O-Sense
INTRODUCTION
If anyone had asked me 10 years ago what I thought about 3D printing, I'd honestly reply with a simple "I know nothing about it" and well back then I just didn't. Free time has always been very limited for me, so I didn't have the time to invest in learning about 3D printing nor did I care enough to, at least not outside of doing reviews if that ever came to be. Needless to say, this has since changed and so I now find myself to be very intrigued by 3D printers and their growing capabilities which is also why I try to do as many reviews as I possibly can. In the fall of 2023 Creality released their Ender-3 KE and SE 3D printers and even though I never got the chance to test those I have been testing the recently released Ender-3 V3 model for the past 2 months or so.
Shenzhen Creality 3D Technology Co., Ltd., known as Creality, is a world-leading brand of consumer 3D printers. Since our establishment in 2014, we have embraced our role as an "3D Printing Evangelist" committed to the innovation, application, and popularization of 3D printing technology worldwide. Our forward-looking business strategy, termed "One Core with Two Wings," has propelled our rapid growth. Specifically, 3D printer products are at the “Core” of our business, which is assisted by the first “Wing” of ecosystem products like 3D scanners, laser engravers, filaments, and accessories. A second “Wing” of our business is Creality Cloud, an all-in-one 3D printing platform that gathers 3D models and enables a cloud printing experience.
There are currently 3 Ender-3 V3 models available, the latest Ender-3 V3 model (220x220x250mm build volume, heated PEI flexible build plate, CoreXZ design, 600mm/s max printing speed, 20000mm/s2 acceleration, dual fans, 4.3" HD horizontal color touch screen, G-sensor for input shaping, klipper firmware, filament detector, USB drive, LAN, Creality Cloud APP support, 300 degrees maximum nozzle temperature, tri-metal unicorn type nozzle ) which I have here with me, the Ender-3 V3 KE (220x220x240mm build volume, heated PEI flexible build plate, Cartesian design, 500mm/s max printing speed, 8000mm/s2 acceleration, dual fans, 4.3" vertical color touch screen, klipper firmware, filament detector, USB drive, LAN, Creality Cloud APP support, 300 degrees maximum nozzle temperature, volcano type nozzle) and the Ender-3 V3 SE (220x220x250mm build volume, heated PC spring steel plate, 250mm/s max printing speed, 2500mm/s2 acceleration, 3.2'' Color Knob Screen, SD card slot, 260 degrees maximum nozzle temperature). All three models feature direct drive extruders (new high-speed direct drive extruder for the V3, sprite type for the other two), auto leveling, 32-bit mainboards, and as for supported filaments the Ender-3 V3 supports PLA, TPU, PETG, ABS, PLA-CF, PETG-CF and CR-carbon, the Ender-3 V3 KE supports PLA, TPU (95A), PETG, ABS and ASA and as for the Ender-3 V3 SE it supports PLA, PETG, TPU (95A). So, let's see what the latest addition to the Ender-3 V3 family is capable of.
SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES
PACKAGING AND CONTENTS
For the Ender-3 V3 Creality used a small plain cardboard box which has a product picture and their logo on both sides.
As expected, the entire bundle is placed inside several formed pieces of foam.
Along with the 2 main parts of the printer, the 4.3" HD color touch screen and the power cable inside the box you'll also find a small filament for testing purposes, three piece filament holder, box with glue, screwdriver, USB flash drive and other tools, 4 cable holders, several stickers, after sales service card and the quick installation guide.
THE ENDER-3 V3
The lower part of the Ender-3 V3 is includes the mainboard, power supply unit, PEI flexible build plate, build plate motor and the touch screen mount with its signal cable.
At 220x220x250mm the PEI flexible build plate may not be large but during the 2 months of testing I had no issues with it (on the contrary, it's probably the easiest I've used to date).
The 4.3" touch screen mount is located on the front right as seen above.
On the right side we also find a USB port.
A sticker with the specifications of the Ender-3 V3 is located at the rear left.
The 350W power supply unit is located at the rear right behind a perforated area.
Creality has used ADC12 aluminum alloy for the entire 3D printer, this also includes the top end.
The direct extruder has the company logo at the front (illuminated) and a plastic cover.
It also has two blowers one at the front and one at the rear.
Typically, the filament hole along with the lock/unlock button is located at the top.
Removing the cover to reveal the interior is easy.
The tri-metal nozzle has a diameter of 0.4mm.
Creality has placed the filament sensor on the right side as seen above.
After the top mounting the 4.3" HD touch screen was the first thing to attach onto the Ender-3 V3 followed by the filament holder.
With the Ender-3 V3 assembled and a Hyper PLA filament mounted it's time for the setup procedure.
TFT DISPLAY
The very first time you'll start the Ender-3 V3 it will run a self-test which will last for quite a bit (input shaping takes the longest).
Typically, the main menu of the printer shows temperatures of both the print bed and the nozzle.
Second screen allows the end user to move the print bed and the extruder, extrude and retract filament and adjust cooling.
From the folder tab you can browse between local and USB 3D samples and check printing history.
Settings like screen brightness, screen off timeout, language, self-check, account information, time zone, Creality cloud, log export, online firmware update check, reset, expert mode features, information about the printer, network and camera features (camera is sold extra) are all placed in the next tab.
From the last tab you can check the frequently asked questions (FAQ), read the online manual, check the error history and upload logs (probably to Creality for support, didn't check that).
TESTING METHODOLOGY
Once again to test this printer by Creality I used their latest print software (Creality Print 6.0) by manually entering the same settings I’ve used to date with all FDM printers (quality of 0.16mm, 20% infill density and cubic infill pattern). Nothing else has changed of course so again I’ll be using 2 different sized models (downloaded from Cults3D / member Eastman) to record completion time at 100% speed. Second thing to test are noise levels and so once again I’ll be using my ExTech HD600 decibel meter placed roughly 30cm away to record the maximum noise coming from the 3D printer while printing. As for the 3rd test with the help of an UPS and two power meters I decided to also record not only the lowest and highest but also the average instant power consumption of the 3D printer in my hands.
Since the only PLA filaments from the Hyper line by Creality that I had here were white it's not easy for me to point out details, but I noticed no differences when compared to the figure printed with the K1 Max (short video is as always available on both YouTube and TikTok).
TEST RESULTS
CONCLUSION
The Ender-3 V3 is the 3rd fastest 3D printer I’ve reviewed to date and even though I haven’t reviewed that many models that still says a lot. Yes, it’s not the largest model around (check its larger brother, the Ender-3 V3 PLUS for that) so more demanding users may opt for something else but if you don’t care about that not only its speed and build quality but also its features make it a really great choice. Noise levels could also be lower, but I seriously doubt many people care about that, same with power consumption. One thing that did annoy me about the Ender-3 V3 was the how long it took for the printer to start printing and that’s not even including calibration (when chosen). This applies for the last 2 firmware version so I don’t know if Creality will resolve it in future updates, for now however yes, waiting for well over 3 minutes for a print to start is way too long (that goes to around 8 minutes with calibration).
Currently retailing for USD359 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 374.29Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) the Ender-3 V3 3D printer by Creality is priced well for what it offers. At the end of the day the Creality Ender-3 V3 may not be the best 3D printer out there but it combines very fast printing speed with a plethora of useful features (not to mention very good build quality) and for that it deserves the Golden Award.
PROS
- Very Good Build Quality (ADC12 Aluminum Alloy)
- Very Fast (Up To 600m/s)
- Print Quality
- Heated & Flexible PEI Bed
- High Speed Direct Drive Extruder
- G Sensor (Input Shaping)
- Manual & Automatic Leveling
- Tri Metal Nozzle
- 4.3 Inch HD Color Touch Screen Display
- WiFi & USB 2.0 Port
CONS
- Noise Levels
- Small Build Plate (For Some)
