Official Creality Ender 3 3D Printer Fully Open Source with Resume Printing Function DIY Printers Build Volulme 8.66x8.66x9.84 inch

I am very happy with my Ender 3 V3 SE. It is my first 3D printer, having some experience with them in the past. This printer performed to an excellent standard and required very little setup out of the box. Unfortunately, the SE does not talk to the Creality Print software, and does not have WiFi or Ethernet network connectivity. Basic functionality is through physically moving an SD-card from your computer to the SD slot on the printer. It has a USB-C outlet that can be connected with a data cable to a computer and communicated serially with COM ports and the CH340 communications driver, it’s not complicated, but it’s not a straightforward process. After about 50 prints or so, the bearings on the Y axis optical rails came loose and resulted in a bed wobble that could register on the Richter scale. I upgraded the Y axis and X axis to linear guide rails, I do believe these upgrades are wholly necessary if you wish to print at the printers upper accelerations for any extended period of use. Changing filaments is a breeze with the direct drive extruder, I have printed in PLA, TPU, and PETG all with very good quality, adjusting settings along the way. If you enjoy tinkering, and learning how FDM printers work, how slicers and gcode work, and want a less expensive start to the hobby I would highly recommend the SE printer. I have also heard good things about its sister the KE.

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!

You might be able to assemble this printer in a couple of hours but you can't build it in that time. There is a significant difference in building something correctly and assembling it. Assembly is the easy part, anyone can throw things together. The build is now complete and to do it correctly takes 4 to 5 hours. When you stand the Z axis uprights on their ends on a granite surface plate it's clear that the ends aren't machined square. After machining the ends they are square and flat enough to assemble now. The Z axis bracket that the leadscrew nut bolts to was not fully bent so the leadscrew didn't line up with the coupler and had to be straightened to make it parallel to the Z uprights so it would line up with the coupler. Check yours to make sure that bracket was bent at 90 degrees. The two uprights had to be shimmed to get them square to the bottom supports and parallel with each other so that the X axis rail would go up and down in a straight line without binding. Colored plastic shim stock of various thickness and an accurate machinist square is paramount to your success here. Even a small Framing square or a plastic triangle from an office supply store would assist in getting the uprights square to the base. The two uprights have to be parallel to one another and hopefully square to the base in order for the top rail to mate up correctly. If you want accurate prints the X and Y axis has to be able to move squarely to one another. The Z axis has to move perpendicular to the build plate once the X and Y axis are square. If this isn't accurate it will affect your print quality. Once the mechanics are built you will need to tidy up the wiring, check the hot end and build plate heating and make sure the extruder will extrude plastic from the nozzle. Prints can be made directly to the build plate, to a piece of borosilicate glass, mirrored glass or tempered plate glass resting on the heated bed. Once the Z stop is set close so that the Z homes with the nozzle close to the bed plate the you can level up the bed plate with a stainless steel feeler gage and you should be good to go. I would use a .005" feeler gage to start as a comparable piece of paper is .004" thickness. Summary: Pros: 1. Good value for money. 2. Everything bolted up and worked 3. Spare parts were a nice touch and much appreciated. 4. Good selection of software to slice and handle STL files. 5. Fastener quality was good enough to get the job done. Cons: 1. Instructions are abysmal. The illustrations are too small, not well explained and the references are sorely lacking for someone that has no experience with building small CNC type electronics. In short the instructions are just enough to get the job done but the neophyte will struggle. 2. Build photos would be a big help. You can't depend on a bunch of folks on the Internet to cover your failings with YT videos and websites that may be doing it wrong to start with. The factory needs to own it. 3. Use a full size SD card. Micro SD cards are OK for phones and tablets because they get installed and stay installed, they have no business in a 3D printer they are simply too small to use all the time. 4. The 24V wiring coming from the power supply had insulation nicks on both the + and - wires and had to have heat shrink applied to keep them from possibly shorting out. The screws on the terminal block at the bottom of the power supply were just barely tight so check yours. 5. XT 60 connectors are rated for up to 65 amps continuous but they were never designed to be permanent connections. In RC model applications you may fly for 5 to 10 minutes and then the packs are disconnected. Most of the time the connectors aren't even in use. I would prefer to see a metal enclosure with a terminal strip for the power connections. 6. The uprights are cut on a cold saw and this is a common operation for extrusions. The problem is that the resulting surface isn't flat, straight or square. When you bolt the uprights onto the lower frame they aren't square and parallel. You will have to shim them to get them to be square and perpendicular. Note to the factory; you can do better. Suggestions to Creality: Look at the Pro's and Con's, take note of some of the issues and make corrections to the new kits coming out of China. It takes just as long to do something wrong as it does to make it right. Making it right is easier. There should be an adjustable Z stop instead of a fixed one. The homing speed needs to be lowered slightly as the hot end and table hit too hard when homing. I can do this in the Marlin Firmware but the factory just needs to lower the speed slightly. All in all, this is a great way to spend a couple of evenings and the print quality is really good, especially for the money. Despite the issues this is a great printer. Don't let the issues cloud your decision about buying it. All the issues can be resolved by the builder and that's you. This should be a 3.5 star printer but it could be a 5 star printer with just a little work by the factory. Suggestions

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.

TL;DR: If you want to print, avoid it. If you want to spend endless nights tweaking, welcome aboard. After a year: constant stringing, clogs, ugly seams, random failures after 8-12 hours of printing. The "first print" is fine. Everything after that is a circus. By the way, Creality ships this "starter printer" with a cheap plastic sticker bed held on with binder clips. You end up scraping parts off like it’s 2016. A proper $10 PEI flex plate would solve adhesion and removal, but apparently that was too much to include. So you WILL start upgrading from day one. And calling it a "suitable gift for kids"? That’s marketing comedy. This is a machine where you need to clean a 240 °C hotend, calibrate extrusion steps with 100 mm tests, and constantly tweak retraction/temperature. That’s not a toy - that’s a frustration kit. What I Printed Utility stuff: organizers, boxes, lids, rings, toys etc. PLA, PETG, TPU, CF - sometimes a 0.8 nozzle for bigger parts. Cura (latest versions). Out of the Box The first couple of simple models were tolerable. As soon as you go beyond the default settings, chaos begins. Seams turn into ugly zits. Too many retractions = clog city. You leave it overnight, burn 12 hours of power and filament, and wake up to a printer happily "printing in the air" because the hotend is jammed with a solid plug of plastic. Look at the photos: spiderwebs, blobs at seams, tears at layer changes, chunks of plastic from supports. That’s normal for this machine, not an exception. Upgrades I Tried: - Metal extruder arm instead of plastic - Capricorn PTFE tube - Bi-metallic heatbreak - Stronger bed springs - PEI build plate (this one is actually good) - Different nozzles (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8) - Tons of Cura profiles I did the full calibration dance: e-steps, flow 85-105%, temp towers (PLA 195-215, PETG 225-250), retractions from 0.8 to 7mm (Bowden life), speed 30-70mm/s, z-hop on/off, coasting/wipe/pressure advance where possible. Cooling fan anywhere from 0-100%. Always the same outcome: either strings and blobs, or under-extrusion, or a clog after a long run. Zero consistency. Why This Happens (Technical Reality) - Bowden with PTFE insert in the hotend. Frequent retractions pull the melt zone upwards - plastic plug forms - extrusion stops. Classic. - Rollers and V-slot mechanics. After a couple weeks, you’re back to chasing loose or overtightened wheels. The bed drifts, no auto-leveling, constant manual fixing. - Weak hotend and cooling. PETG in particular is a balancing act: no cooling = melted mess, too much cooling = layer adhesion dies and strings everywhere. - Software band-aids can’t fix hardware lottery. You can tweak overlap/coast/comb/linear advance forever, but if the core thermal/mechanical design is inconsistent, no profile saves you. "It’s Your Fault"? No I did the standard rookie-to-veteran upgrade path: extruder, tube, heatbreak, springs, plate, endless tuning. The result? Yes, the clogs went down, but the print quality problems went up. Same model, same filament - each print is a new lottery ticket. Side-by-Side Reality After a year of fighting, my wife got sick of watching me suffer and just bought me a $1000 printer. With the same filament and same models, I print instead of troubleshoot. That’s the whole difference. Pros - Cheap entry ticket - Huge community (good if you enjoy endless tinkering) - PEI plate really is great Cons - Totally inconsistent print quality - Thermal clogs on long jobs (especially with retractions) - Stringing, blobs, ugly seams, messy supports - V-rollers need constant adjustment - "Upgrades will fix it" is a myth: they only delay the pain Verdict Ender-3 is not "affordable printing," it’s "affordable endless tweaking." If your hobby is upgrading printers for the sake of it - fine. If you need a tool that consistently makes parts - don’t waste your time. I wasted mine. Never again.

This is my first 3D printer. I've had it about 3 weeks, and I'm already getting comfortable with it. The machine has great stability, and as I imagine with all 3D printers, a learning curve, but once you get familiar with it, it will feel like an extension of your body. As I've stated, I'm new to this skillset, so I won't pretend to be able to compare it with others, but for all you people thinking about getting into 3D printing, I'll lay out what you're looking at getting into... Upon receiving it, you'll have to do a bit of assembly. Nothing too complicated, and there are many walk-throughs on YouTube, that can guide you through the entire process. Its not a must, but having some experience with tools and a bit of problem solving skills will help you out a lot. By the time you're done, you'll have a grasp on how your printer works, which is important when it comes to using and maintaining it. Once you've got it set up, the next thing you'll want to do is look up installing filament and leveling the bed. Again, search for YouTube videos, especially with leveling the bed, because you'll want to pick up a good strategy on this, as it's critical to having success with your prints. The best strategy that I've found is the one using the sheet of paper. At first, it might feel a bit overwhelming trying to get everything just right, but as you use this skill, and lay down some plastic on the bed, you'll get a feel for it, and within a couple weeks you'll be able to do it blindfolded, and you'll understand why it's so important, and what areas you need to pay the most attention with each print. I strongly recommend getting the yellow spring upgrades that you can find on Amazon. Honestly the difference is so drastic, and the cost so cheap, I dont understand why it doesn't come that way. Once you've gotten bed leveling down and the filament installed, you can print an example that's included on the SD card, and give your printer a test run. From here, there are 2 ways you can go about creating things. You can search the web for creations already set up for you to print, or you can create your own. Im not a very creative person, but it made no sense to me to limit myself with other people's creations. So I'll just briefly get you pointed in that direction. To create designs you're going to need CAD software. I found Fusion 360, it's free for hobbyist, and I think it's amazing. Its got a bit of a learning curve, but once you get comfortable with it, you feel the world is yours to create. Using geometry, planes, and extrude tools, you'll be able to model anything you want in real life, or anything you could possibly think of... I have no affiliation with this person, but their tutorials have helped me so much with the software, that in about 10 days I am now designing my own creations like an experienced user. Seriously, search for Product Design Online on youtube...you'll know it's him because he mentions his name in the videos and it's Kevin. He teaches so many helpful techniques. Just be aware that his tutorials span 2 different versions of fusion 360, so the interface looks a little different in some, but you'll get the hang of it easily. One if the best teachers I've found on the internet, period. The next thing you'll need is a splicer software. This software takes your design and slices it into layers. This is where you'll set up the parameters for how your printer will behave during the print too. Such as temperatures, speed, layer thickness, etc...the amount of terms you'll have to learn seems overwhelming, but at first you can just use presets, and learn them as you go. As I've said, I've been doing this for 3 weeks, and I'd say I understand about 80% of this terminology simply by trying to solve errors in my print, and reading the tool tips. By far, the best free slicer I've found is cura. I've tried a few others, but nothing comes close to it. However, I've been told Simify3D makes cura looks like a junky slicer, comparatively. The issue for me is that it costs $150, and I dont have that cash flow. If I did,bid definitely want to try it out, and apparently you can purchase it and get a full refund after 1 or 2 weeks if you preferred cura. So, it's a lot if stuff to learn and get used to...You'll be best served if you have a mechanical & technical know-how, but if you dont, you'll definitely acquire those skills using your printer. There are upgrades for these printers. Not just creality, but all the hobby 3d printers, and you'll learn them over time, but as I stated earlier, the bed springs are a must have, and they're cheap. I wish you the best of luck on your journey, and if you're like me, this will probably become your most favorite that you've ever owned. Happy printing & #PrintOn

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.

First thing first the instructions sent with the printer are very lacking to say the least. The instructions reference parts by name yet there is no list of the parts so you can identify what part they are referring to. After assembly was finished next came fine tuning the bed level and making sure all of the parts were snug and not shaky. Well the bed would come unlevel midprint if I printed anything that took more than 30 minutes. At this point I would like to mention that I installed a cr-touch and downloaded the appropriate firmware. Bed leveling issues continue as well as I notice a z-axis stepper motor issue at this point. Basically at some random time during a print the z-axis would clunk and then ruin the print. All the while the fan is screaming with a loud piercing sound. So I do some online research and replaced the springs with some aftermarket springs. Bed leveling is now functioning much better and I can now print things for several hours. However I still have the z-axis issue. Not to mention my Bowden tube keeps lopping out. So I contact customer service about the issues I have been having. They ask me to send them video evidence of all of the issues. So I send them a short video of the fan problem and explain that the z-axis issues is random and I am unable to record more than 15 seconds (it's a bug in the custom rom on my phone) so catching the z issue is not going to be feasible. So they ignore all the issues except the fan. They send me the fan and a g-code for a test print and tell me to replace the fan and then do the test print. I goto put the test print gcode on the SD card when I notice it isn't showing up on my PC. So I reach down to unplug it and plug it back in so my computer can read it and to my surprise it burned me. I pulled it out and it is melted. Luckily I got the SD card out but I am not sure if it functions anymore. Well I decided I will go ahead and swap the fan and hook the printer up to my PC (didn't know about this feature until yesterday) and do the test print. I load up the test print in cura and I is a 29 hour test print. Now I have to buy a roll of filament just to do the ridiculous test print. All the while their customer support team only responds between 11pm and 6 am so I only get one email a day and I have to change my sleeping schedule just to do that. This was not the experience I was expecting with my first 3d printer and I am deeply saddened at they way Comgrow has handled this. Edit June 12,2022: the test print took about 2 hours the gcode made the time prediction way off. After doing the test print and a few more back and forths I now have a replacement motherboard and z-stepper motor on the way. I will update the review when I get everything replaced and reassembled. Edit July 3,2022: Replaced the parts with the ones I initially received and everything seems to be working well. I can do much longer prints without worrying. Overall it's a decent machine and prints fairly well. The customer service is lacking a bit but they still solved my problems, eventually.