3D Printed Direct-Drive for the Ender 3

Upgrade your Ender 3 to Direct Drive for free using only 3D printed parts!

⏰ Chapters ⏰
00:00 Introduction
00:25 SpeedDrive v1 presentation
00:55 Direct drive upgrade kit from Creality
01:23 3D printed parts required
01:57 SpeedDrive installation (step by step)
10:21 Conclusion


Direct extrusion is a method of extrusion by which the extruder pushes the filament directly into the nozzle. A direct drive extruder provides several advantages with respect to a Bowden extruder. It allows to print with a wider range of filaments, in particular TPU flexible filaments. Because the extruder is closer from the nozzle, it provides a more accurate extrusion and can quickly retract the filament.

In order to this, I use the SpeedDrive v1 from Thingiverse:
SpeedDrive v1 - ORIGINAL DIRECT DRIVE MOUNT
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:381...

I quite like the SpeedDrive design: it is simple and the motor location makes it compatible with most cooling upgrades, Bullseye, Blokhead, HeroMe… Something to take into consideration because the stock cooling on the Ender 3 Pro will quickly show its limits.

If you don’t want to follow the DIY route, you can get a Direct Drive upgrade from Creality for less than 40 USD.

Ender-3 /Ender-3 Pro Direct Drive Extruder, Upgraded Direct Extruding Full Kits with Nozzles:
https://www.creality3dofficial.com/pr...

This is a pretty good deal taken into consideration that it comes complete with the extruder, the hotend, the nozzle, the cables and the fans.
Unfortunately, the position of the motor in the Creality design prevents the installation of a cooling mod therefore I decided to switch to the SpeedDrive design shown in this video.

➡️ Music: "Emotional" from ArtIss /Shutterstock