How to 3D Print with CURA on Creality's Ender 3

Last Updated: February 9, 2023 References

You unpacked and assembled your brand new Creality Ender 3/Ender 3 Pro and now don’t know what to do with it? 3D printing is an educational and rewarding pastime anyone can enjoy. With the 3D printing program CURA and a Creality Ender 3/Ender 3 Pro, you will be able to make things beyond your wildest dreams.

Part 1

Part 1 of 7:

Downloading

1
Download and install CURA from https://ultimaker.com/software/ultimaker-cura
2
Download or create an .stl file.

Advertisement
3
Download the bed level file, CHEP_Ender_3_bed_level.gcode, from http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3235018. Transfer to a microSD card.

Part 2

Part 2 of 7:

Setting Up CURA

1
Open the CURA software.
2
Add the printer profile. Go to Settings > Printer > Add Printer....
- Select Other.
- Select Creality Ender 3.
3
Select the material from the Material drop down menu to specify your material.

Part 3

Part 3 of 7:

Using CURA

1
Open your file by selecting Open File icon.
- Choose your desired .stl file to print and click Open.
2
Adjust the 3D model by selecting the model then adjustment icons, if needed.
- Move - Click, hold, and drag the desired axis to move object.
- Scale - Change the size of the object by percentages.
- Rotate- Press, hold and rotate on the desired circle axis to rotate object. Pressing the Lay Flat icon to position object flat on surface may reorient object.
3
Adjust the 3D print settings. Go to "Print Setup" area with "Recommended" selected to adjust the Layer Height, Infill, Support, and Build Plate Adhesion.
- Layer height - Select your desired layer height. The lower the layer height, the higher quality the print, but the longer it takes to print.^{[1]
  X
  Research source}
- Infill - Select desired infill percentage. The higher the infill percentage, the stronger the print, the longer the print time. ^{[2]
  X
  Research source}
- Generate Support - Used for overhangs greater than 45 degrees.^{[3]
  X
  Research source}
- Build Plate Adhesion - Brims or rafts may be used to help plate adhesion and to reduce warping.^{[4]
  X
  Research source}
4
Adjust the print temperatures. Click Custom and go to Material to adjust printing temperatures based on the material's manufacturer recommendation.
5
Click Prepare to estimate the print time, material use, and to slice the .stl file.
6
Save the .gcode file to a microSD card using a microSD USB adapter. Then press Save to Removable Drive.

Part 4

Part 4 of 7:

Loading the Filament

1
Place the material onto the spool holder.
2
Cut the end of filament at ~45 degrees using the snippers.
3
Turn on the printer by pressing the red power switch into the On position represented with the "|" symbol.
4
Press the control knob to access the menu options. Rotate the control knob to highlight desired selection, and press it to confirm selection.
5
Move the Z-axis off the bed by ~40-60mm.
- Press the control knob to highlight and select Prepare.
- Highlight and select Move Axis.
- Highlight and select Move 1mm.
- Highlight and select Move Z.
- Rotate the control knob until the screen reads ~40-60mm and the print nozzle is ~40-60mm above the print bed.
6
Preheat the print nozzle by highlighting and selecting Prepare then Preheat PLA. Wait for the nozzle to reach 185 degrees.
- The red circled number indicates the current nozzle temperature and the number above represents desired temperature.
7
Load the filament into the printer. Squeeze the extruder lever and feed the filament through the extruder hole.^{[5]
X
Research source}
- Continue feeding the material until it comes out of the print nozzle.
8
Turn off the printer or proceed to "Leveling the Print Bed."

Part 5

Part 5 of 7:

Leveling the Print Bed

1
Insert the microSD card into the microSD card slot.
2
Turn the printer on.
3
Level the print bed using the CHEP_ENDER_3_bed_level.gcode, paper, and adjustment screws.^{[6]
X
Research source}
- Press and rotate the control knob to highlight and select Print from SD.
- Highlight and select the CHEP_Ender_3_bed_level.gcode.
- Wait until nozzles comes to a stop before proceeding.
- Continually slide a piece of paper back and forth underneath the nozzle. The nozzle will "scratch" the paper if it's at the correct level.
- Using the adjustment screw of each corner below the heat bed, raise the bed by turning clockwise/lower the bed by turning counter-clockwise, while continually sliding the piece paper.
- Press the control knob to level other corners of the bed. The center point used to check if the bed is calibrated correctly.
- Repeat this until you no longer need to turn adjustment knobs.
4
Turn off the printer or proceed to "Printing the Object."

Part 6

Part 6 of 7:

Printing the Object

1
Insert the microSD card if not already inserted, and then turn the power on.
2
Select Print from SD then highlight and select the desired .gcode file.
3
Wait for print bed and print nozzle to heat up.
- The circled numbers on the bottoms will match the ones on top.
- Caution: Do not touch print bed or print nozzle at this point. It may cause burns!
4
Examine the first print layer for adhesion quality.
- The material will stick to the bed in an even layer if properly leveled. If little to no material is extruding, then lower the print bed. If the material is not sticking, then raise the print bed.
5
Wait for the file to print while checking back periodically until the print is finished.
- Check to see if the object is printing properly. If not, press on the control knob, select Stop Print.
6
Turn off the 3D Printer by switching the power button into the on position.
7
Remove the 3D printed object with the scraper tool once the print bed, print nozzle, and object have cooled.
8
Remove rafts, skirts, and/or supports from the object if necessary.
- Use sandpaper to smooth out object if needed.
- If printing an object with multiple parts that need to join, sand the adhesion area and use superglue.

Part 7

Part 7 of 7:

Cleaning the Build Plate

1
Remove the binder clips and remove the build plate.
2
Clean the build plate bed by scraping off excess material with scraper tool and washing with warm soapy water and let dry.
3
Align the build plate onto heat bed. Secure with binder clips.

Warnings

Do not touch material when melted; it may cause burns.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0
Do not touch print bed when heating/heated; it may cause burns.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
Remove object only when print bed and object has cooled down.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
Do not touch print nozzle when heating/heated; it may cause burns.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Things You'll Need

Creality Ender 3/Creality Ender 3 Pro
microSD card (comes with 3D printer)
microSD card adapter (comes with 3D printer)
Snippers
Scraper
PLA
Dish soap
Printer paper
Sandpaper (Optional)
Superglue (Optional)
Computer with:
- Operating System (one of the following):
  - Vista or higher (64-bit)
  - Mac OS X 10.11 or higher (64-bit)
  - Ubuntu 14.04 or higher (64-bit)
- System requirements:
  - 4 GB of RAM
  - 205 MB of Hard Drive Space
  - Intel Core 2 or AMD Athlon 64 or newer
  - Open GL 2 Compatible Graphics Chip
  - Open GL 4.1 for 3D Layer view