The Best Upgrades for Creality Ender 3
The Creality Ender 3 came as a shock to the 3d printing community, and the reason is this: For a sub $200 3D printer it's shockingly impressive!
But as we know, it's possible to improve on everything.
Check out our list of the 20 best Creality Ender 3 upgrades and modifications to make the excellent 3D printer even better.
There are lots of cool upgrades and mods for the Creality Ender 3, that can improve this printer. Eventhough it hasn't been out for that long, there's lots of designs you can print on Thingiverse for instance, or you could buy cheap upgrades online, from our favourites Amazon or Aliexpress for instance.
We've divided this article into two sections: The best Creality Ender 3 upgrades you can buy, and upgrades to print.
We'll add to this list as more upgrades show up in the market. Have we missed anything good? Comment below, and we'll have a look. 🙂
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The Best Creality Ender 3 upgrades you can buy
BLTouch - Auto Bed Leveling
What is this Creality Ender 3 Upgrade? One thing the Ender 3 doesn't have, which is much due to it's price point, is auto bed leveling. This can be easily fixed with the BLTouch.
The BLTouch is compatible with lot's of 3D printers, and has several features, like the alarm, test mode, self test etc. By adding this to your Ender 3, you'll make sure bed leveling isn't an issue anymore.
Assembling and setting up the BLTouch takes a bit of time, probably around 30-60 minutes depending on your skill level. It is well worth it though and you could find more information about how to setting up the BLTouch here. You'll also need an Arduino Uno or similar to install the boot loader.
Where can I buy BLTouch?
Raspberry Pi 3b - For Octoprint
We can't be around our 3D printers all the time, so how about a way that lets you check on your prints anywhere at any time? The solution is OctoPrint, which can be easily installed on a Raspberry Pi 3b. You could connect a webcam to your Octoprint install and watch your prints live, create time lapses etc. via the excellent web interface.
OctoPrint also has a plethora of other features, much due to it being open source, and there's a lot of plugins from the community you can install. You can control prints, watch the live webcam feed, start prints, pause prints etc. and it doesn't matter where you are.
Setting up Octoprint is pretty straightforward, and the process is available in great detail on the OctoPrint website.
Polypropylene build plate
Is this upgrade what we all need? We have been offered some upgrades for the Ender 3 by Creality 3D, one of them being the Polypropylene Build Plate.
This build plate has some clear advantages over the original build plate, it has increased adhesion for filaments like PLA, ABS and some other more exotic filaments.
When your print is complete and your print bed has cooled down, you can remove it without any struggle. The polypropylene build plate is also easy to clean, and it can be easily mounted to the Ender 3 and Pro by using clips or tape.
