This printer is easy to set up and get running, so it’s ideal if you’re looking for a machine that won’t make you wait to get started.

It also has a generous print volume and much more streamlined design than many other Creality printers. We like that the control box and filament spool are located within the printer’s frame, and not tacked on the side as an afterthought, adding to the printer’s footprint.

We found the Ender 5 Plus was easy to use, but were disappointed in the implementation of the BLTouch probe.

Grumbles aside, the machine exhibits excellent dimensional accuracy and precision in prints, though we weren’t thrilled with some of the superficial issues that cropped up, like inconsistent layers, for example.

That being said, if you’re down to tinker a little bit with your slicer settings, most of these errors should be relatively simple to fix – just be prepared to spend some time fine-tuning and getting really familiar with your slicer.

So, after going hands-on with the Ender 5 Plus, color us cautiously interested. The prospect of printing big is exciting, but while the Ender 5 Plus sings with the accuracy of its prints, it’s clear some work is needed on the part of the user to achieve optically pleasant prints.

Bigger Build Volume

While the build volume of the smaller Ender 5 (220 x 220 x 300 mm) is enough for most prints, it is always convenient to have extra space for bigger tasks. The Ender 5 Plus offers precisely that. Its glass bed boasts an area of 350 x 350 mm, while the Z-axis stretches to 400 mm. That‘s bigger than the print volume on a Creality’s CR-10S, which sat at 300 x 300 x 400 mm.

The outside measurements are 632 x 666 x 619 mm, so be prepared to free up some space in your workshop. Thankfully, no components are stored outside of the printer itself; the filament spool and the power supply sit within the frame.

More Stability (and Noise) for the Z-Axis

The Ender 5 sub-series of printers use a Gantry design, with the print head arranged at the top of the printer. While printing, the bed lowers itself through the Z-axis.

Each axis has a dedicated stepper motor. The Y-axis’ motor drives both belts at the same time. This results in an overall smoother movement and fewer layer shifts. The Z-axes are mounted in the middle of the bed with large 8-mm-rods stabilizing each side – in theory, quite a clever way of getting smooth motions while keeping the stability.

When we first started printing, we found that these guide rods weren’t lubricated, resulting in an unpleasant grinding and squeaking noise. After applying some lube, things got a little better, but the printer wasn’t exactly quiet.

One of the biggest drawbacks of tall printers is Z-wobble, resulting in visible layer lines. This printing failure mostly occurs when the Z-axis rods aren’t perfectly straight or incorrectly mounted.

Creality tries to solve the problem by not only throwing in a second rod but four. In addition to the two lead screws appended to the Z-axis stepper motors (one on each side), four smooth rods – one for each corner of the bed – function as guides for the bed’s travel. This should mean you get more coherent layers, even in taller prints.

Automatic Bed Leveling

Auto-leveling is pretty uncommon on stock Ender printers. For the Ender 5 Plus, Creality threw in an Antclabs’ contact-triggered BLTouch proximity sensor (check out our BLTouch sensors guide here.) It is supposed to assist you in the bed-leveling process: The probe physically measures the bed; the Marlin-firmware then is capable of compensating for uneven spots.

However, leveling the bed turned out to be quite problematic. As the probe is mounted seven centimeters left of the extruder, measuring just physically doesn’t work. The placement of the probe makes it impossible to measure the entire bed, so roughly two-thirds of the plate is being measured, while the rest can’t be accessed. A firmware upgrade promised to deliver a solution but didn’t address the problem.

That being said, Creality is known to iterate the machines very fast, so you might see the probe mounted in a different position soon.

And as an alternative, you still can level the bed by hand (which we did for this 10-hour review.)

Additional Features

• Filament sensor and power failure resume are commonplace now, making a welcome return in the Ender 5 Plus.
• The Ender 5 Plus features a V2.2 Creality mainboard, not cutting edge and a little restrictive if you wish to upgrade things later, but a capable board that also works well for the Ender 3 and Ender 3 Pro.

General Specs

• Technology: FDM
• Year: 2019
• Assembly: Semi-assembled
• Mechanical arrangement: Cartesian XY-head
• Manufacturer: Creality

3D Printing Properties

• Build volume: 350 x 350 x 400 mm
• Accuracy: 100 Micron
• Extruder type: Single nozzle
• Nozzle size: 0.4 mm
• Max. extruder temperature: 260 °C
• Max. heated bed temperature: 110 °C
• Print chamber: Open
• Bed leveling: Semi-automatic
• Connectivity: Online web interface, SD card
• Build-in camera for monitoring: No

Materials

• Filament diameter: 1.75 mm
• 3rd party filaments: Yes
• Compatible materials: PLA, ABS, TPU, composite filaments