The Ender 3 is currently the most well-liked 3D printer design worldwide. It has become the most well-known 3D printer of its time because of its affordable price for beginners and its upgradeable features. Due to demand, Creality upgraded various aspects of their 3D printer, including the bed size. Ender 3 has been available in ten different versions since the beginning.
This article will look at how Ender 3 changed over time and how the size of the printer bed changed.
However, beginners using the Ender 3 frequently consider the Ender 3 bed size. What maximum size can the 3D prints in Ender 3 be?
The print volume is 220 x 220 x 250 mm, but the printing bed is 235 x 235 mm.
Why are the Ender 3 print volume measurements and Ender 3 bed size different?
This post includes a summary of the bed’s dimensions and all additional information. Let’s look at it!
What is a Printing Bed?
One of a 3D printer’s most crucial parts is the printing bed. The printing bed is where your 3D object is produced. It is applied there in layers. Some printing beds remain stationary; however, Ender 3 print bed moves back and forth.
The printing bed must be sufficient to keep the filament firmly in place. The 3D print will either fail or warp and look unappealing if the filament slips when it hits the printing bed. A heated printing bed will help you get outstanding results.
Fortunately, most printing beds can be switched out, so if yours is acting up, you can use a better one in your 3D printer. However, the different Ender 3 models have other types of 3D print beds but are solid printing surfaces. Each of them their own advantages and disadvantages. The glass printing bed part of the package performs admirably at first.
What Do the Measurements Mean?
It can be challenging to read and comprehend all the size and dimensional information was given the variety of 3D printers on the market. The Creality Ender 3 3D printer is exceptionally compact in design.
However, the producers also aimed to provide a good printing surface. More clients should be pleased as a result. Others also want to print large models because some only want to print small ones.
There aren’t many 3D printers available that are made for large prints. There are, however, a few techniques you can use to print a more significant object, even with a small print volume.
The Creality Ender 3 has a construction volume of (only) 220 x 220 x 250 mm. It won’t win any prizes at all at this size. It is, however, best suited for little 3D prints.
It can fit anywhere on your desk thanks to its small overall size of 440 x 410 x 465 mm, which should always be distinct from the building volume when reading the measurements. You also don’t need to clear much space for the 3D printer.
The printing bed measures 235 x 235 mm. This begs the question, “Why is only a construction volume of 220 x 220 x 250 mm given?”
Are manufacturers misappropriating 15 mm, or how did this number come to be? Below, we’ll explain it to you. Let’s quickly review once more:
Creality Ender 3 Model’s Dimensions
Ender 3 Dimensions
- Printing volume: 220 x 220 x 250 mm
- Printing bed size: 235 x 235 mm
- Size of the device: 440 x 410 x 465 mm
Ender 3 Pro Dimensions
- Printing volume: 220 x 220 x 250 mm
- Printing bed size: 235 x 235 mm
- Size of the device: 440 x 420 x 465 mm
Ender 3 Max Dimensions
- Printing volume: 300 x 300 x 340 mm
- Printing bed size: 310 x 320 mm
- Size of the device: 513 x 563 x 590 mm
Ender 3 v2 Dimensions
- Printing volume: 220 x 220 x 250 mm
- Printing bed size: 235 x 235 mm
- Size of the device: 475 x 470 x 620 mm
Ender 3 S-1 Dimensions
- Printing volume: 220 x 220 x 270 mm
- Printing bed size: 235 x 235 mm
- Size of the device: 487 x 453 x 622 mm
Ender 3 S-1 Pro Dimensions
- Printing volume: 220 x 220 x 270 mm
- Printing bed size: 235 x 235 mm
- Size of the device: 490 x 455 x 625 mm
Ender 3 S-1 Plus Dimensions
- Printing volume: 300 x 300 x 300 mm
- Printing bed size: 310 x 320 mm
- Size of the device: 557 x 535 x 655 mm
Ender 3 Neo Dimensions
- Printing volume: 220 x 220 x 250 mm
- Printing bed size: 235 x 235 mm
- Size of the device: 440 x 445 x 465 mm
Ender 3 v2 Neo Dimensions
- Printing volume: 220 x 220 x 270 mm
- Printing bed size: 235 x 235 mm
- Size of the device: 438 x 424 x 472 mm
Ender 3 Max Neo Dimensions
- Printing volume: 300 x 300 x 320 mm
- Printing bed size: 310 x 320 mm
- Size of the device: 516 x 582 x 590 mm
What’s wrong with 14% of the Ender 3 Bed Size?
Thus, Creality claims a total print volume 14% lower than the printing bed’s size can produce. Mechanical joints control the direction of the Ender 3.
These are not always completely accurate.
As a result, tolerances must be considered when figuring out the print volume. Depending on the manufacturer, specific tolerances are calculated and specified to achieve perfect prints.
Aside from that, the printing bed itself is always a factor. Binder clips are utilized to secure the provided printing bed. These demand a lot of playing. Binder clips are not the ideal tool for producing a flawless 3D print.
Even so, a few small steps can be taken to make the printing process more efficient.
Can I print more than the volume allowed?
The answer is that you can go over your printing volume limit. There is no justification for you not to!
Creality Ender 3 3D printer’s maker has determined that a print size of 220 x 220 x 250 mm is ideal.
Some 3D printing experts have even increased the print volume to 235 x 235 x 250. However, as a beginner, we wouldn’t advise you to do this.
A tolerance margin is necessary for 3D printers because the prints can occasionally vary slightly. Additionally, the printing bed may be moved a few millimeters, for instance, after cleaning. The manufacturer has included this in its specifications to ensure the best printing outcome possible.
However, it doesn’t follow that you can’t print larger. A 5 mm margin on each side should be more than sufficient. 15 mm is not necessary. In the end, you gain 10 mm and have an area of 230 x 230 x 250 mm.
Of course, you can go even smaller than the 235 x 235 x 250 mm if you like to experiment with your 3D printer. Don’t mind producing a few unsuccessful prints, and clean up your 3D printer several times.
Dealing with, learning about, and playing with your new device in this way can be a lot of fun.
How can I make my Ender 3 bed size bigger?
Like most users, you must find it frustrating that you cannot utilize all of your installation space.
However, there are a few straightforward fixes for this:
- Change slicer settings
- Remove any bed clips if any are present.
- Upgrade firmware (is it needed?)
- Upgrade your Ender 3 with extension kits.
As an alternative, you can always use one of the Ender Extender kits to directly increase the capacity of your Ender 3. Using these hardware kits, you can reach print areas of 300 x 300 or 400 x 400 mm. However, as you might anticipate, these remarkable improvements will cost you a lot of money and time.
Increase the Ender 3 Bed Size Using the Ultimaker Cura.
The theoretical maximum that can be produced using Ultimaker Cura software is listed in the Ultimaker 3D printer build volume specifications. Ultimaker’s team of print process engineers offers default printing profiles with built-in safety features that, by design, prevent using the maximum build volume. When the settings below are changed, the build plate’s dark grey (the non-printable) area will be gone.
Tip: Please first become acquainted with the custom mode before attempting to modify these settings.
Build Plate Overview
- Non-printable area. Because of print settings or hardware limitations, this dark grey area cannot be used for printing.
- Non-printable model. Models on the build plate in areas that can’t be printed turn grey and yellow striped to show they don’t fit.
Print settings affecting the build volume
The print settings that impact build volume are listed below, from most to least significant.
Build plate adhesion
Most material configurations print by default with a skirt enabled, which increases the first layer’s adhesion. There are two possibilities:
- To gain a few millimeters of additional space on the build plate, slightly narrow the skirt.
- Choose “none” for the adhesion type. Any platform adhesion aids will be eliminated by doing this.
Caution: Completely removing the build plate adhesion could cause the print to completely release from the build plate or poor extrusion during the first layer, both of which could seriously harm the print head.
Travel avoid distance
With this setting, the print head must travel around the model so that any nozzle residue won’t come in contact with the already printed model. There are two possibilities:
- To add a few millimeters of extra space on the build plate, shorten the travel to avoid distance.
- To make the nozzle pass directly over the printed model, set it to “0.” Your print’s visual quality might suffer as a result.
Z-hop
This setting forces the print head to lift up to avoid colliding with the 3D-printed model. When the build volume reaches its maximum, this lifting maneuver prevents the full Z-height from being used. It is usually set to 0 in Cura; if you use custom settings for Z-hop, change it to 0 to use the maximum height of the print bed.
- To increase the maximum Z-height, decrease the Z-hop; if the value is not 0mm.
- To increase the build volume, altogether disable Z-hop.
Support horizontal expansion
This setting expands its footprint to increase the strength of printed support structures. There are two possibilities:
- To add a few millimeters of extra space on the build plate, slightly reduce the support’s horizontal expansion. You should do this when you notice thin support structures in the layer view.
- To print support structures that are as wide as the model they are supporting, set it to “0.”
Caution: Reducing horizontal support expansion raises the danger of support systems collapsing during printing, significantly lowering print reliability.
Note: Similar to Support horizontal expansion, the available build volume is affected by the model’s expansion settings (Horizontal expansion and Initial layer horizontal expansion). However, the default Ultimaker profiles do not have these enabled.
Infill wipe distance
This option can be safely set to “0,” which will slightly lower visual quality. And the maximum build volume is only marginally increased due to this change (less than 0.1mm).
Prime blob
A prime blob is enabled in some profiles. The printer will prime by forming a small blob of material on the build plate before beginning a print. If this falls within Cura’s build volume, a small non-printable area will be created. The prime blob can be safely disabled when a large skirt or brim is used to build plate adhesion.
The loaded model will be shown in the same color as the loaded material configuration once all settings have been applied as they are shown here.
How to Change Ender 3 Bed Size in Cura
On Cura, there are numerous printer profiles. Access your printer’s profile by pressing CTRL + K, then select the Printers option on the left to change the print bed size in Cura. To change your X, Y, and Z axis measurements, select “Machine Settings” and then type in the print bed size you want.
When you press CTRL + K, the screen below appears.
Here, you can modify a variety of 3D printer settings.
How to Remove Purge Line in Cura
Edit the Start G-Code
At the beginning of the print, a line of filament called the purge line or an extruded filament line will appear on the side of your build plate. Change the G-Code in the printer’s settings.
Select “Manage printers” from the Cura main screen’s tab for your printer.
Go into “Machine Settings.”
To remove the purge, you must remove this section from the “Start G-code.”
Check the video below for a detailed explanation.
Which Ender 3 bed size improvement is your favorite?
Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook page to let us know your ideas, and we would appreciate seeing pictures of your works of art!
