Ender 3 Filament Settings

manager Thu, 07/09/2020 - 15:32

Settings for Ender 3 for different filaments

  PLA (Polylactic acid) - Most common 3D printing material. But what does it take to print it on the Ender 3?  Quite simply, nothing much. PLA is a versatile material, hard brittle.
Printing temperature 180-230 °C
Build plate temperature A modest 20-60 °C helps a lot. Any higher and the PLA at the bottom might deform.
Bed adhesion The stock build surface on the Ender 3 provides excellent bed adhesion for PLA. But for a smoother bottom surface, glass is a better option. When using glass, hairspray or glue stick work the best. They give your prints a good hold on the bed.
Print speed A general recommended speed of 60 mm/s works great, balancing quality with printing time.
Retraction As the Ender 3 has a Bowden style setup, retraction settings are much higher. We only need to consider two factors here.
  Retraction distance: 5 mm
  Retraction speed: 45 mm/sec
Part-cooling fan This should be on. PLA is a runny material, so it needs to be adequately cooled.
   
  ABS  (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) - Robust and durable material with high temperature and mechanical resistance. Slightly challenging to print
Printing temperature A printing temperature of 230 °C is a good starting point. This varies between 210-250 °C.
Build plate temperature ABS is infamous for warping, but a heated bed does a good job of preventing this. A bed temperature of 80-110 °C should do it.
Bed adhesion ABS needs some adhesion. Otherwise, you may find the corners of your prints lifted up. A raft or a brim helps in reducing the warping of the parts. Additionally, you should also be using a glue stick
Print speed 60 mm/s works well enough for ABS, too.
Retraction Same values as for PLA.
  Retraction distance: 5 mm
  Retraction speed: 45 mm/sec
Part-cooling fan Leave this off, since ABS likes to be cooled down gradually. If it’s cooled down suddenly, it can warp
   
  PETG (Polyethylene terephthalate glycol) - middle ground between PLA and ABS, being strong, temperature resistant, and easy to print.
Printing temperature 220-250 °C.
Build plate temperature The first layers should be a little hot. It helps with adhesion and also reduces any warping. A bed temperature of 50-75 °C works well for PETG.
Bed adhesion You must use a releasing agent on a glass surface for PETG. Otherwise, you’ll be having a chunk of glass along with your part. PETG adheres very well to blue painter’s tape. Hairspray and gluestick also work well.
Print speed PETG prints well at around 50-60 mm/s. With higher speeds, quality suffers
Retraction This can get trickier, and nobody wants stringing or blobs on their prints. PETG needs higher retraction than PLA, but go too high and you’ll clog the hot end. These settings should help you get going:
  Retraction distance: Start with a 5 mm distance and increase in 0.2 mm increments. The max is 7 mm.
  Retraction speeds: A starting speed of 40 mm/s with 5 mm/s increments to dial it in.
Part-cooling fan  
   
  TPU (Thermoplastic polyurethane) - flexible, excellent shock absorption, hard to extrude.
Printing temperature 210 and 230 °C.
Build plate temperature A heated bed isn’t necessary, as TPU doesn’t shrink or warp, if you want, up to 60 °C.
Bed adhesion Blue painter’s tape works just fine. You can also use a brim or a raft, but they’re not essential.
Print speed Make sure to go slow. TPU is a flexible material, and printing it fast will lead to problems, like the filament getting wound up in the extruder gear. The recommended maximum speed is about 25-30 mm/s.
Retraction Keep this as low as possible. Higher values of retraction will lead to filament winding up in the extruder.
  Retraction distance: 3 mm should do it to start. If you still have stringing issues, increase the value by 0.2 mm at a time.
  Retraction speeds: 25-30 mm/s. This should be it. Any higher, and you risk clogging or extruder issues.
Part-cooling fan Leave this on. This will help in the active cooling of layers and also prevent any stringing or blobs
   
   
  Nylon (Polyamide) – Requires high print temperatures, dry storage and warping issues
Printing temperature 250 – 260 C (Note requires upgrade to print head)
Build plate temperature 100 C
Bed adhesion Additionally, you should also be using a glue stick
Print speed 30 mm/s
Retraction  
   
   
Part-cooling fan Turn off cooling fan