What is it?

The Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro is the latest (at time of writing) and greatest FDM printer from Elegoo. Naturally it would feature refinements and improvements across the board, and unsurprisingly the 'Pro' designation highlights additional features to improve reliability, quality and usability. For example its newfound ability to work with a wider range of filaments such as flexible materials thanks to its move to direct extrusion as opposed to the previous non-pro models use of a Bowden tube extrusion system.

FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling) printers have been found in domestic homes far longer than other 3D printing technologies such as resin based MSLA (Masked StereoLithogrAphy). As such their price continues to become more affordable and the technology is proven, refined and easy to work with. I cut my teeth on 3D printing with an FDM printer and mostly use them to this day.

For a more detailed technical table please see the end of this review.

New to this model are the integrated LED lights. These are found nestled inside the top gantry. I thought they would be gimmicky - when in fact I'm finding them very useful for illuminating the machine whilst preparing and actually printing the models.

Power switch and kettle lead connections are mounted on the left hand side towards the rear of the machine. The USB and memory card slot is mounted on the front of the machine. I personally think the is a great spot for the memory card slot but I prefer the USB port on the side and failing that the rear. This is because I think it is less prone to damage when the machine is connected to a computer for direct printing. I often set-up a Raspberry Pi running OctoPrint to manage my printers and this prints via USB.

The most visible difference is the use of a direct extruder system on the pro model. Like everything , this comes with pros and cons:

Pros:

• Increased ability to print with flexible filaments.
• Better print quality through constant extrusion control.
• Faster retraction.
• Simpler extrusion path.

Cons:

• Slower print speeds because of heavier print head.
• Reduced print volume depending on design of extruder.
• More elaborate print head design required.

You can see two extrusion setups demonstrated in the comparison photos showing the Bowden setup of the Neptune 3 and Direct Drive used in the newer Neptune 3 Pro.

Unlike most Direct Drive setups though. Elegoo have kept the filament sensor attached to the frame of the machine instead of the print head.

Elegoo have managed to minimise the effect of the 'cons' listed above. For example complexity, size, and weight of the print head was reduced by moving the filament sensor to the top of the machine nearer the spool. (This also provides earlier warning when you're running out of filament).

A simple slight increase in physical height of the machine negates any decrease in available print height. (Roughly 52cm in height vs the 50cm height of the non-pro version).

Though the printer has come from the factory with its belts pre-tensioned there are easily accessible knobs that allow you to adjust the tension if needed. (I did not need to tweak any of the factory set tensions). Similarly there are four control knobs on the underside of the print bed for levelling adjustment when the variance in the surface height is too extreme for the auto levelling feature. These are tucked a little further in but I imagine it is highly unlikely these will need adjusting unless you experience a significant collision.

The power outage recovery feature is very welcome. It is incredibly annoying if you are printing something expected to take many many hours only to find that during the night a power cut meant your project was brought to an abrupt and unexpected halt. The power recovery feature will detect this and offer to re-heat the bed and nozzle before resuming where it was before the power failed. The main drawback of this feature is that it only work when at least 10mm of the print has already been completed - I assume this helps ensure the print it continues with is unlikely to have warped whilst cooling.

Shipping and Packing

I have had plenty of packages from Elegoo over the years and despite some arriving with their outer boxes pierced during shipping I'm yet to experience any damage to the products inside. This is a testament to their generously padded and well thought out containers. This one is no different. The parts inside are spread over two levels and everything is easily removed.

In comparison one of the pieces of the Original Neptune 3 printer was enclosed over two levels of foam making for a trickier than expected extraction of that part. No such hurdles this time.

This is the box unpacked.  Although some assembly is required, the contents offer up a pleasing peek at how quick assembly is going to be. (Spoiler Alert: it is extremely simple 🙂 ).

What else is included?

There are plenty of accessories included. More than enough to kit you out if this is your first FDM 3D printer, plenty of spare parts and all the tools you would need to repair and maintain your new machine.

• Print removal spatular
• Spanners for changing nozzle
• Two spare brass nozzles
• Acupuncture Needle (to clear blockages)

• Screwdrivers (Philips and flat head)
• Selection of Allen Keys
• Micro SD / TF Card
• USB Memory Card Reader
• PTFE Tube (Spare)

• Snips
• USB Cable
• Sample of PLA Filament
• Cable Ties
• Bolts for assembly

Assembly

This is a very simple process. The 3D printer is supplied in two halves. These are bolted together using four bolts from the underside.

The accessories need attaching next which includes the magnetic screen mount, extruder cable clip, spool holder and filament sensor.

Electronics

All the wiring for the various motors and sensors have already been thoughtfully routed around the machine and present themselves ready for connection alongside the correct component.



To help ensure the correct cable goes to the correct part each one is labelled and differently sized connectors are used. I didn't need to consult the instructions save for ensuring I had not overlooked any.

Elegoo have also included  a handy video guide of the assembly procedure which you will find included on the memory stick include with your new printer. Thanks Elegoo. 😊

First Print

Loading the Filament

The process of loading the filament has been improved on the Neptune 3 Pro. I was not terribly keen on the process of feeding the filament though the filament detector, robbed gears, Bowden tube, and finally extruder for the earlier model. On this Pro integration its a case of passing the filament effortlessly though the detector at the top of the gantry, pressing the comfortable lever on the top of the print head before inserting the filament a few cm's and then releasing.

All that is left to do is to heat the nozzle using the touchscreen (Elegoo provides a handy set of presets for common materials) and pressing load.

Printing the included Sample Model

Click on either of the photos of the sample print to view a larger size and judge the quality for yourself. I am very impressed. It was printed at a 0.15mm layer height. No lifting or warping of the base occurred and extrusion appears to be consistent. Their is a fleck of red partially though the print but this is the filament used in the factory when testing which was not fully purged when changing the filament colour to the one I was using.

Don't forget to click on any image to open a higher resolution copy to inspect for yourself.

Well I have to say I am mightily impressed by the results. Stringing was kept to a minimum. All five of the cylinders printed to test negative objects tolerances were removable. The 0.2mm one took a little persuasion with a wiggle but it did come out. The bridges look marvellous and the overhangs as clean as you could hope at the angles tested. Well done Elegoo, it may have taken 5hrs 14mins to print but it printed it very well indeed.

Software

Elegoo have customised a copy of Cura to be used as a Slicer for preparing your prints to be printed. If you're not familiar with Slicing Software then it's the middle stage which takes your computerised 3D models and 'Slices' it into individual layers, usually 0.15mm or 0.2mm in height. Each one of these layers is then prepared as a series of paths for the printer to follow before it raises its print head for the next layer.

The software can have as much an impact on print quality as the hardware itself. They go hand in hand. For example it's the Slicers responsibility to calculate support structures if required and deal with the acceleration and deceleration of the print head in order to balance the need for a desirable print speed without introducing print artefacts into the finished model.

The version of customised Cura included on the memory card of my test machine was 4.8. Cura is currently on version 5.2.1 and as such it prompted me to update. I obliged only to realise that the latest version of Cura did not contain the printer profiles for many of Elegoos latest printers including the Neptune 3 Pro. Perhaps they will include it in the future, but for now it means we cannot take advantage of the advancements in Slicing Software past version 4.8.

I'm impressed with the Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro. If I had to give a single sentence high level summary it would be that it creates great quality prints at a steady, but not fast, pace.

The addition of LEDs turned out to be more welcome than I had expected, illuminating the machine and print to allow for a clearer view of what's happening. The Direct Drive Extrusion system is similar to that on my Prusa i3 Mk3s and it's caused me very few problems there and I don't expect it to cause problems on the Neptune.

Where to buy:

Where to buy:

• Amazon: Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro
• Elegoo direct: Link to follow when available