The stock hot ends that come with the Ender 3, Pro, V2, and S1 are simple and capable, but the range of materials that they can be used with is minimal. That’s where all-metal hot ends come to the rescue.
In a standard hot end, a PTFE tube is present all the way down to the heat block. And because this tube starts degrading at temperatures over 250 °C, it’s not feasible to print materials at such high temperatures. Additionally, when exposed to such heat, the tube emits toxic fumes.
In an all-metal hot end, the tube is not inserted all the way down but instead sits on top of the heat break. This allows you to print special and high-temperature materials, such as nylon, carbon fiber, and polycarbonate. This is the primary reason for upgrading to an all-metal hot end.
In the following, we’ll go over some of the best all-metal hot ends that can be used with the Ender 3s. But first, a few words on advantages, disadvantages, and options…
Pros & Cons
Let’s go a little deeper into the advantages and disadvantages of installing an all-metal hot end on your Ender machine.
Pros
- Higher temperatures: If you want to print with non-standard filaments, an all-metal hot end is a must, as many typically require high printing temperatures.
- No need for PTFE replacement: The PTFE tube will degrade over time when used for high-temperature printing, such as with PETG or ABS. With an all-metal hot end, you won’t have to replace the PTFE liner as often, since it isn’t in direct contact with the heated parts.
Cons
- Finnicky retraction settings: High-temperature filament tends to stick to the wall of the heat break if retracted too much, so you’ll need to start with lower retraction settings when upgrading. For starters, lower the retraction distance to between 3.5 and 4 mm and the speed to 45 mm/s. Make sure to experiment to find the best settings for your specific materials and hardware.
- Clogging: In the heatsink, filament is subjected to a drastic temperature difference, and the heat break conducts heat much faster in the absence of a PTFE tube. If there’s any heat creep from the heat block, the filament might partially melt in the heat break itself. As the heatsink needs to be actively cooled, this partially molten filament can solidify, resulting in a clog. You’ll have to tweak the cooling and retraction settings to find the best settings to avoid oozing and clogs.
Options
If you decide to switch to an all-metal hot end, you’ll be faced with countless options, including well-known brand products, their third-party clones, and lesser-known alternatives.
Clones are inescapable across the internet. And while some clones of major brands might promise similar functionality for a lower price, always be wary when choosing a replica. In exchange for a few dollars, you may sacrifice the quality guarantee or the support that comes with a genuine purchase.
We all benefit from supporting companies that continually develop good and innovative 3D printing products. High-quality and precision manufacturing ensures the best printing performance for your high-temperature needs. In that vein, we’ve selected hot end upgrades from well-established brands only.
Among the pool of hot ends available today, the following are some of the best for the Ender 3, Pro, V2, and S1. The latter is a bit of a special case, so we saved the upgrade options for the S1 for last.
Going Further
The Ender 3 series includes some of the best budget 3D printers out there today, and upgrading them with an all-metal hot end will certainly enhance your printing experience. So why not make the jump and take your Ender 3 even further?
After upgrading the hot end, there are countless additional options for mods and upgrades. Why not add a BLTouch for automatic bed leveling, or even extend your printing space? The sky’s the limit! You’ll even find some great options for the S1, too.
E3D V6
Undoubtedly the most versatile and popular design that exists on the market, the E3D V6 hot end is famous for its reliability and material compatibility. It has a stainless steel heat break that keeps the PTFE away from the heat block. If you will be mounting it to your Ender 3, you will need to 3D print the mount, but then you’re all good to go!
Mosquito
The Mosquito hot end is a relatively new product. It separates the heat break from the structural components, which results in much better thermal performance along with an improvement in printing quality. Although it’s an expensive option, it’s well worth the money. You’ll also need to 3D print a mount to fit the Mosquito hot end on your Ender 3.
E3D Hemera
Another popular product from E3D is the Hemera, a printhead combo that includes both an all-metal hot end and an extruder. The hot end aspect of the Hemera is similar to the E3D V6, with a maximum temperature of 300 °C.
Yet, what the V6 doesn’t have is the Hemera’s powerful dual-drive extruder assembly, with a special built-in stepper motor that forcefully pushes the filament. This makes the Hemera a great option for printing flexible filaments alongside traditional materials.
You should be able to attach the E3D Hemera to the Ender 3 (Pro/V2) using the printhead’s T slot mounting system with a compatible mount. However, it’s unclear whether you can attach the Hemera to the Ender 3 S1, as this version of the Ender 3 features an entirely different carriage mounting system than that of its predecessors.
Micro Swiss
One of the best compatible hot ends for your Ender 3 is the Micro Swiss all-metal hot end. It fits perfectly without any need for extra brackets or mounts. The Micro Swiss design uses a titanium heat break, which keeps the heat contained to the heat block only, and the nozzle is also plated with a wear-resistant coating. You can easily print abrasive materials such as carbon fiber and metal-filled filament without worrying about nozzle wear.
E3D Revo CR
The E3D Revo CR is one of E3D’s latest hot ends, marketed as a drop-in replacement for the stock hot ends on Creality Ender 3 series as well as the CR-10. The Revo CR, like the other Revo hot ends, is an all-metal hot end with a maximum temperature of 300 °C.
What’s special about the Revo CR is that it integrates E3D’s special RapidChange technology, which in this case means that the Revo CR nozzles double as the throat of the hot end. This unique hot end structure makes it super easy to swap nozzles on your hot end and clear hot end clogs. E3D has also updated the onboard electronics using their HeaterCore, which reaches higher temperatures faster than their previous hot ends (e.g. the V6).
Given the Revo CR’s design, no extra mounts are required. Even the firmware doesn’t need to be tweaked, as the Revo CR is outfitted with a thermistor that has the same response time as Creality’s stock thermistors.
Phaetus Dragon
Phaetus is another manufacturer of high-end 3D printer hot ends, and their Dragon hot ends are great options for the Ender 3. The Phaetus Dragon comes in two variations, including a Standard and a High Flow option. As indicated by the name, the latter is better for extruding more filament faster, for example when you use a wide nozzle diameter. According to the manufacturer, both versions of the Dragon are heat resistant up to 500 °C, but it’s not clear if Phaetus recommends printing with this high of a nozzle temperature.
The Dragon has a similar shape to the E3D V6, with a cylindrical top, but its heatsink is more complex, with an inner and outer shell. Mounting the device to your printer should also be straightforward, given that Phaetus has designed 3D printable mounts to fit the Standard version and High Flow version of the Dragon on the Ender 3 (Pro/V2).
Phaetus Dragonfly
Lastly, the Dragonfly is another hot end design from Phaetus, with a higher flow rate than the Standard version of the Phaetus Dragon. The Dragonfly comes in four versions, the BMO, BMS, UHF, and TAICHI, but we’ll only be going over the BMS, as this hot end is known to work on the Ender 3 (Pro/V2).
The Dragonfly BMS has a similar structure to the stock hot end from the Ender 3, but it’s all metal and rated for temperatures as high as 500 °C, so it’s a lot more powerful. As for mounting, the BMS doesn’t fit right into the existing mounting holes on the Ender 3’s carriage, but you can follow an online guide to properly secure it to your printer. Some users have also found that the Dragonfly BMO works on the Ender 3 (Pro/V2), too!
S1 Compatible
Released in February 2022, the Ender 3 S1 has quickly become a favorite among makers, and part of the reason for that is its superb new extruder, the Sprite. Our in-house reviewers raved about its capabilities.
That’s probably why there’s very little chatter in the makerverse about upgrading the Sprite to another brand’s extruder. That being said, the heating limitation, 260 °C, on the original S1 model has a few grumbling. Some have proposed DIY solutions, but with the introduction of the Ender 3 S1 Pro, there are a couple of official all-metal upgrade options for the original S1 model.
Creality Sprite Pro
The Creality Sprite Extruder Pro is another printhead combo (hot end and extruder) with an all-metal hot end. The Sprite comes stock on the Ender 3 S1 Pro but can be added to previous models, including the Ender 3 Pro, V2, and S1. Its integrated hot end is capable of reaching 300 °C, more than enough to print materials such as PLA, ABS, PETG, and even PC (if you have an enclosure).
As a printhead combo, the Sprite includes a direct drive extruder configuration right above the hot end. Similar to the E3D Hemera, the Sprite is dual-drive and uses a torque-enhancing gear ratio to provide powerful pushing power for the inserted filament. You can also use the spring screw onboard the assembly to adjust the tension the drive gears have on the filament.
Adding the Sprite Extruder Pro to older Ender 3 models should be relatively easy because the manufacturer is the same. Moreover, Creality has provided a few different pre-configured firmware files on their website that support the Sprite printhead on different versions of the Ender 3. An Ender 3 installation guide for the Sprite can be found in the “PDF & Files” section of Creality’s website. It goes over exactly how you can mount and wire the printhead to your printer.
Creality All-Metal Hot End Kit
While we’ve seen a couple of makers who have replaced the stock Sprite Extruder on the Ender 3 S1 with the Sprite Extruder Pro, it’s also possible to simply upgrade the hot end on the stock Sprite. Creality makes this incredibly easy with their full metal hot end kit and links to their own as well as third-party instructional videos.
Unfortunately, this kit is only compatible with the Ender 3 S1, as well as two other non-Ender 3 models. YouTuber Chuck Hellebuyck notes that the heat break included in the kit doesn’t fit the heatsink on the other Ender 3 models. So, upgrading to the Sprite Extruder Pro is the better bet for Ender 3 (Pro/V2) users.
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