The Ender 5 Plus is one of the successors to the famed and reliable Ender 5 and Ender 5 Pro. Boasting a larger build volume of 350 x 350 x 400 mm and priced at around £500, it’s not surprising it’s become a community favourite.
With this popularity, many people have discovered issues and designed improvements for the Ender 5 Plus. We’ve divided our picks of the most useful upgrades and modifications into bought and printed ones. Let’s take a look!
The following are all upgrades and modifications that you’ll need to purchase, ranging from simple and cheap to a bit more involved. Either way, a little money can go a long way to improving your Ender 5 Plus.
MOTHERBOARD
One of the main complaints with the Ender 5 Plus is that the stepper motor drivers on the stock mainboard are loud. If you want a quieter experience, you can upgrade to this drop-in replacement from BigTreeTech.
On the BIGTREETECH SKR 1.4 Turbo Mainboard, the stepper motor drivers are swappable, enabling you to easily and cheaply upgrade when new ones are released, rather than needing to replace the entire board. This is something you cannot do on Creality’s “Silent” Board.
This board also has a multitude of features including a dual Z-axis interface, a 32-bit controller, and an RGB light bar header.
What does it improve? Makes the Ender 5 Plus quieter + offers an increased feature set
How much does it cost? £30 - £40
ALL METAL EXTRUDER UPGRADE
The plastic extruder housing that comes with Creality printers is well known for wearing out fairly quickly. The filament tends to rub against the entry hole in the feeder arm, eroding away at the plastic and increasing drag. This issue has caused metal feeder extruders to become a standard upgrade on any Creality printer, the Ender 5 Plus included.
These all metal extruder upgrades are more durable and robust, reducing the drag on the filament and stopping the filament from eroding away at the feeder arm on the extruder. They are also relatively cheap, which makes this an easy modification to opt for.
When removing the old extruder, make sure you have a good grip on the stepper motor. The screws that you need to undo are the only thing holding the stepper motor in place, so make sure you’re supporting it, otherwise, it’s likely fall and damage itself or other parts of your printer. The Tomb of 3D Printed Horrors channel on YouTube has a great tutorial on how to do this on Creality machines.
What does it improve? Stops the filament from wearing away at the feeder arm, reduces resistance on the filament, improves the extruder’s rigidity
How much does it cost? - £15 - £20
CAPRICORN TUBING
The Bowden tubing on a Creality Ender 5 Plus can be a bit too large for the filament. This can cause it to bend on itself and jam in some cases, especially with more flexible filaments.
Capricorn XS tubing has a more accurate internal diameter than the stock tubing, which creates a more constrained path for the filament. It’s also non-stick, which decreases the likelihood of jams. Due to its low cost, much like the metal extruder upgrade, it’s become a standard recommendation for Ender 5 Plus owners.
What does it improve? Reduces the likelihood of filament jams, creates a more constrained filament path
How much does it cost? Prices start from £14.99
ENCLOSURES
Most printers have an open design, including the Ender 5 Plus, which can limit your options of materials to print with. The issue with an open design is that the ambient temperature around the print can be quite low. While this is fine when printing in PLA, PETG, and TPU, materials such as nylon, ABS, and ASA like having higher temperatures. This is where Creality’s enclosure comes in.
Their 3D printer enclosure traps heat inside, slows dust from accumulating on your printer, and acts as a sound damper. Additionally, this enclosure is made up of fire retardant material, which, in the event of your printer catching fire, won’t ignite and should stop the fire from spreading.
What does it improve? Ability to print with materials that require a higher ambient temperature, prevent a printer fire from spreading
How much does it cost? £100 - £120
HARDENED STEEL NOZZLES
The nozzle is the part that the filament is extruded through to be deposited onto the build plate. The nozzle included on the Ender 5 Plus is a cheap brass one, which is worthwhile to replace. Not only can this improve the quality of your prints, you can also up the number of materials you can print with.
Check out our wide range of nozzles to figure out which is best for you. For the Ender 5 Plus, you’ll need an MK8 nozzle if you stay with the stock hot end.
What does it improve? Can help print quality, allows you to print with more abrasive materials
How much does it cost? Varies
TEMPERED GLASS BUILD PLATE
Creality sells a tempered glass build plate made for the Ender 5 Plus. This build plate is specifically for printing higher temperature materials such as ABS, which also require better adhesion to print well. The glass build plate is easy to install, only needing four clips to hold it in place.
There are two main benefits to this tempered glass build surface: better adhesion and resistance to warping. Creality has a specific texture and coating on the glass surface, which provides a better grip for print material to grab onto (compared to the smooth PEI sheets). Having a tempered glass build plate ensures that the print surface is flat, thereby reducing the issues you are likely to encounter.
As an added bonus, it’s easy to clean: You can use isopropyl alcohol or wash it with warm water and soap for bigger messes.
What does it improve? Adhesion, and it’s flatter than most build surfaces, which reduces printing difficulties
On the BIGTREETECH SKR 1.4 Turbo Mainboard, the stepper motor drivers are swappable, enabling you to easily and cheaply upgrade when new ones are released, rather than needing to replace the entire board. This is something you cannot do on Creality’s “Silent” Board.
This board also has a multitude of features including a dual Z-axis interface, a 32-bit controller, and an RGB light bar header.
What does it improve? Makes the Ender 5 Plus quieter + offers an increased feature set
How much does it cost? £30 - £40
ALL METAL EXTRUDER UPGRADE
The plastic extruder housing that comes with Creality printers is well known for wearing out fairly quickly. The filament tends to rub against the entry hole in the feeder arm, eroding away at the plastic and increasing drag. This issue has caused metal feeder extruders to become a standard upgrade on any Creality printer, the Ender 5 Plus included.
These all metal extruder upgrades are more durable and robust, reducing the drag on the filament and stopping the filament from eroding away at the feeder arm on the extruder. They are also relatively cheap, which makes this an easy modification to opt for.
When removing the old extruder, make sure you have a good grip on the stepper motor. The screws that you need to undo are the only thing holding the stepper motor in place, so make sure you’re supporting it, otherwise, it’s likely fall and damage itself or other parts of your printer. The Tomb of 3D Printed Horrors channel on YouTube has a great tutorial on how to do this on Creality machines.
What does it improve? Stops the filament from wearing away at the feeder arm, reduces resistance on the filament, improves the extruder’s rigidity
How much does it cost? - £15 - £20
CAPRICORN TUBING
The Bowden tubing on a Creality Ender 5 Plus can be a bit too large for the filament. This can cause it to bend on itself and jam in some cases, especially with more flexible filaments.
Capricorn XS tubing has a more accurate internal diameter than the stock tubing, which creates a more constrained path for the filament. It’s also non-stick, which decreases the likelihood of jams. Due to its low cost, much like the metal extruder upgrade, it’s become a standard recommendation for Ender 5 Plus owners.
What does it improve? Reduces the likelihood of filament jams, creates a more constrained filament path
How much does it cost? Prices start from £14.99
ENCLOSURES
Most printers have an open design, including the Ender 5 Plus, which can limit your options of materials to print with. The issue with an open design is that the ambient temperature around the print can be quite low. While this is fine when printing in PLA, PETG, and TPU, materials such as nylon, ABS, and ASA like having higher temperatures. This is where Creality’s enclosure comes in.
Their 3D printer enclosure traps heat inside, slows dust from accumulating on your printer, and acts as a sound damper. Additionally, this enclosure is made up of fire retardant material, which, in the event of your printer catching fire, won’t ignite and should stop the fire from spreading.
What does it improve? Ability to print with materials that require a higher ambient temperature, prevent a printer fire from spreading
How much does it cost? £100 - £120
HARDENED STEEL NOZZLES
The nozzle is the part that the filament is extruded through to be deposited onto the build plate. The nozzle included on the Ender 5 Plus is a cheap brass one, which is worthwhile to replace. Not only can this improve the quality of your prints, you can also up the number of materials you can print with.
Check out our wide range of nozzles to figure out which is best for you. For the Ender 5 Plus, you’ll need an MK8 nozzle if you stay with the stock hot end.
What does it improve? Can help print quality, allows you to print with more abrasive materials
How much does it cost? Varies
TEMPERED GLASS BUILD PLATE
Creality sells a tempered glass build plate made for the Ender 5 Plus. This build plate is specifically for printing higher temperature materials such as ABS, which also require better adhesion to print well. The glass build plate is easy to install, only needing four clips to hold it in place.
There are two main benefits to this tempered glass build surface: better adhesion and resistance to warping. Creality has a specific texture and coating on the glass surface, which provides a better grip for print material to grab onto (compared to the smooth PEI sheets). Having a tempered glass build plate ensures that the print surface is flat, thereby reducing the issues you are likely to encounter.
As an added bonus, it’s easy to clean: You can use isopropyl alcohol or wash it with warm water and soap for bigger messes.
What does it improve? Adhesion, and it’s flatter than most build surfaces, which reduces printing difficulties
PRINTABLE UPGRADES:
Now that you know all the best upgrades to go and get, check out these ones that can be added with the capabilities of your own printer.
HOTEND COOLING SHROUD:
Having good airflow and cooling is instrumental for successful 3D printing. On the Ender 5 Plus, the stock cooling shrouds design doesn’t direct the air very well around the nozzle or onto what you are printing. This can increase stringing and stop the plastic from being able to retain its shape.
To resolve this, a Thingiverse user designed a replacement shroud that directs the air to better cool the print material. This mod does not require any additional hardware or tools to install.
What does it improve? Part cooling and airflow around the nozzle
What does it cost? Nothing, you just need the filament
Who designed it? fpikus
Where to get it? Thingiverse
COMPREHENSIVE COOLING SYSTEM:
If the hot end cooling shroud upgrade (above) isn’t or doesn’t seem sufficient for you, then you should check out this impressive “Hero Me Gen5” cooling system by Thingiverse user mediaman. It offers cooling from both sides of the nozzle, along with compatibility with a variety of ABL sensors and hot ends.
As a bonus, you can mix and match components to suit anything from a stock Ender 5 Plus to a fully modified one. The Hero Me Gen5 does require a few extra screws and nuts, depending on your configuration. As one of the most versatile and compatible cooling systems around, it’s definitely worth it.
What does it improve? Part cooling to increase print quality, can help you print at faster speeds
How much does it cost? ~£5 for hardware
Who designed it? mediaman
Where to get it? Thingiverse
DIRECT DRIVE:
The extruder on the Creality Ender 5 Plus is a Bowden setup, which can mean stringing is a problem, and can make printing parts with filaments like TPU difficult. You can upgrade to a direct drive extruder to overcome this, but that usually means buying completely new components. Thankfully, Thingiverse user paydayxray has created one that uses only one extra non-printed part: a 400-mm stepper motor extension cable.
What does it improve? Reduces stringing, improves performance with flexible filaments like TPU
How much does it cost? ~£10
Who designed it? paydayxray
Where to get it? Thingiverse
PRINT BED CABLE RELIEF:
A heated bed is one of the key components of a 3D printer, as almost all materials require one to print successfully or achieve the best results. One of the issues with a heated bed is that the cables are frequently not supported, which causes the connections to break over time. Unfortunately, this is an issue present in the Ender 5 Plus.
Fear not, as a Thingiverse user has created a bracket that supports the cable of the heated bed. You do need some additional nuts and screws to install this, but they’ll cost less than $5, which is a steal compared to the cost of fixing a heated bed.
What does it improve? Reduces strain on heated bed cable, stops it from breaking
How much does it cost? ~£5 for hardware
Who designed it? BGDog
Where to get it? Thingiverse
Now that you know all the best upgrades to go and get, check out these ones that can be added with the capabilities of your own printer.
HOTEND COOLING SHROUD:
Having good airflow and cooling is instrumental for successful 3D printing. On the Ender 5 Plus, the stock cooling shrouds design doesn’t direct the air very well around the nozzle or onto what you are printing. This can increase stringing and stop the plastic from being able to retain its shape.
To resolve this, a Thingiverse user designed a replacement shroud that directs the air to better cool the print material. This mod does not require any additional hardware or tools to install.
What does it improve? Part cooling and airflow around the nozzle
What does it cost? Nothing, you just need the filament
Who designed it? fpikus
Where to get it? Thingiverse
COMPREHENSIVE COOLING SYSTEM:
If the hot end cooling shroud upgrade (above) isn’t or doesn’t seem sufficient for you, then you should check out this impressive “Hero Me Gen5” cooling system by Thingiverse user mediaman. It offers cooling from both sides of the nozzle, along with compatibility with a variety of ABL sensors and hot ends.
As a bonus, you can mix and match components to suit anything from a stock Ender 5 Plus to a fully modified one. The Hero Me Gen5 does require a few extra screws and nuts, depending on your configuration. As one of the most versatile and compatible cooling systems around, it’s definitely worth it.
What does it improve? Part cooling to increase print quality, can help you print at faster speeds
How much does it cost? ~£5 for hardware
Who designed it? mediaman
Where to get it? Thingiverse
DIRECT DRIVE:
The extruder on the Creality Ender 5 Plus is a Bowden setup, which can mean stringing is a problem, and can make printing parts with filaments like TPU difficult. You can upgrade to a direct drive extruder to overcome this, but that usually means buying completely new components. Thankfully, Thingiverse user paydayxray has created one that uses only one extra non-printed part: a 400-mm stepper motor extension cable.
What does it improve? Reduces stringing, improves performance with flexible filaments like TPU
How much does it cost? ~£10
Who designed it? paydayxray
Where to get it? Thingiverse
PRINT BED CABLE RELIEF:
A heated bed is one of the key components of a 3D printer, as almost all materials require one to print successfully or achieve the best results. One of the issues with a heated bed is that the cables are frequently not supported, which causes the connections to break over time. Unfortunately, this is an issue present in the Ender 5 Plus.
Fear not, as a Thingiverse user has created a bracket that supports the cable of the heated bed. You do need some additional nuts and screws to install this, but they’ll cost less than $5, which is a steal compared to the cost of fixing a heated bed.
What does it improve? Reduces strain on heated bed cable, stops it from breaking
How much does it cost? ~£5 for hardware
Who designed it? BGDog
Where to get it? Thingiverse
