Even though the Ender 3 is heavily moddable, which makes it possible to replace parts of the 3D printer to make them better suited for your purposes, there is no denying that purchasing a 3D printer that will suit your needs out of the box is always the more straightforward option.
As a result, we believe that conducting thorough research about what a 3D printer can offer and what it cannot before purchase is the best way to start your 3D printing journey, as it will allow you to focus on the specifications of the 3D printer rather than its popularity.
In today’s article, we will be examining the size of the Ender 3’s print bed, which is one of the most vital specifications to keep in mind when purchasing a 3D printer, as the size of the bed determines the available print area, which in turn decides the maximum dimensions that your 3D printed models can have.
So, what is the maximum print size (print volume) that the Ender 3 can handle, and how does it compare to the physical size of the Ender 3 print bed?
While the physical size of the Ender 3 print bed is 235 x 235 mm, the maximum print size (print volume) that the Ender 3 supports by default is 220 x 220 x 250 mm, which, as you may have noticed, is slightly smaller in the X and Y axes than the actual physical X and Y sizes of the print bed.
Moving forward, we will dive deeper into the bed size and the maximum print volume of the Ender 3, find out how to increase the print area to use the entire bed as efficiently as possible, and quickly go through the dimensions of the Ender 3 to see how the size of the bed compares to the entirety of the 3D printer.
Table of Contents
What Is the Bed Size of the Ender 3 (Pro/V2)?
While the bed size may not seem all too important at first look, it will quickly come into play in scenarios where you need to print 3D models with large dimensions and can easily be the factor that decides whether you will be able to print the model or not.
The print bed of the Ender 3 comes with the dimensions of 235 x 235 mm (9.25 x 9.25 inches), meaning that it’s a square that is 235 (9.25 inches) millimeters long on each edge, which physically makes it capable of containing any object that is smaller than this.
With these dimensions, we can consider the size of the Ender 3 print bed to be pretty standard, making it larger than “mini” 3D printers such as the Ender 2 Pro and smaller than large 3D printers such as the Ender 5 Plus.
What Is the Print Size (Print Area & Print Height) of the Ender 3 (Pro/V2)?
Even though it would make sense for the print size (print volume) and the physical size of the bed to be equal, this is not the case, as there is a considerable difference in size between the physical size of the print bed and the maximum print size.
The print size or print volume, which essentially is the combination of the print area and the print height, for the Ender 3, is 220 x 220 mm x 250 mm (8.66 x 8.66 x 9.84 inches) by default, making the physical bed size of the Ender 3 roughly 14 percent larger than the supported build area.
There are many reasons behind this limitation, ranging from reserving the space that is required for the clips that are responsible for attaching the stock build plate to the print bed to having some backup space for any inconsistencies that may arise during the 3D printing process.
How to Configure Cura to Allow the Usage of the Entire Ender 3 (Pro/V2) Print Bed?
Fortunately, the print size limitation is not one that is enforced by the hardware of the Ender 3, meaning that it’s possible to increase the usable print area and get your Ender 3 to utilize more of the available print bed space than what the default configuration allows, as long as you can physically free the space up.
Below, we have listed the Cura settings that you can configure to remove the zones around the edges that Cura won’t allow you to use, which will make it possible to utilize the entire print bed of your Ender 3:
- Build Plate Adhesion -> None
- Travel Avoid Distance -> 0
- Z-hop -> Disabled
- Support Horizontal Expansion -> 0
- Infill Wipe Distance -> 0
Please note that configuring these parameters in this manner can create problems for the printing process, ranging from poor initial layer extrusion to low print reliability.
Once you’re through with the configuration in Cura, there is one last step to take, which is to edit the Cura definition file for the Ender 3, and remove the disallowed area from it.
For this process, start by navigating to the Cura installation directory using your operating system’s default file explorer.
For instance, this would be “C:\Program Files\Ultimaker Cura 4.13.0” for Windows, assuming that the default installation path is used and the Cura version is 4.13.
Then, open the Ender 3 definition file (creality_ender3.def) in your favorite text editor.
To find the file as quickly as possible, we recommend searching for it using the search functionality of the file explorer.
We recommend backing the original file up before proceeding further, which will allow you to restore the original if it becomes necessary.
Locate the text “default_value”, which comes right after “machine_disallowed_areas”, and delete the values between the brackets.
Before -> “machine_disallowed_areas”: {
“default_value”: [
[[-117.5, 117.5], [-117.5, 108], [117.5, 108], [117.5, 117.5]],
[[-117.5, -108], [-117.5, -117.5], [117.5, -117.5], [117.5, -108]]
]},
After -> “machine_disallowed_areas”: {
“default_value”: []},
Finally, save the definition file with the changes you have performed, and restart Cura.
When you complete the entire process of removing the print area limitations, you should be able to scale the X and Y dimensions of any model of your choice up to 235 millimeters, and Cura will allow you to slice it without any problems.
For best results, we highly recommend against scaling your model all the way up to 235 millimeters and considering 230 millimeters to be the absolute maximum instead (unless you’re an experienced user that is prepared to deal with the potential issues that can arise), which will still give you an extra 5 millimeters on each side yielding a 9 percent increase on the default build area.
It goes without saying that you should ensure that there are no physical factors that limit the actual build area when using this method, such as clips that attach the stock build plate to the print bed, as attempting to print in such a scenario will cause print failure, and potentially even damage the hardware of your Ender 3 due to the removal of the safety measures that would prevent such a situation from taking place.
How to Increase the Print Volume (Bed Size & Height) of the Ender 3 (Pro/V2)?
While rare, there can definitely be cases where the maximum build volume that the Ender 3 offers becomes wholly insufficient, which, at first glance, can make you think that you will need a new 3D printer suitable for the task.
Fortunately, increasing the print volume of your Ender 3 is entirely possible by utilizing hardware modifications, known as extension kits, which include all of the necessary wires, belts, frame components, build plate parts, and practically anything else required for the process.
While the exact print volume you will obtain is dependent on the particular kit, as it’s possible to find different kits that offer distinct levels and directions (for instance, some kits only increase the height) of size increases, we have utilized kits that take the Ender 3’s build volume up to 400 x 400 x 500 mm without any issues.
Finally, even though there is no denying that installing an extender kit can be a bit of a challenging process (as you’re re-assembling your 3D printer to an extent), which also involves performing the necessary firmware adjustments to make your Ender 3 compatible with the changes, we can easily say that it’s definitely more convenient than having to replace your 3D printer altogether.
What Are the Dimensions and the Weight of the Ender 3 (Pro/V2)?
While the dimensions and weight of the 3D printer will not have any impact on the dimensions of your 3D printed models, it’s vital to consider these figures before committing to a purchase to ensure that you have a suitable space for your 3D printer to operate.
The Ender 3 has dimensions of 420 x 410 x 470 mm (16.5 x 16.1 x 18.5 inches), which we can consider to be relatively small dimensions, especially compared to the build volume that it offers, and a weight of 7.5 kg (16.5 lbs), which is pretty standard.
Practically speaking, you should easily able to fit your Ender 3 on top of most standard computer desks, with plenty of more space that is left over, meaning that there isn’t a whole lot to be concerned about the dimensions if you’re unsure about whether you would be able to fit it or not.
With these dimensions and weight, moving your Ender 3 in its assembled form should also be no trouble at all, whether when moving it around your house to place it in a different room or when loading it up in a car to take it somewhere else.
Wrapping Up
Even though the print bed size and the usable print area of the Ender 3 should be more than enough for most 3D printing projects, we highly recommend ensuring that the dimensions are sufficient for your purposes, especially if you are planning on printing 3D models that are on the larger side compared to the usual.
To quickly recap, even though the print volume of the Ender 3 is 220 x 220 x 250 mm by default, the actual physical dimensions of the Ender 3 print bed are 235 x 235 mm, meaning that a small portion of the bed is going unused when printing with the default configuration.
Fortunately, it’s possible to include the unused space in the print volume through some software modifications if it becomes necessary and even increase the build volume of your Ender 3 all the way up to 400 x 400 x 500 mm with extension kits if you find yourself in a spot where the model you would like to print is larger than what your Ender 3 can accommodate.
Happy printing!
Mike started his 3D printing journey with the Anet A8 when it first came out back in 2017, and has been obsessed with 3D printers ever since. Nowadays, he primarily uses his Ender 3 to print functional parts that make his life more convenient whenever possible.