Hi everyone! In this review, we will talk about the Creality Ender 3, a low budget FDM 3D printer produced by the Chinese manufacturer Creality. Well-known for its incredibly low price, this open-source cartesian-style 3D printer is one of the best and most affordable 3D printer kits currently available on the market. Open-source and easy-to-assemble, it supports virtually unlimited upgrades, which can make it capable of printing high-quality parts with ease.

Provided with the printer is slicing application Cura 3.0.2, but you can get a more current version – Cura 3.4.1 – as a free download online. This software can interface with the Ender 3 via USB. Open Source: The company has made Ender 3 completely open-source. As you know that an open-source platform has a lot of benefits. So, you can very much enjoy those perks with Ender 3 as well. Back to menu ↑ Specification. Creality Ender 3 is a compact 3D printer and easy to handle. The 3D printer has a print area of 220 x 220 x 250mm.

Although the manufacturer has released two updated versions of their flagship model, the Ender 3 Pro and Ender-3X, the Creality Ender 3 keeps being a chart-topper.

In this Creality Ender 3 3D printer review, we will analyze the specs and features of this budget printer, trying to find out why it is so popular.

Source: www.creality3dshop.eu

Is the Creality Ender 3 good?

Wallet-friendly, infinitely hackable, and decently accurate, the Creality Ender 3 might sound too good to be true. That’s why lots of newbies frequently ask themselves: where is the catch?

Well, we can say it loud. There is no catch at all. The Creality Ender 3 is extremely good value for the money. It is a well-built, safe device that can produce good quality outputs with almost no effort. It benefits from quality-of-life features, including a power recovery function, a tight filament pathway, and a heated bed with a viscose surface sticker similar to the BuildTak one. Also, it offers a decent build volume of 220 x 220 x 250mm, which lets you easily print large parts in one go.

The machine prints well with a variety of filaments, including PLA, PETG, and ABS.

Source: amazon.com

Of course, it isn’t all puppies and rainbows. Indeed, the Creality Ender 3 does have some flaws, but none of them are insuperable. For example, it might experience some warping or adhesion issues when printing with ABS-type materials. Its irregular base could generate some wobbles. Also, it does require manual bed leveling. By the way, spending a little bit of time tweaking lets you solve almost any issue.

In short, considering its low price, the Creality Ender 3 is one of the best budget 3D printers you will ever put your hands on so far. No wonder that so many people have already chosen it.

Ender 3 specs and features

Let’s start with a brief overview of Creality Ender 3’s technical specifications.

Technical specs

Technology: FDM (Fused Deposition Molding)
Assembly: DIY Kit
Frame: Aluminum
Mechanical arrangement: Cartesian XZ-Head
Layer height: 100 - 400 Microns
Max. print speed: 200 mm/s
Print precision: +/- 100 microns
Extruder type: Single
Feeder system: Bowden
Max extruder temperature: 491 °F / 255 °C
Nozzle size: 0.4 mm
Filament: 1.75mm - PLA, PETG, ABS, TPU
Print bed: Magnetic, removable heated bed with viscose surface sticker
Max hot bed temperature: 110°C
Bed leveling: Manual
Print area: 220 x 220 x 250mm
Connectivity: SD card, USB
Display: LCD screen
Additional features: Print recovery

And now, let’s dive into them to better understand their meaning.

The Creality Ender-3 is an FDM 3D printer. This means it prints parts by melting and extruding a thermoplastic filament through a heated single extruder equipped with a Bowden feeder system. The extruder module has been designed for printing with generic 1.75mm filaments, no matter the brand. The pathway between the Bowden extruder and the hot end is tight and narrow, this might help when printing flexible filaments but might cause some difficulties when trying to insert the consumable into the route.

Also, to effectively print with flexible materials, upgrading to an all-metal extruder, or switching to a Direct Drive system is preferable.

Source: creality3dshop.eu

Like in all the Cartesian-style printers, the Ender 3 print head moves along two axes, the X and Z axis, while the bed moves along the Y-axis. During its path, it gradually deposits the melted filament layer by layer. Depending on the height of each layer, you will get parts with a different level of detail. In particular, depending on your printing requirements, you can set the layer height between 100 to 400 microns. The lower the height, the higher the resolution.

The device can print parts at a maximum speed of 200mm/s.

Source: www.creality3dshop.eu

The Ender 3 consists of a metal structure. Both the frame and the Z-axis single leadscrew are made of aluminum. This results in a decently stable construction with reduced vibrations.

Credit: Instagram.com

The build volume of the printer is 220 x 220 x 250mm. The machine comes with a heated aluminum bed covered with a BuildTak-like sticky surface, which should make almost any print stick well to the bed without the need for hairspray or glue sticks.

However, switching from the stock bed to a glass or a magnetic flexible one seems to grant way better adhesion and low warping. No wonder that replacing the print bed is one of the most common Ender 3 upgrades.

Source: www.instagram.com

Ender 3 features

One of the main features that make this printer stand out from the competition surely is its low price tag. Some additional noteworthy features are the fully open-source system and the print recovery function.

The open-source system lets you conveniently mod the printer replacing its components or adding extra accessories leaving room for lots of upgrades and hacks.

Source: www.instagram.com

For example, one user hacked his Ender 3 revising the cooling fan shroud, adding a Raspberry Pi with Octoprint and a camera to always keep an eye on the printer. It also replaced the Bowden extruder with a Direct Drive kit.

With the right improvements, you will get a reliable 3D printer capable of producing high quality parts while granting stable performance over time.

Source: www.reddit.com

The print recovery feature prevents print failures due to power loss or accidental disconnection. It has been designed to immediately save the printing progress to let you restart the print job in a different moment, exactly from where it left off. A great feature for a budget device.

Ender 3 assembly: parts, manual and instructions

The Creality Ender 3 is a pre-assembled kit that ships flatpack. Some of its parts, such as the base unit and the hot end, come already assembled streamlining the assembly process. Indeed, to get the printer up and running you’ll only need to screw the main components together and plug some wires.

List of parts

The package contains all the necessary parts to set up the printer and some extra elements. It includes:

frame components
printer unit base
LCD screen with a rotary knob
spool holder
USB power cable
AC power cord

Source: iam3dpro.com

Besides the essential components required to assemble and operate the printer, the package also contains a sample of PLA filament, a USB stick with the user manual, the assembly instructions, a set of tools to build the device, a spatula for removing the prints from the bed, a needle for cleaning the nozzle, some useful spare parts (eg. spare nozzles), and an SD card with a card reader.

Unboxing, assembly, and first impression

Setting up the printer is not so difficult but requires some time. The shipping box includes an assembly manual that will guide you through the process. The Ender 3’s assembly instructions are broken down into 12 steps. Unfortunately, some of them are missing detailed explanations. This makes the setup slightly longer than expected.

All the components of the kit correctly fit together, without gaps. This reduces the odds of play. By assembling the printer on your own, you'll get solid knowledge of all its parts and how they interact together. This will streamline the upgrading process, giving you the possibility to modify the printer to fit your imagination.

The Creality Ender 3 manual is more than enough to successfully assemble the printer. However, to facilitate your work, have a look at this great

Creality Ender 3 Mac Software