designed/made printer out there? No, it's got some issues that might effect long term use. But the price is an amazing deal and there are sacrifices. So things I'd recommend: Really take your time leveling the bed, I thought I did it right and the Z axis rests on the switch mechanism when printing, when you do the setup it stops when the switch is activated, so actually printing it goes down more. Well, didn't know that and the nozzle dug into the board as it went farther down. Octoprint, works great but for some reason the nozzle goes up a few mm on that. So I've had to mess with calibrating the printing leveling for hours. With that said. My first print was a fan cover. Second was a raspberry pi case, that I should have put supports in, but it still works, just not pretty. I'd recommend updating the firmware ASAP, it doesn't have thermal runaway protection enabled in the version that comes with it, a fire risk. Whats nice about this printer is you can upgrade parts. To get the price point they did (super affordable), the fans are loud, the motors are loud, the wire's aren't made to last a super long time, ect. You get the point, but they did that to make it affordable, for that I give this 5 starts for the price. I love the print bed size. You can upgrade almost everything on this printer except the bed size. Buy it now if that's all you can afford and slowly upgrade it as you go. Amazon provided a great delivery experience. I'm using this as a hobby printer, prototype some things and general fun. Print times are longer than I expected, some pieces can take a whole day, quality is a little bit rough. I don't know that I could sell anything I make if that was a goal. Octoprint works great, I paired it with a logitech webcam, so much better than just using the standard microsd. I've been using Amazon basics PLA, works fine. Great printer for a hobbyist and someone new to 3d printing imo. I struggled with picking a first printer and I'm glad to use this. I don't recommend running this unless you're home to supervise for the most part. It comes with a old version of Cura that doesn't have a profile built for this printer, but you can direct download from the cura website and get the newest version which has a built in profile for this printer. Printing from Microsd, the print head goes lower then the (prepare) settings you use to level the printer, be careful as this can cause the nozzle to dig into the board on first print, then printing with octoprint it's higher for some reason, causing the pla to not stick. You'll have to mess with leveling, It's taken me hours to figure it out.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2019 by :)