Ender3

Owned by Imagine That
Last updated: Nov 07, 2020
6 min read

Basic Science and Terminology

3D Printing is very much a world of its own, and new users and community members often find themselves overwhelmed with the unfamiliar science and terminology behind this unique hobby. The guide below will help you become familiar with the parts and functions of your printer, as well as some common terminology. 

There are many parts to 3D Printers, and it’s important to know the names of those parts when upgrading or replacing components, and for general troubleshooting. Below is a diagram of an Ender 3, but most 3D Printers are generally the same.

quick start guide:

Parts of a 3D Printer

Ender 3

Hotend Assembly: The hotend assembly usually contains three main components; the hotend, part cooling fan, and the hotend cooling fan.

Hotend

The hotend is exactly as it sounds, and is the piece that melts the plastic, and where it is extruded from.

Bowden Coupler: This component holds the end of the bowden tube inside the hotend

Heat Sink: The hotend fan blows on here to keep the upper part of the hotend cool

Heater Block: The part that is heated by the heater cartridge, houses the thermistor as well

Heater Cartridge: Heating component of the hotend

Thermistor: Reads the temperature of the hotend

Nozzle: Extrudes the melted plastic

Part Cooling Fan: This fan cools the filament as it is extruded and helps to improve bridging and layer adhesion

Hotend Cooling Fan: This Fan cools the heat sink of the hotend

Extruder

Stepper Motor: Extrudes or retracts filament through the extruder

Tension Spring: Creates tension to press the extruder bearing against the filament

Lever: Releases or applies pressure from the tension spring

Extruder Gear: Digs into filament to extrude it, attached to stepper motor

Extruder Bearing: Presses filament against extruder gear, helps with smooth extrusion

Bowden Tube

The bowden tube creates a path from the extruder to the hotend and is held in place by couplers on either side.

Endstop Switches

The endstop switches are triggered when they are pressed by a component of the printer. The switches allow the printer to know the positioning of its components and allow the printer to find its home axis. There are typically endstop switches on each axis, the X, Y, and Z.

Heated Bed

The heated bed is what the print is first extruded onto. The bed usually has some sort of build surface on it such as tempered glass. The bed is heated to improve the adhesion of the print to the build surface.  

Bed Leveling Screws

In order for a print to properly adhere to the build surface, the bed must be level. There are four leveling screws located under the four corners of the heated bed. They are used to adjust and level the bed.

USB and SD Ports

The USB and SD Ports are the interface for feeding gcode (tells your printer what/how to print) to the printer. You can upload a file to a micro SD card and insert it into the printer, or print directly from a computer plugged in via the USB port.

Controller LCD

The controller LCD is how the user controls the printer. Through this they can home and move the axes, preheat components, start prints, and much more.

The Three Axes

On FDM Printers, there are three axes making up the three dimensions, the X Axis, Y Axis, and Z axis. The X Axis refers to left and right movement, the Y Axis refers to forward and backwards movement, and the Z Axis refers to up and down movement.

A printer such as the Ender 3 or CR-10 is known as a XZ hotend and Y bed printers. This means the hotend assembly moves along the X and Z axis (left/right and up/down), while the bed moves forwards and backwards on the Y Axis.

A printer such as the Ender 5 is commonly referred to as a CoreXY Printer. On these printers, the hotend assembly moves on the X and Y Axes (left/right and forwards/backwards), while the bed moves along the Z Axis (up and down).

Moving the Axes 

The axes on a printer are moved by either a belt or leadscrew. The X and Y axes are moved by belts on which the teeth mate with a gear attached to a stepper motor. The Z axis is moved by a leadscrew attached to a stepper motor. When spun, the X Axis moves up or down on the threads of the leadscrew.

Important 3D Printing Terms You Should Know

Extrusion: The action of plastic being pushed out of the nozzle

Under-Extrusion: Not enough plastic is being extruded

Over-Extrusion: Too much plastic is being extruded

Overhang: Part of a 3D model that extends out without support under it

ABS: Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, a common thermoplastic known for its durability and resistance to heat

PLA: Polylactic Acid, arguably the most popular thermoplastic used in 3D Printing, known for its affordability, will warp in heat

CAD: Computer Aided Design, used to create models for 3D Printing

STL: Stereolithography, a form of 3D file most commonly used in 3D printing

Slicer: Slices model layer by layer to create a G-code file for 3D printing

Infill: Increases or decreases the amount of your model that is solid plastic within the slicer

Layer Height: How thick each layer of your printed model is (adjusted in slicer)

G-Code: Language that communicates with the printer and tells it what to do

LEVELING

For Ender 2 but should work the same with ender 3: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2874536

FIRMWARE/FLASH

videoguide about flash/firmware: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIl5X2ffdyo

textbased flashguide: here

SOME IMPORTANT MODS

 

REPLACEMENT PARTS.

This part will only show necessary replacement parts to get your printer up and running again

SOME OTHER MODS (#2)

MISC MODS