There are a wide variety of 3D printers on the market with a range of price points, sizes and functions. However, one of the most important components is often overlooked — the extruders that lay down the filament to create the 3D objects. Here, we’ve rounded up some of the best 3D printers extruders on the market.
Read on to find the best extruders for your 3D printer.
Our Editor’s Best 3d Printer Extruders Reviews
Bestseller No. 1
Creality Official 3D Printer Extruder, Upgraded Aluminum Drive Feed Extruders Accessories for 3D Printer 1.75mm Filament Works with Creality CR-10 Series, Ender 5 Series, Ender 3 Series
- ✔️Durable Material -- High quality aluminum alloy material and sandblast to surface oxidization, ensuring this red extruder is last for long term use!
- ✔️New Upgraded Design -- The upgraded red extruder has removed pneumatic joint so as to increase gear density, preventing the joint fracture between pneumatic joint and Teflon tube. What's more, you can adjust the gear pressure of extruder in time by adjusting bolts.
- ✔️Improved Performance -- The optimized extruder with metal extrusion and original hot-end kit pushes the filament into printer nozzle, greatly making the red extruder retain powerful in filament feed-in. And the beveled filament intake can prevent scraping the filament as it is pulled into the feeder.
- ✔️Install Easily -- You just remove the old Creality extruder & screw and then install the new red extruder. All the necessary accessories are included in the package.
- ✔️Wide Compatibility -- Red extruder is suitable for Creality 3d printers accessories: Ender-3 series, Ender-5 series, CR-10S, CR-10, CR-10mini, CR-10 S5, CR-10 S4.
$9.99
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Bestseller No. 2
ELEGOO 3D Printer Extruder for Neptune 3 Pro/3 Plus/3 Max 3D Printer, Fully Assemble Dual-Gear Direct Drive Extruder, ELEGOO Official 3D Printer Accessories
- Fully assembled extruder for Neptune 3 Pro/3 Plus/3 Max ONLY
- All extruders are tested before shipping, so some test filament may remain inside
- ELEGOO Official 3D Printer Accessories
- If you encounter any quality issues, we're always here to help
$39.99
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Bestseller No. 3
Creality Official Ender 3 Extruder Upgrade Metal Drive Feeder 3D Printer Parts for Ender-3 Pro/3S/3 V2/3 Max CR-10/10S Gray Aluminum 1.75mm Filament Extruder
- 【Quality Assurance】100% official all-metal 3D printer extruder. High quality aluminum alloy material and sandblast to surface oxidization, ensuring this gray extruder is last for long term use. Works better than original plastic stock extruder. Original Creality 3D printers accessories for Ender-3/Ender-3 Pro/Ender-3S/Ender-3 V2/Ender-3 Max/CR-10/CR-10S
- 【Work Better】Our 3d printer extruder kits have an adjustable bolt so that you can adjust the pressure of the extruder gear as needed. The extruder drive has better stronger pressure pushing the filament into the printer nozzle and so will improve the printer's performance. 40 Teeth drive gear feeds the 1.75mm filament, compatible with PLA/ABS/Wood/TPU/PTEG
- 【Improved Performance】The optimized extruder with metal extrusion and original hotend kit pushes the filament into the printer nozzle, greatly making the metal extruder retain power in filament feed-in. And the beveled filament intake can prevent scraping the filament as it is pulled into the feeder
- 【Easy To Install】DIY kit and you need to assemble by yourself. The full necessary screws & parts kit for the extruder is included. Referring to instructions or our 5th picture to install, it is very easy and straightforward to switch to this upgraded part on your machine
- 【After Sales Support】More than 20 engineers provide 24/7 customer service with 12-months limited and lifetime technical assistance. Please kindly contact us(seller) via “ask a question” find us directly cause our customer service will respond to you within 24 hours no matter what question
$9.99
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Bestseller No. 4
Aokin Stainless Steel Extruder Wheel Gear 36 Teeth Drive Gear 3D Printer Parts for Creality Ender 3, Ender 3 Pro, Ender 3 V2, Ender 5/5 Pro/5 Plus, CR-10/10S, CR-10 S4, CR-10 S5, 5 Pcs with a Wrench
- Package includes: 5 pcs stainless steel extruder driver gear and a 1.5mm wrench for the set screws
- Material: the 3D printer extruder drive gears are made of premium stainless steel, strong and sturdy, good bearing capacity, easy to use, improving your 3D printer working efficiency
- Size: extruder gear Out Diameter 11mm/0.43inch, Height 11mm/0.43inch, inner diameter 5mm/0.2inch, 36 teeth, Weight 5g. Please confirm whether the product size meets your needs before purchasing
- Compatibility: the drive gear fit for Creality 3D Printers Ender 3, Ender 3 Pro, Ender 3 V2, Ender 5, Ender 5 Pro, Ender 5 Plus, CR-10, CR-10S, CR-10 S4, CR-10 S5, CR-10 Mini, CR-10 Plus, and MK7/MK8 extruder, other most 3D printers
- Aokin 3D printer extruder gear use high-quality raw materials and fine workmanship, if you have any question about our product, please feel free to contact us, we will do our best for you
$6.79
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SaleBestseller No. 5
Upgrade Ender 3 Extruder, Ender 3 V2 Upgrades Metal Extruder Aluminum MK8 Bowden Extruder 40 Teeth Drive Gear for Creality Ender 3 Pro/Ender 5 Pro/Ender 5 Plus/CR-10 Series 3D Printer
- Compatibility: This Upgraded 3d printer accessories is an original upgraded replacement part for Ender 3, Ender 3 Pro, Ender 3 V2, Ender 3 Max, Ender 5, Ender 5 Plus, Ender 5 Pro, CR-10, CR-10 V2, CR-10 Max, CR-10 S4, CR 10, CR-10 S5, CR-10 Mini, CR-10S, CR-10 Plus, CR-X, CR 20, CR 20 Pro. It is also compatible with other 3D printers except the printers using a direct drive setup. No need to change stepper motors or other mounting hardware.
- Last Over Years. Made by high quality aluminum, last much longer your stock plastic or 3D printed extruder feeder drive.
- Work Better. It makes loading the filament easier and smoother, no worries about filament scraping or breaking.
- Fits 1.75mm filament. 40 Teeth drive gear compatible with PLA/ABS/Wood/TPU/PTEG. Please Note: Some printer models like Ender 3 and Edner 3 Pro, their original extrusion gears cannot be removed, so these model printers do not have to change the extrusion screw. Ender 3V2，its extrusion gear can be replaced.
- Easy to Install. This extruder DIY kit comes with an instruction of how to put it together, which makes it more easy to install.
$8.09
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Bestseller No. 6
Upgraded Ender 3 v2 Ender 3 CR-10 All Metal Extruder Aluminum MK8 Bowden Extruder 40 Teeth Drive Gear for Creality Ender 3 Pro/Ender 5/ CR-10 Series 3D Printer
- The gray metal extruder is an original upgrade replacement part for Ender 3, Ender 3 Pro,Ender 5,CR-10, CR-10S, CR-10 S4, CR-10 S5, CR-10 Mini, CR-10S, CR-10 Plus.
- Works better than original plastic stock extruder, make loading filament much easier. Even smoother than the red metal extruder.
- Compatible with PLA/ABS/Wood/TPU/PTEG, 40 Teeth drive gear feeds the 1.75mm filament very smoothy.
- Easy to Install. The extruder diy kit comes with a instruction on how to put it together, which makes it more easy to install.
- 100% brand new. If you have any question, please let us know.
$7.99
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SaleBestseller No. 7
Creality Ender 3 /Pro/V2 3D Printer Assembled Extruder MK8 HotEnd Kit 24V with 0.4mm Nozzle Upgrade with Low Friction Creality-Capricorn Tubing
- It's 100% Creality Original and Creality-Capricorn PTFE Tubing.
- Upgrade with Low Friction Creality-Capricorn Original Teflon Tube 40CM.
- Hotend replacement parts suitable for ender 3, ender-3x, ender-3 pro, Ender 3 V2 3d printer.
- High Lubricity Additives make our XS Series tubing the lowest friction Bowden tubing on the market. Less friction means more responsiveness, less retraction, more accurate prints, less slippage, wear, and tear on the extruder, and less clogging when printing chunky filaments such as some woodfills or ironfills. Lower retraction means time saved every time the extruder retracts. Over the course of a print, a few milliseconds here and a few there add up to a lot of time saved.
- Creality-Capricorn tube is far superior to the white PTFE tubing supplied with most 3D printers. Its much smoother to feed filament through. And when printing it reduces the drag on the extruder giving a much smoother travel and print quality.
$15.29
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SaleBestseller No. 8
Redrex Dual Gear Ender 3 Extruder with Two Washers Metal Drive Feeder Upgrade Kit Compatible with Creality Ender 3 V2 Pro,Ender 3 Neo Series,CR10 3D Printer TPU Filament Supported(Motor Shaft>20mm)
- 【Dual Gear Extrusion Mechanism】:The filament is gripped by the dual drive much more firmly with less deformation, so it doesn't jam as much in the tube, nozzle or hotend.
- 【Upgraded Idler Gear Design】This idler gear is upgraded with two washers on both sides, so the sharp gear will NOT ride against the bottom of the arm or chew it up.
- 【Spring Adjustable Extruder】The extrusion spring tension could be adjusted by tighten the screw,which greatly improves the printing accuracy and feeding issue.
- 【Application】:This all metal dual drive extruder is compatible with Ender 3 V2,Ender 3 Pro,Ender 3,Ender 3 Neo,Ender 3 V2 Neo,Ender 3 Max Neo,Ender 5 Pro,CR10 S series 3D printer.ONLY suit for 3d printers with motor shaft over 20mm,please measure the shaft length before placing the order.
- 【Kindly Reminder】:Please calibrate the E-steps from 100 to 139; Please lubricate the gears before first use;for 3d printers with filament detector,as the height of our dual gear extruder may be different from the original one, please print the model to rise up the filament detector to make them at the same height;for Vyper users,please swap the motor wire sequence to make it turn forward instead of reverse
$11.33
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Bestseller No. 9
FLASHFORGE Adventurer 5M 3D Printer with Fully Auto Leveling, Max 600mm/s High Speed Printing, 280°C Direct Extruder with 3S Detachable Nozzle, Core XY All Metal Structure, Print Size 220x220x220mm
- One-Click Automatic Printing: Experience hassle-free 3D printing with the Adventurer 5M Series. Enjoy automatic bed leveling for flawless first layers, ensuring consistent adhesion and saving time with no manual adjustments required.
- 12X Ultra Fast Printing: Featuring a Core XY structure with 600mm/s travel speed and 20000mm/s² acceleration, the AD5M maximizes efficiency, reduces production cycles, and ensures high precision, making it ideal for rapid prototyping and mass production.
- Smart and Efficient Design: Quick 3-second nozzle changes, a high-flow 32mm³/s nozzle, and fast 35-second warm-up to 200°C deliver stable high-speed printing. Its dual-sided PEI platform and versatile options provide easy removal and adaptability for various creative projects.
- Superior Print Quality and Remote Monitoring: With dual-fan nozzles, vibration compensation, multiple nozzle sizes (0.25-0.8mm), and a 280°C direct extruder, the AD5M ensures top-tier print quality. Use the Flash Maker mobile app for real-time monitoring and intelligent operation, making your printing experience seamless.
- Maintenance and Troubleshooting: For optimal performance, regularly maintain your printer by cleaning the nozzle and platform. If you encounter any issues, please refer to the A+ FAQ section for troubleshooting tips and solutions.
$279.00
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Bestseller No. 10
ELEGOO Neptune 3 Pro FDM 3D Printer with Auto Bed Leveling, Dual-Gear Direct Extruder, Dual Lead Screw Drive, Removable Capacitive Screen, 8.85x8.85x11in Large Printing Size
- OVERVIEW OF NEPTUNE 3 PRO: 225x225x280mm/8.85x8.85x11 inch printing size can meet the needs of most users. With an STM32 motherboard, all axes of ELEGOO Neptune 3 Pro are driven by silent stepper motors for quieter and more precise movement during printing, which reduces the noise as low as 47-48dB. The easy-to-setup printer comes with the main components pre-assembled, as well as a complete tool kit for quick installation
- DUAL-GEAR DIRECT EXTRUDER: The new direct drive extruder is made of SUS303 high-quality stainless steel with a 3:1 reduction ratio and stronger extrusion force for smoother filament feeding and more stable & accurate printing, which greatly reduces nozzle clogging and under-extrusion issues, printing effect is better than Bowden extruder. Compatible with multiple filaments such as PLA, TPU, PETG, and ABS
- NOZZLE KIT FOR BETTER PRINTING: The nozzle kit contains a TC4 titanium alloy throat pipe, an aluminum alloy flat heat sink structure, and a brass nozzle.The widened aluminum heat sink paired with the front close-fitting efficient cooling fan for a better heat dissipation effect and lower the temperature of the throat pipe, thereby reducing the possibility of nozzle clogging
- SMARTER PRINTING EXPERIENCE: Auto bed leveling adopts a high precision sensor to automatically scan 36 (6x6) points of the hotbed and collect data in real-time, and then adjust the Z-axis height to compensate for any irregularities and unevenness of the printing platform(Only applicable to metal printing platforms). The printer will auto-pause when the filament runs out or breaks, and you can resume printing after a power outage
- MORE STABLE PRINTING: The Z-axis with dual synchronized lead screws and dual-motor drive for more stable movement of the print head and higher printing accuracy, avoiding the printing deviation driven by a single Z-axis lead screw motor. The 4-wheel V-guide rail pulley is made of POM with more stable movement, low noise, wear resistance, and longer service life
$249.99
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Best 3d Printer Extruders Buying Guide
Before choosing the best 3D printer extruder you should consider following options:
1. Extrusion Rate: Measured in milliliters/hour, this is the amount of liquid that the extruder can output in one hour. If you need a high volume of extrusion, make sure your printer has a high rate.
2. Temperature Stability: Look for a printer with a stable temperature range, ideally within a .5 degree Celsius range. This ensures that your print will have consistent results.
3. Maximum Extrusion Rate: This is the maximum amount of material the extruder can output in one minute or the “throughput rate,” measured in grams/hour.
4. Maximum Output Temperature: Look for a printer that can output at higher temperatures, up to 240 degrees Celsius. Higher temperatures allow for stronger materials and a wider range of materials to be printed.
5. Extruder Type: The extruder type you select will depend on what you will be printing. There are two main types: extrusion and injection molding.
Extrusion is the most common and uses a screw and barrel system to melt and push the filament through the nozzle. Injection molding uses a pressure system to force the filament through the nozzle.
Depending on your application, you may need one or the other. For general use, extrusion is typically the best option.
What else you should know about 3d printer extruders
1. What is a 3d printer extruder?
A printer extruder is a device that is used to push molten plastic through a small opening in order to create 3D objects.
2. How does a 3d printer extruder work?
A printer extruder is a device that melts and pushes out plastic filament so that it can be deposited in layers to create 3D objects.
3. What are the benefits of using a 3d printer extruder?
Some benefits of using a printer extruder include the ability to print with a wider range of materials, greater precision, and faster printing speeds. Additionally, printer extruders can be used to create custom shapes and designs that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to create with traditional manufacturing methods.
4. What are the limitations of using a 3d printer extruder?
A printer extruder is limited by the size of the printer bed and the type of filament that can be used.
5. How can I improve my 3d printing extruder performance?
There are a few things you can do to improve your printing extruder performance:
1. Make sure that your filament is the correct diameter. If it is too small, it will not be able to extrude properly.
2. Make sure that your nozzle is the correct size. If it is too small, it will not be able to extrude properly.
3. Make sure that your extruder is properly calibrated. If it is not, it will not be able to extrude properly.
4. Make sure that your print bed is level. If it is not, it will not be able to extrude properly.
5. Make sure that your printer is not clogged. If it is, it will not be able to extrude properly.
Conclusion
On the market, there are numerous best 3d printer extruders. Hopefully, the list of the top ten best 3d printer extruders will save you time researching and deciding on the best one for you.