Best Print Speed for Ender 3 (Pro/V2/S1)

The Ender 3 is a very popular 3D printer and people wonder what the best print speed for it is. This article will give some basic answers on the best print speed for the Ender 3, as well as how fast it can go and how to reach those higher speeds successfully.

Keep on reading for more information about the best print speeds for an Ender 3.

Best Print Speed for the Ender 3 (Pro/V2/S1)

The best print speed for Ender 3 machines usually ranges between 40-60mm/s. You can reach higher speeds, usually at a trade off with the quality of the model through imperfections like stringing, blobs, and rougher layer lines. You can 3D print at higher speeds by upgrading your firmware and cooling fans.

For small detailed 3D prints, some users choose to go with a slower print speed of around 30mm/s for higher quality. This would be for models like miniatures or statues that have a lot of complex curves.

Many users say that they get pretty good results when using a 60mm/s print speed, but do get better accuracy at lower speeds.

One user who modified his Ender 3 by updating his firmware to TH3D and adding a BLTouch said that he 3D prints at a speed of 90mm/s without issues. For the first layer, it’s a good idea to use 20-30mm/s so it has a better chance to adhere to the bed surface.

The Ender 3’s configuration file in the firmware may only allow the printer to reach 60mm/s, but you can change this by updating the configuration file or changing your firmware. Go to the config.h file and search for “max” until you find something related to speed.

A lot of people recommend using Klipper firmware because it allows for some great customizations with speed and features like Linear Advance to reach higher speeds with accuracy.

How Fast Can You Print with the Ender 3?

You can reach print speeds of 150mm/s+ on an Ender 3, though this isn’t very common. One user printed at speeds of 180mm/s with a V6 hotend and titan extruder combination on a direct drive extruder, with 1,500 acceleration. He mentioned that dimensional accuracy wasn’t affected too much.

He didn’t record the print times for the 180mm/s speed, but at 150mm/s and a 0.2mm layer height, a 3D Benchy took around 55 minutes, while an XYZ calibration cube took just 14 minutes.

For PETG filament, he recommended people to not go over 80mm/s due to some factors affecting infill strength.

For PLA and PETG prints, you can print speed at 120mm/s and 80mm/s respectively.

A user who owns an Ender 3 says he has done a lot of upgrades on his 3D printer which makes the high print speed achievable for him.

He shared that he acquired a Bondtech BMG direct drive, bigger steppers and a Duet 2 that allows cancellation of the primary ringing frequency and all works great for him.

You can easily run some test for your prints on your Ender 3 printer by simply moving up the print speed increasingly until you achieve a speed that produces the results and speed that you are comfortable with.

Check out the video below by YouMakeTech who shows you how to 3D print fast on an Ender 3.

 

Check out this highly modified Ender 3 speedboat challenge that reaches speeds up to 300mm/s. He used the IdeaMaker slicer, customized Klipper firmware, and a SKR E3 Turbo control board. It has some serious upgrades like a Phaetus Dragon HF hotend, a Dual Sunon 5015 fan and plenty more.

Best Ender 3 Print Speed for PLA

For PLA, the best print speed on your Ender 3 printer is usually between 40-60mm/s. It’s usually better to use lower speeds if you want to get high quality, but for models that you want to 3D print quickly, you can go up to 100mm/s with the right upgrades. Good cooling and a quality hotend is ideal.

A user says that he uses 80mm/s as a standard print speed for his Ender 3. After printing most of his models at 80mm/s, he shared that he tried printing at 90mm/s and 100mm/s with inconsistent results.

You can reach higher speeds depending on the model, where simple shapes would be easier to print at high speeds.

Check out the video below by NeedItMakeIt to see how to speed up prints without sacrificing quality.