Can You Print Carbon Fiber Filament with Ender 3 (Pro/V2)?

Filaments infused with various materials, such as carbon fiber, metal, and wood, also known as specialty or exotic filaments, make up a significant portion of the filament market nowadays, as they bring a unique set of qualities to the base material both aesthetically and structurally.

On the other hand, the increased complexity of the material also causes the printing process to become more challenging, especially in terms of the equipment required to conduct the process without damaging the printer and obtaining optimal results.

In today’s article, we will be addressing the topic of compatibility between Creality’s Ender 3 and carbon fiber filaments, as carbon fiber filaments, in particular, are getting more and more popular due to the considerable benefits they bring to the final product.

So, can you print carbon fiber filaments with the Ender 3?

According to Creality, the stock Ender 3 can print carbon fiber-infused filaments without any issues, meaning that you should be able to print the carbon-fiber variants of all the filaments the Ender 3 can print by default without the need for any modification.

On the other hand, as carbon fiber filaments are usually much more abrasive than their standard counterparts, they can quickly cause damage to the brass nozzle of the Ender 3 after a few prints and render the nozzle unusable.

Next up, we will take a deeper look into whether it’s possible to print carbon fiber filament with the Ender 3 or not, find out how to print carbon fiber with the Ender 3 as optimally as possible, and take a quick look at how carbon fiber filaments differ from regular filaments.

Can You Print Carbon Fiber Filament with Ender 3 (Pro/V2)?

Using the carbon fiber-infused variants of filaments is a fantastic way to obtain a better 3D printed model in terms of strength and stability, but the difference in material composition compared to their regular counterparts means that not all printers can print with them.

In the case of the Ender 3, you can indeed print carbon fiber filaments without any problems according to the manufacturer’s specifications, provided that the printer supports printing the standard version of the filament in terms of extruder and bed temperature.

For instance, since the Ender 3 can print PLA with no issues, printing carbon-fiber infused PLA is entirely possible, as the temperatures required for printing the carbon-fiber variants of filaments are only slightly different than the standard.

On the other hand, a vital point to keep in mind is that carbon fiber-infused filaments are much stiffer than their regular counterparts due to the carbon fiber fill, which gives them abrasive properties that damage the stock nozzle made out of brass.

In a nutshell, this means that every time the carbon fiber filament comes into contact with the nozzle during the printing process, it will slowly chip away at the nozzle, causing the nozzle to erode and lose its structural integrity.

While it may make sense to replace the nozzle whenever the erosion comes to a point where it’s not functional anymore, the fact is that even a slight bit of the erosion can cause drastic issues for prints due to issues such as the nozzle diameter becoming larger than intended or the nozzle losing its circular shape.

With this in mind, the bottom line is that even though it’s technically possible to print carbon-fiber infused filaments with the stock Ender 3, it’s better to refrain from it to avoid damaging the printer and compromising the upcoming prints down the line.

On the other hand, as there are upgrades that can allow you to print carbon fiber infused filaments with the Ender 3, we will be getting into what you can do to make the process healthier for your printer in the next section.

How to Print Carbon Fiber Filament with Ender 3 (Pro/V2)?

As the carbon-fiber filaments have a different material composition than the standard versions, they also come with a distinct set of requirements for the 3D printing process to go smoothly and yield a quality end product.

Below, we have compiled a list of things to look out for before printing carbon fiber filaments with the Ender 3 to ensure that the prints are successful:

  • Replace the stock brass nozzle with a hardened nozzle, such as one made out of steel, to avoid erosion of the nozzle.
  • Use larger nozzle sizes whenever you can to avoid clogging issues that are common with carbon fiber filaments.
  • Optimize retraction by reducing the retraction distance as much as possible to prevent clogging.
  • Print slower than you would with the standard version of the filament to allow the printer to print consistently.
  • Avoid printing sharp corners as much as possible to prevent filament breakage caused by carbon fiber being more brittle.

How Are Carbon Fiber Filaments Different than Regular Filaments?

While carbon fiber filaments primarily consist of the base material, similar to regular filaments, the presence of carbon fiber in the filament gives it a unique set of advantages and disadvantages that make it suitable for different scenarios.

To start, let’s take a look at the advantages that carbon fiber filaments bring to the table:

  • A higher degree of strength than its standard counterparts
  • Lighter than its regular counterparts
  • Dimensionally stable and less prone to issues such as warping
  • High level of heat resistance

On the other hand, here are the disadvantages of using carbon fiber filaments instead of their regular counterparts:

  • Abrasive and prone to causing damage to the nozzle
  • Higher chance of oozing during the printing process
  • Higher chance of clogging during the printing process
  • More brittle than its regular counterparts

Putting all into consideration, we can conclude that while carbon fiber filaments offer a better end product for almost all scenarios, they also cause the printing process to become more demanding.

Wrapping Up

As carbon-fiber filaments require a better level of equipment to print successfully, not every 3D printer that can print the regular version of the filament can print the carbon-fiber infused counterpart.

To quickly recap, while the Ender 3 prints carbon fiber-infused filaments without issues, the fact that the carbon-fiber variants are a lot more abrasive than their standard counterparts compromises the stock brass nozzle of the Ender 3, rendering it unusable over time.

Upgrading the stock brass nozzle of the Ender 3 to a hardened nozzle, such as one made out of steel, is often the best course of action if you intend to print carbon fiber filaments with your Ender 3, as this will prevent the nozzle from becoming damaged by the abrasion.

Happy printing!