Ender 3 Pro Setup

The Ender 3 series have gotten much better since the release of the original 2017 Ender 3 Pro. Whether you still have an Ender 3 Pro, or have upgraded to a later version, this full setup guide will take you through most of the steps needed to ensure any printer from the Ender 3 Pro onwards in the Ender 3 series are set up properly.

Set up your Ender 3 Pro and cover some basic checks along the way:

(1) Assembled Ender 3 Pro Printer
(1) Allen Key (Included with Ender 3)
(1) Micro-SD + USB Adapter (Included with Ender 3)
(1) Pair of Scissors Or Wire Clippers
(1) Any small piece of paper or business card
(1) Roll of PLA Plastic Filament
(1) A Computer with a USB Port

1. Check Your Hardware Is Assembled Properly:

In this section, you will need:

(1) Assembled Ender 3 Pro Printer
(1) Allen Key (Included with Ender 3)

Ender 3 Hardware Check Source: Creality Website

1-1. Printbed:

Ensure the print bed moves smoothly along its entire range from front to back by gently sliding it back and forth. Remember to turn off the power before doing this and make sure there are no obstacles in its path.

1-2. Vertical Axis:

Holding from the left side, push the axis up and down to make sure the axis can move along it's entire range from top to bottom. Note this will require more force to move than the print bed.

1-3. Extruder Cable:

Make sure the extruder cable passes through the center towards the back and is not stretched around any sides of the frames. Otherwise, the cable may stretch and interfere with Extruder movements during printing.

1-4. X-Axis Belt:

Test X-Axis Belt by pulling on the belt. Check for any sagging or skips. If needed, re-tighten the two screws while holding the pulley taut.

X Axis Belt Tightening Tightening X-axis Belt | Source: TheEdgeOfTech on Youtube

1-5. Voltage Setting:

Adjust the Voltage using the Allen key. Set to 115V for North America, and 230V for Everywhere Else. Now you can turn the device on.

Voltage Change Voltage Setting | Source: 3D Printing Canda

1-6. Finally, place your printer on a flat and stable surface - any wobbling during print will impact your prints.

2. Load Your Filament

In this section, you will need:

(1) Roll of PLA Plastic Filament
(1) Pair of Scissors Or Wire Clippers

2-1. Unpack your roll of Filament.

Keep the end in the spool holder so it does not unwind (if it does, wind it back up to prevent knots that may cause issues later on). NOTE: The recommended Nozzle and Bed temperatures in °C.

Filament Temperature Label | Source: Overture PLA Filament

2-2. Snip the end of the filament

Cut at a 45 degree angle using blue handle tool so the filament is sharper and easier to insert

Cut Filament Cutting Filament | Source: MakersMuse)

2-3. Insert the filament

While holding the extruder arm, push the filament through and continue to do so until you see it is fully through the white tube (Bowden Tube) and you can't push anymore.

Load Filament Loading Filament | Source: Teaching Tech on Youtube

2-4. Preheat your Extruder Nozzle

Push your Screen Control Dial, navigate to your Nozzle Control and set the temperature to higher than your filament's recommended Nozzle Temperature (For example: 230°C). Once it gets hot enough you should see some of the filament start to ooze through. If you do not see filament start to come out, continue to push your filament through the white Bowden tube as instructed in #3.

Preheat Filament Preheating Filament | Source: Creality After-Sale on Youtube

3. Transfer Files to Your Printer

In this section you will need:

(1) Micro-SD + USB Adapter (Included with Ender 3)
(1) A Computer with a USB Port

3-1. Plug your Micro SD into your Computer

using the USB Adapter that came with your Ender 3 Pro. As an altnerative option if your computer does not have a USB port, You can use an SD Adapter

Micro SD to USB USB Adapter for Micro-SD | Source: Gabriels3DPrinting on Youtube

Micro SD to SD Option 2: SD Adapter for Micro-SD

3-2. Download the CHEP Bed Leveling Script

This file is needed for the remainder of the walkthrough. Once these files are on your computer, transfer them to the Micro-SD card you just plugged in.

3-3. Safely removing your Micro-SD from your computer

After transfering the Bed Leveling Script, Bed Print Squares and any other items you want to print onto your Micro-SD or SD card, plug it back into your Ender.

Micro SD back into Ender Plug Your Micro SD back into your Ender | Source: Journey To Meaningful Design

4. Level Your Print Bed

In this section you will need:

(1) Small pieces of paper or business card

4-1. Test the Bed Leveling Knobs

Face the front of the printer. Rotating the knobs towards you creates more space between the Nozzle and Print bed, and Rotating away from you will reduce the space between the Nozzle and that corner of the Print Bed.

Note: Adjustments will have an opposite effect on the other corners of the Print bed.

Adjusting Bed Knobs The ideal space between Nozzle and Printbed | Source: Creality on Youtube

4-2. Start the Bed Leveling Script

Click into your Printer and select "Print from .." to access the files on your Micro-SD. Find the script named "Bed Leveling Script" from your Ender and run it. (Originally created by CHEP on Youtube)

Access SD Card on Ender Access Files Files on Ender | Source: Journey To Meaningful Design

4-3. Use standard paper to test the level and distance at each corner of the Bed

Place the paper between the print bed and the extruder as it moves to each corner. Tighten/Loosen the knobs until the you can feel some resistance when moving the paper back and forth between the extruder and the print bed - if the paper rips its too tight, if the extruder is not touching the paper it's too far.

4-4. Repeat for all 4 corners and the center

As this repeats for all four corners and the center of the Printbed do your best to get a consistent resistence across all touchpoints. Note: that loosening one corner will slightly tighten the opposite corner. In cases where the extruder is still to high from the printbed, try equally tightening all knobs to move the overall printbed closer to the extruder.

4-5. Check that all resistances are consistent

Your bed will be level when all the extruder provides a similar resistance across all 5 touchpoints (4 corners and center).

Level Print Bed Bed Leveling Script | Source: CHEP on Youtube

5. Start Printing

5-1. Finally! Start printing.

Start with the Bed Level Squares Calibration to make sure everything looks good. You can also try other calibration prints to see how your printer performs such as the:

XYZ Calibration Cube
Calibration Temp Tower
Calibration for Dimensional Accuracy
Bed Calibration Squares

5-2. Print any of the other files available on your Micro-SD Card.

If you want to access more ready-to-print files for the Ender 3 Pro, visit our Catalog which contain some popular items on Etsy. All of these 3d models have already been converted to .gcode (i.e. sliced) so they can be printed as soon as they are transfered to your printer through the Micro-SD card.

5-3. Find more 3d models online

You can find free .stls on sites such as Thingiverse, however you will need to understand slicing before you can print these items. If you want to get printing faster, the Catalog has a set of ready-to-print files. Download the .gcodes directly sliced for the Ender 3 Pro and others.

6. A Warning To Save You Headaches

We advise against tweaking the hardware or building additions to Ender 3 printers. While there may be online information on various upgrades like wireless printing, nozzle changes, or auto-leveling beds, it's best to avoid these modifications as it will likely go to waste. While the Ender 3 is a great starter printer, they usually become challenging to maintain beyond a certain point, and such upgrades will generally be more problematic than helpful. Instead, we recommend getting familiar with the 3D printing process first. Once you feel confident and desire more powerful features and enhanced print quality, you will be best served with upgrading to a more powerful printer recommended in our Choosing the best 3D Printer for each Purpose.

Tag - Setup guide