In an ideal situation, you could adjust your printer to the perfect temperature and then press the print button. However, in the real world, the ideal temperature doesn’t exist. Instead, a lot of trial and error is needed to get to this print temperature. When it comes to temperature, filaments are pretty tolerant, so as long as you don’t stray too far to either side, prints ought to be alright.
The ideal temperature for your Ender 3 depends on what type of filament you are using but generally, the best printing temperature for PLA is 200°/392°F and 50 to 60°C/122 to 140°F for print bed adhesion.
And since the ideal temperature settings are different for each type of filament you use, let’s dive into a little more detail.
Temperature Settings for Ender 5
Among the most crucial factors when printing is print temperature. The incorrect temperature setting could result in a number of printing issues, including stringing and over- or under-extrusion.
Setting the correct temperature for your filament is crucial. The manufacturers also list the ideal temperatures for their filaments, and there are standards for the various filaments.
Nozzle Temperature
At first, you should adhere to these reference values and then keep tweaking from there. One of the things you need to tune is the nozzle’s temperature. The ideal setting relies on your Ender 5’s specifications as well as the particular filament you’re using (even separate batches of the exact product can vary!), in addition to the kind of filament you’re using (PLA, ABS, etc.).
It is important to note that Ender 5’s nozzle can reach the maximum temperature of 260°C/500°F. Therefore, it is not suitable for printing filaments that need higher temperatures to print.
Related: Are 3D Printer Nozzles Universal?
Magnetic Beds
The Ender 5 also has a built-in magnetic bed. It is best to avoid overheating the magnetic bed when printing PLA and PVA. High temperatures of 80°C/176°F or more may harm magnetic beds, which will prevent your filament from clinging to the bed because its magnetic properties will have weakened.
So, for filaments requiring higher temperatures, look into choosing other viable alternatives, like a glass surface.
Filaments Safe for Ender 5
PLA
Currently, PLA is the most widely used filament, and one of the factors contributing to this popularity is its tolerance of different printing conditions.
Although it is quite adaptable and can function effectively anywhere between 180 and 230 °C or 356 to 446 °F, PLA prints best at about 210°C/410°F. Although a heated bed is not necessary, to improve bed adhesion, set it to a temperature between 20 and 60 °C or 68 and 140 °F.
Make sure to keep the cooling fans running when printing with PLA. The greatest results are achieved with proper cooling of PLA. In general, PLA is fairly simple to print and doesn’t need much to be effective.
Furthermore, because PLA filament is far simpler to use than ABS or PETG filament, it is a fantastic filament to begin experimenting with. But it’s also crucial to remember that different brands and colors may print at various temperatures.
Temperature of the nozzle: 210°C/410°F
Bed temperature: 60°C/140°F maximum
Related: 5 Ways 3D Printing Can Improve Your Life
ABS
ABS was the most commonly used filament before PLA. The reason PLA ultimately won out was partly due to how much harder it is to print with ABS.
To effectively print ABS, slightly higher temperatures are needed. The ideal nozzle temperature is between 210 and 250 °C or 410 and 482 °F, and a heated bed between 80 and 110 °C or 176 and 230 °F is required.
ABS must also be printed in an enclosed 3D printer so that it can cool relatively slowly. This is due to the fact that ABS contracts as it cools, and printers that cool too quickly will distort. Cooling fans should also be shut off while printing ABS because of the same reason.
Because the printer is open to wind and mechanical airflows, Ender 5 is not the best printer for ABS. An enclosure maintains the temperature at a level that keeps the surrounding air from warping or separating the layers of ABS.
The goal is to keep the ambient temperature as high as possible while avoiding exposure to outside factors, which cause the filaments to naturally cool down. Ender 5 doesn’t come with an enclosure, as you probably know, therefore you’ll need to build one or purchase one.
Moreover, you would need to upgrade the magnetic bed to a glass surface because such a high bed temperature will harm the magnetic bed that the Ender 5 comes with.
Temperature of the nozzle: 210–250 °C/410-482°F
Bed temperature: 80 to 110 °C/176 to 230°F
PETG
PETG is a relatively new material that combines elements of PLA and ABS.
The nozzle temperature must be between 220 and 250 °C or 428 and 482 °F, which is extremely high. PETG, however, doesn’t need a heated bed as ABS does.
Blue painter’s tape on the heat bed works best for PETG printing. To guarantee that the print sticks without the tape, the bed should be heated to between 50 and 75 °C or 122 and 167 °F. Additionally, cooling fans can be activated during printing since this filament doesn’t warp as ABS does.
PETG has emerged to be one of the most preferred filaments in use today, despite not being quite as simple to use as PLA or ABS.
Temperature of the nozzle: 220-250 °C/428-482°F
Bed temperature: Up to 75°C/167°F
Related: How Often Should You Level Your 3D Printer?
TFU
Filaments like TPU are great to work with and can prove to be very useful, but they can be a bit tricky to print with.
Similar to PLA, TPU prints well at temperatures around 210 and 230 °C or 410 and 446 °F with a bed temperature of 30 to 60 °C or 86 to 140 °F.
This filament can bend and extend as it travels from the extruder gear to the actual nozzle because of its flexibility. This is why it is crucial that the filament is extruded gently, without retracting, and along a constrained path.
If these issues become serious, gradually raising the extruder temperature may help release any pressure that may be causing the filament to bend.
Temperature of the nozzle: 210–230 °C/410-446°F
Bed temperature: 60°C/140°F maximum
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I use cooling fan for PLA?
Cooling is one of the most crucial parts of printing with PLA. A specialized cooling fan has a significant impact on the printed parts’ quality.
Can I 3D print overnight?
You shouldn’t leave your 3D printer running alone overnight as it presents a number of serious risks.
What is the safest filament?
The safest filament is PLA since it melts plastic at a relatively moderate temperature (between 190 and 215 degrees Celsius, or between 374 and 419 degrees Fahrenheit).
Final Words
In this article, we discussed the ideal temperature settings for Ender 5 and which filaments are safe to print with it considering their required temperatures.
The Ender 5 is great if you’re working with common filaments that are easy to print and don’t require higher temperatures. But if you’re working with a filament like Nylon that requires high temperatures, it’s better to think of an alternative than the Ender 5.
