Ender 3 (Pro/V2) 3D printer calibration: 5 easy steps
Ender 3 printers are among the most popular 3D printers. The Ender 3, Ender 3 Pro, and Ender 3 V2 have made a big impression on the 3D printer community with their great quality compared to their low price. In fact, due to the unusually high performance of these printers at this price point, many call them the best 3D printers for beginners.
However, with 3D printers, a certain calibration must be taken into account. After all, these machines are meant to print for hours on end, so it's clear that some of their mechanical components will need fine-tuning. Let's take a look at some of the calibration steps that will improve printing for each model in the Ender 3 series. And don't forget to test the printer with the calibration cube after the calibration is complete.
Step #1 - Tighten the screws
As we all know, Creality 3D printers offer good quality, but inspection is never out of the question. It can so easily happen that the screws on the printer are not fully tightened (or, if you assembled the printer yourself, you did not pay enough attention to the screws). It is up to the user to ensure that all screws are properly tightened. Sometimes it may seem like a useless idea, but it is surprising what the difference is between correctly and incorrectly tightened screws . Not only will this help to eliminate problems such as ghosting (=a surface defect in the form of waves on prints caused by vibrations in the 3D printer, which arise due to rapid changes in speed and direction), but it will also reduce the likelihood of possible malfunctions and their possible subsequent removal will be easier.
Step #2 - Align the printing pad
Another very simple but also important step is the correct alignment of the printing pad . It's one of the most fundamental adjustments, but also one of the easiest. And yet it can easily be forgotten. Setting up the pad on Ender 3 printers is very simple, quick and at the same time it can immediately improve the quality of your prints. Come see how to do it:
1) Click the "home" button to align all axes to the basic position.
2) Click "Disable Steppers" and move the print head to one corner. Then make sure that there is enough distance between the nozzle and the pad (so that the tube does not scratch the surface when it moves).
3) Unscrew the cap at one corner from the underside of the printing pad and move the paper back and forth until you feel a slight friction.
4) Repeat the previous step for all four corners to ensure the entire print pad is level.
Detailed instructions for leveling the printing pad can also be found in this video .
Step #3 - Calibrate the extruder
If you have problems with insufficient or, conversely, excessive extrusion, it is possible that you have a poorly calibrated extruder . Setting up your extruder properly requires a bit of math. But don't worry, with a simple formula you can calculate the new steps of the extruder motor using just three data.
Before you get started, make sure you are able to switch from “Control” to “Motion” in the settings on your Ender 3 3D printer. Some users have noticed that they are missing this option, which may be due to their firmware version.
1) From the entrance to the extruder, measure 100 mm on the filament and mark it with a marker. Then mark another 10mm above and below your mark to make it easier later.
2) Let the hotend warm up. It is possible that the temperature will need to exceed 180°C for the extruder to start working. And extrude 100 mm. Which you can do in the click settings: “Prepare > Move axis > Move 1mm” and then slowly turn the knob until you reach 100mm.
3) Wait until the printer finishes extruding. Then measure how far from the 100mm mark the filament has stopped. If the mark has passed through the extruder, the filament is overextruded, and if the mark has not reached the extruder, then the filament is underextruded.
4) Use the marks you made above and below the 100mm mark to estimate the amount of extruded filament.
5) Now calculate the correct extruder steps: multiply the actual steps by 100, then divide by the actual distance the filament was extruded. The resulting value will be the new correct extruder step value .
6) Click “Control > Motion” then go to “E-steps/mm” and change the number to the new step value. And you're done.
Step #4 - Tighten the straps
Even the belt tension on the Ender 3 printer has a big effect on how your prints turn out. Looser straps can cause quite a lot of problems with ghosting, layer displacement and dimensional accuracy. On the Ender 3 and Ender 3 Pro, you can tension the belts by unscrewing the brackets that hold the bearings and moving them so that there is enough tension between the stepper motor and the bearing. The Ender 3 V2 version has screws built into the end of the X and Y axes. These allow you to adjust the belt tension while the printer is running. In both cases, the straps should not be too tight or too loose - just something in between.
Step #5 - Set the Eccentric Nuts
Another important step is the correct setting of the eccentric nuts . These nuts are located under the pad and can be tightened by turning the wrench that is supplied as part of the 3D printer accessories. Eccentric nuts should be tightened enough to prevent the print bed from turning or tilting, but not so tight that it prevents movement. The easiest way to do this is to loosen all the nuts and then re-tighten them until the washer is sufficiently secured. The X-Carriage should be modified in the same way. Tighten the nut so that the X-Carriage does not have too much resistance when moving up and down.
