The 3D printer is the new vogue for many designers who wish to print prototypes with the highest precision.
What does it take for a 3D printer to qualify as the best printer is, affordability, and improved performance? Most of the 3D printers this day come with excellent performance speed and low prices, and one such example is ‘Ender 3, Ender 3 Pro’.
No matter how expensive or cheap your 3D printer is, what matters the most is its ‘print speed.’ Do you own an Ender 3 3D printer? Assuming the answer is ‘yes’, do you know what is the good print speed for Ender 3? Then you must read this article to learn how. Also, this article will focus on various factors that affect the speed of the Ender 3 3D printer.
What is Ender 3 Print Speed?
There are other printers from the Ender series, but when it comes to precision and affordability, there is nothing better than Ender 3. It uses high-quality components and creates prints far more quickly than other 3D printers. In Ender 3, print speed means the time taken by the printer nozzle to print one prototype/sample.
Mere component quality cannot determine the printer’s speed, but certain internal settings result in fast printing and top-notch print quality. In some printers, you get default settings, but some also offer custom options.
How Fast Can Ender 3 Print?
The Ender 3 maximum speed is 200mm/s, but in reality, this figure seems misleading as it refers to the travel speed rather than a print speed. If perfection or aesthetics while printing is your priority, you can also print at 90 to 120mm/s or go below 60 mm/s; however at such a low speed, your printing will take longer.
However, the speed differs in different 3D printers depending upon certain factors such as the quality of the filament used, printing bed, or sometimes upgrades/settings.
Let’s see the factors in detail.
Factors that Affect Ender 3 Print Speed
#1. Filament type
Filaments are the major component of any 3D printer. There are multiple filaments available on the market to choose from, each of the filaments having its strength and printing speed. Take a look at some of the commonly used filaments and determine the best printing speed for Ender 3.
- TPU: This is a soft, rubber-like filament that prints at the maximum speed of 20-40mm/s. TPU has low strength, which means there will be more flexibility, and no preheating is required to start printing. Though the Ender 3 max speed will be low, the TPU material is the safest filament to use while printing as far as elasticity is concerned.
- PETG: This is a filament that only prints at higher temperatures; it has moderate strength and good flexibility. PETG filament is durable and can handle high temperatures without ruining your print. It works at 60mm/s and 40mm/s and does not require a heated bed before printing.
- ABS: This is an impact-resistant filament and is suitable for printing functional parts. This prints at the speed of 40 to 60mm/s but require a heated bed before printing at least 50 to 100 degrees.
- PLA: This is the most common filament made of biodegradable material. It has medium strength and low flexibility. Ender 3 PLA print speed is 60mm/s.
#2. Details to be printed
If the product you wish to print has huge size, minute details, and complexity, then, of course, the Ender 3 print speed will be affected. More details, slower the print speed.
If the print details are low, you can go with 40 to 50mm/s but if the details are huge, then go with 70 to 80mm/s printing speed for Ender 3.
Note: For detailed prints, set the Ender 3 speed settings between 40 to 50mm/s as low speed would avoid deformation in the model you’re printing.
#3. Eccentricity
As you now know, Ender 3 can go up to 200mm/s, but some users take it beyond this limit which causes problems in the printing. Even if you feel the slightest wobble in the bed, the over-speeding of the nozzle will not be able to maintain the build due to the constant back and forth movement.
Ultimately, your print may end up with deformity or the wrong size. Hence, make sure to maintain the print limit to average and do not go up to 200mm/s even though the manufacturers claim they work best at such high speed.
Can the Ender 3 Print Metal?
Ender 3 series 3D printer gives excellent results with filaments like TPU, PETG, PLA, etc., but we cannot be sure that it will provide the best outcome for metal printing. This does not mean it cannot print metal, it can, but the level of precision you expect you would get is not possible.
Some enthusiasts have proven that it can print metal too, but we don’t know the risks. Hence, it is not recommended to use Ender 3 for printing metal prototypes.
How to Increase Print Speed Of Ender 3 Without Losing Quality?
The simple methods to get the highest print speed without quality reduction are as follows;
- Use large nozzle
Larger nozzles help print the objects faster. But this also depends on the type of model you are printing. If it is a detailed model, you, by default, would have to use nozzles in size 0.1 to 0.5mm. But for accessible models, you can use 1mm nozzles to get the work done quickly without damaging the quality.
- Increase layer height
In 3D printing, the quality of the model depends on the layer height. Lower the layer height, better the quality, but this would take long printing hours. Hence, if aesthetics is not necessary to you, but print speed is, then you can try increasing the layer height; this would reduce the print speed 2 x times.
Conclusion
When it comes to the print speed of Ender 3, there is no limitation or recommended print speed. This is because the print speed depends on the type of filament and nozzle you’re using.
If you’ve got time, then let it print at a slow pace, but if you are in a rush and still want to create a quick prototype, you can increase the print speed above 80mm/s and get the print done in no time.
