The Creality Ender 3 Pro is one of the most popular budget 3D printers on the market, offering great print quality and reliability right out of the box. However, like any 3D printer, the Ender 3 Pro can benefit from some upgrades and modifications to take its performance to the next level.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll go over the best Ender 3 Pro upgrades to consider in different categories – from print quality to convenience to safety. With the right upgrades, you can maximize the capabilities of your Ender 3 Pro and get even better, more consistent prints.
Print Quality Upgrades
Getting smooth, detailed, and dimensionally-accurate 3D printed parts starts with good print quality. Here are some of the top upgrades for improving quality on the Ender 3 Pro.
All-Metal Hotend
One of the most recommended upgrades for the Ender 3 Pro is replacing the stock hotend with an all-metal one. The Ender 3 Pro comes with a PTFE-lined hotend, which can degrade when exposed to high temperatures. This causes clogs and print artifacts.
Upgrading to an all-metal hotend like the Micro Swiss or Slice Engineering Copperhead allows printing at higher temperatures without risk of PTFE breakdown. This opens up materials like ABS and nylon that require higher temps. An all-metal hotend also improves retractions and overall print quality.
Direct Drive Extruder
Switching from the stock Bowden setup to a direct drive extruder is another popular upgrade for the Ender 3 Pro. Direct drive reduces the distance filament has to travel between the extruder gear and hotend. This allows better control over extrusion and retractions, minimizing oozing and stringing.
Popular options like the Micro Swiss direct drive extruder are drop-in upgrades for the Ender 3 Pro. Just be aware that direct drive adds weight to the print head, so you may need to slow down print speeds and tweak acceleration/jerk settings.
Print Surface Upgrades
The build surface that comes with the Ender 3 Pro works well for PLA, but can struggle with warping and adhesion issues with other materials. Upgrading the print surface opens up options like printing ABS, nylon, and other exotic filaments.
Some good upgrades are a spring steel PEI sheet, BuildTak sheet, or glass bed. These surfaces offer excellent adhesion when paired with the right temps and adhesion methods like gluestick or ABS slurry. They also make parts easier to remove once cooled.
Nozzle Upgrades
The stock 0.4mm nozzle on the Ender 3 Pro is fine for most prints. But switching to a higher quality nozzle can improve performance in some cases. Plated copper nozzles like from Slice Engineering offer better heat transfer and wear resistance compared to brass.
Smaller diameter nozzles like 0.25mm allow printing finer details, while larger nozzles like 0.6 or 0.8mm speed up prints significantly. Having an assortment of nozzle sizes expands the capabilities of your Ender 3 Pro. Just make sure to recalibrate when switching nozzles.
Cooling Upgrades
Keeping plastic molten layers from warping as they cool quickly is crucial for print quality. The Ender 3 Pro’s stock cooling fan does an okay job, but upgrading to a more powerful blower fan or adding a dual fan setup can optimize cooling. This results in cleaner overhangs and bridges, plus enables faster print speeds.
Popular cooling upgrades include replacing the stock fan with a 5015 blower, adding a Hero Me duct system, and using dual 4020 fans. Don’t go overboard though – too much cooling can cause cracking and layer separation issues.
Bed Leveling and Build Surface Upgrades
A perfectly trammed and leveled bed is essential for getting prints to stick and maintain dimensional accuracy across the build area. The stock springs on the Ender 3 Pro work but allow some variation.
Upgrading to stiffer yellow springs helps maintain level for longer prints. Silicone spacers also do a great job keeping the bed stable. For truly automatic bed leveling, add a BLTouch for probe-based mesh bed leveling.
For the build surface itself, swapping in a glass or mirror tile adds stiffness and improves flatness over the flexible stock surface. Adding a heated bed (see next section) also really helps with bed adhesion and warp prevention.
Heated Bed Upgrade
While the Ender 3 Pro heated bed does fine for PLA, it can struggle reaching higher temps needed for materials like ABS.
Upgrading to a higher power 24V heated bed lets the Ender 3 Pro reach temperatures up to 110°C, which improves bed adhesion for tricky filaments. You’ll need both a 24V power supply and a 24V heated bed module. Opt for a drop-in replacement with the same dimensions as the stock bed.
Some prints may still need an enclosure to prevent upward warping and splitting, even with a heated bed upgrade. But it’s a worthwhile upgrade for expanding material options.
Linear Rail Upgrades
The V-slot wheels on the Ender 3 Pro X/Y axes allow some variation in carriage alignment over time. This can affect print quality and precision on tall prints. Replacing the wheels with linear rails keeps the print head motion perfectly consistent.
Drop-in rail kits are available for the Ender 3 Pro that replace the stock wheels with rail guides. They bolt to existing brackets so no frame modification is needed. Just be aware that linear rails increase weight on the gantry, so print speeds may need to be reduced unless you also upgrade motor torque.
Auto Bed Leveling
Having to manually level the print bed can be tedious and imprecise. Auto bed leveling takes care of tramming and leveling the bed before each print.
The most popular option is adding a BLTouch sensor, which uses a probe to map the bed surface before printing. TH3D and Creality both make plug-and-play kits for installing a BLTouch on the Ender 3 Pro. This enables mesh bed leveling using the probe measurements.
Other options include inductive/capacitive sensors or swapping the mainboard for one with leveling built-in. Auto bed leveling saves time and frustration, and can improve first layer consistency.
Control Board/Mainboard Upgrades
The stock 8-bit mainboard on the Ender 3 Pro works fine, but upgrading to a 32-bit silent board offers noticeable improvements. Silent mainboards like the SKR Mini E3 swap out loud driver chips for quieter TMC2208 or TMC2225 drivers, reducing noise dramatically.
They also enable finer stepper motor control, expand connectivity options, and may allow firmware tweaks the stock board prevents – at a very reasonable price point. Just make sure any mainboard upgrade is a drop-in replacement requiring no rewiring.
Convenience Upgrades
Beyond print quality, some upgrades make using and maintaining the Ender 3 Pro much more user-friendly. Here are some top convenience mods to consider.
Display Upgrade
The stock display on the Ender 3 Pro is usable, but small and limited in functionality. Swapping in an upgraded touchscreen LCD like the TFT35 E3 makes navigating menus, preheating, and loading/modifying prints much easier.
The color graphics and intuitive interface offered by enhanced displays like the TFT35, TFT24, or BIQU BTT make using the Ender 3 Pro a better overall experience. Just verify display compatibility and mounting before installation.
Filament Runout Sensor
A filament runout sensor that pauses printing when filament runs out is an inexpensive but useful upgrade. It prevents failed prints from running without filament.
Basic mechanical lever switches work, but smarter options like the Creality CR-35 feature a ball bearing roller for reliability. Runout sensors plug into the Ender 3 Pro’s aux port for easy installation.
LED Lighting Kit
Being able to see print progress clearly is always nice, but essential for spotting errors right away. Adding LED strip lighting inside the Ender 3 Pro frame illuminates the build area for better print monitoring.
Flexible LED strips with strong 3M adhesive make installation simple on the Ender 3 Pro. CCT adjustable strips allow tuning the light color temperature. Just pay attention to 12V vs 24V input ratings based on your Ender 3 Pro PSU.
Raspberry Pi Camera
For the ultimate remote monitoring capability, consider adding a Raspberry Pi camera module. This lets you stream a live video feed of your prints to check on them from anywhere.
OctoPrint is the go-to software for this, letting you view and control prints from any web browser. The camera module pairs with a Raspberry Pi board installed in the Ender 3 Pro electronics box.
Enclosure
3D printing flexibles, ABS, nylon, and other materials with high warp can be challenging without an enclosure to control temperatures. DIY enclosures are popular, but commercial options like the Creality CR-10S Pro enclosure offers a plug-and-play solution that just mounts onto the existing frame.
Safety Upgrades
While the Ender 3 Pro is reasonably safe out of the box, a few inexpensive upgrades can drastically improve electrical and fire safety.
MOSFET Board
The high current drawn by heated beds can put stress on control boards over time. Adding a MOSFET handle power switching for the heated bed reduces risk of board damage or failure. It’s inexpensive protection that improves safety and electronics lifespan.
Fused Power Switch
Likewise, installing an inline fuse on the Ender 3 Pro power switch provides a safety cutoff in case of an electrical issue. For a few dollars, a fused switch prevents meltdowns or fires in unlikely fault scenarios. Better safe than sorry!
TL Smoothers
TL smoothers are cheap electronic modules that clean up electrical noise and reduce stepper motor vibrations. This makes the Ender 3 Pro run quieter while improving print quality and accuracy. Smoothers mount inline with motors for easy DIY installation.
Cable Strain Relief
The constant moving back and forth of the print head can put stress on cables, eventually causing exposed wires and shorts. Adding cable chains, sleeving, and anchors provides strain relief, protecting wiring from fatigue and damage.
Conclusion
While great out of the box, the Ender 3 Pro can be upgraded and tweaked to unlock even better performance. We hope this guide gives you ideas for inexpensive but impactful upgrades to take your Ender 3 Pro to the next level.
Focus on upgrades that match your needs and budget. Don’t go overboard with mods right away. Start with essentials like an all-metal hotend, and add others over time for continued improvements. Patience and calibration is key for integrating upgrades successfully.
With the right set of upgrades, you can push your Ender 3 Pro to new heights, developing your 3D printing skills in the process. Let us know which upgrades worked best for you! The Ender 3 Pro community is always discovering new mods and tricks to share.
