The Elegoo Centauri Carbon 3D Printer is one of my favorite options if you’re looking for a fast, enclosed CoreXY printer without spending a ton of money.
I’ve used a lot of 3D printers, and what I like about the Centauri Carbon is that it’s pretty simple. You don’t need to be an expert to get good prints out of it, but you still get a lot of the features you’d expect from more expensive machines.
Centauri Carbon Specs
The Centauri Carbon has a 256 x 256 x 256mm build volume, which gives you plenty of room for most projects.
It’s a CoreXY machine capable of speeds up to 500mm/s, has automatic calibration, a built-in camera, Wi-Fi, and a fully enclosed chamber. The hotend can reach 320°C, while the heated bed reaches 110°C.
That enclosure and high-temperature hotend also make it a good option if you want to go beyond basic PLA and print materials like PETG, ABS, ASA, and carbon-fiber-filled filaments.
Is the Centauri Carbon Beginner Friendly?
Absolutely.
This is one of those printers where you can pretty much take it out of the box, run the automatic calibration, load filament, and start printing.
The automatic bed leveling and calibration take care of a lot of the stuff that made older 3D printers frustrating for beginners.
Centauri Carbon Print Quality
I’ve been really happy with the print quality.
Honestly, most modern 3D printers I’ve tested can produce really good-looking prints now, and the Centauri Carbon is right there with them. It’s fast, consistent, and I haven’t felt like I’m sacrificing print quality just because it’s a cheaper machine.
What I Don’t Like
The Centauri Carbon isn’t perfect.
The built-in camera and lighting aren’t amazing, and it doesn’t have an actively heated chamber. The enclosure itself does help maintain warmer temperatures, though, which makes printing ABS and other higher-temperature materials much easier than on an open printer. Independent testing has also found the enclosure capable of getting into the low 40°C range without an active heater.
It’s also worth remembering that this is the original Centauri Carbon, so make sure accessories and replacement parts you’re buying aren’t designed specifically for the newer Centauri Carbon 2.
Is the Elegoo Centauri Carbon Worth It?
I think so.
If you want a fast enclosed CoreXY 3D printer with automatic calibration, a good-sized build area, and the ability to print more advanced materials, the Elegoo Centauri Carbon gives you a lot for the money.
It’s also becoming a really fun printer to modify. There are tons of Centauri Carbon upgrades, door hinges, build plate holders, dust covers, hotend mods, dry boxes, and other accessories available now.
Overall, I’d have no problem recommending the Elegoo Centauri Carbon 3D Printer, especially if you want something that’s easy enough for a beginner but still gives you room to experiment with more advanced 3D printing later on.
More Threads on this Printer:
Best Centauri Carbon Build Plate Holder: If you have a few extra build plates for your Elegoo Centauri Carbon, one of the easiest upgrades you can print is a Centauri Carbon build plate holder.
Best Centauri Carbon Door Hinge – TESTED! If you’re looking for the best Centauri Carbon door hinge upgrade, I’d go with the 270-degree hinge mod. It’s a simple 3D printed upgrade, but it fixes one of the more annoying things about the stock Centauri Carbon door.
Best Centauri Carbon Dust Cover I’ve FOUND. If you’re looking for a Centauri Carbon dust cover, I think buying a full cover is one of the easiest options. It keeps dust, pet hair, and other junk from building up on your printer when you’re not using it.
Centauri Carbon Abnormal Z Axis Motor: How to Fix It. If your Elegoo Centauri Carbon says “abnormal Z axis motor”, don’t immediately assume the Z-axis motor is dead. This error normally shows up when the printer has trouble homing the Z axis or moving the bed correctly.
Centauri Carbon ABS: Can You Print ABS? If you’re wondering whether the Elegoo Centauri Carbon can print ABS, the answer is absolutely yes. In fact, this is one of the reasons an enclosed printer like the Centauri Carbon makes so much sense.
Centauri Carbon ASA Printing: Settings & Tips. If you’re looking into Centauri Carbon ASA printing, this is actually a really good printer for it. The Centauri Carbon is fully enclosed, has a hotend that reaches 320°C, and Elegoo officially lists ASA as a supported material.
Centauri Carbon Bambu Hotend Mod. One of the coolest Elegoo Centauri Carbon mods I’ve come across is converting the printer to use Bambu-style hotends. There are now community-made adapters that let you use Bambu H2D/A1 quick-swap hotends on the Centauri Carbon.
Centauri Carbon Belt Tension: How to Adjust the Belts. If you’re wondering how to adjust the Centauri Carbon belt tension, it’s actually pretty simple. The Elegoo Centauri Carbon uses semi-automatic spring-loaded belt tensioners, so you don’t manually crank down on the belts like you would on some older 3D printers.
Centauri Carbon Chamber Heater: Does It Have One? If you’re looking for a Centauri Carbon chamber heater, there’s one important thing to know: the original Elegoo Centauri Carbon is enclosed, but it doesn’t have an active chamber heater.
Centauri Carbon Downgrade Firmware. If you updated your Elegoo Centauri Carbon and suddenly started having problems, you can downgrade the Centauri Carbon firmware to an older version.
Centauri Carbon Dry Box – Need to Know! If you’re looking for a Centauri Carbon dry box, there are some really cool options you can actually 3D print yourself. A dry box lets you keep the filament protected from moisture while still feeding it directly into the printer.
Centauri Carbon Error 103: How to Fix It. If you’re getting Centauri Carbon Error 103, it usually means the printhead isn’t heating up or maintaining temperature like the printer expects.
Centauri Carbon Error 502: How to Fix It. If you’re getting Centauri Carbon Error 502, it means the printer is having trouble collecting data from the bed leveling sensors. In simple terms, something isn’t looking right while the printer is trying to level the bed.
Centauri Carbon Nozzle Swap: How to Change the Nozzle. Doing a Centauri Carbon nozzle swap is actually pretty simple. Whether your nozzle is clogged, worn out, or you just want to try a different size, the Elegoo Centauri Carbon makes swapping nozzles pretty easy.
Elegoo Centauri Carbon vs Bambu Lab P1S: Which Should You Buy? If you’re comparing the Elegoo Centauri Carbon vs Bambu Lab P1S, you’re looking at two 3D printers that are actually a lot more similar than you might think.
Centauri Carbon Exhaust Duct – Best 3D Printed Ventilation Options – If you’re looking for a Centauri Carbon exhaust duct, the nice thing is you don’t really need to design anything yourself. There are already several printable exhaust adapters and complete ventilation systems made specifically for the Elegoo Centauri Carbon.
Centauri Carbon Filament Stuck in Extruder – Easy Fixes to Try – If you have filament stuck in the extruder on your Elegoo Centauri Carbon, don’t panic and start pulling everything apart right away. This can happen from a bad unload, broken filament, a clog near the hotend etc.
Centauri Carbon Filament Broke in Tube – How to Get It Out – If your Centauri Carbon filament broke in the tube, this is usually a pretty easy problem to fix. Filament can occasionally snap inside the PTFE tube while loading or unloading, especially if you’re dealing with older or brittle filament.
Centauri Carbon Filament Not Loading – Fix Issue. If your Centauri Carbon filament is not loading, there are a few things I’d check before assuming something is wrong with the printer. Most of the time, the problem is somewhere along the filament path, and it can be something as simple as the filament not reaching the extruder correctly.
Centauri Carbon Grinding Noise – What’s Causing It – If your Elegoo Centauri Carbon is making a grinding noise, I wouldn’t immediately assume something is seriously wrong with the printer. The Centauri Carbon has several moving parts that can create grinding, clicking, rubbing, or vibrating sounds
Centauri Carbon Gearbox – Replacement Extruder Gear. If you’re looking for a Centauri Carbon gearbox, there’s a good chance you’re dealing with filament slipping, clicking, grinding, or simply not feeding correctly through the extruder.
Centauri Carbon Hotend Replacement – Easy Replacement & Upgrade. If you’re looking for a Centauri Carbon hotend, whether you need to replace a clogged or damaged one or you simply want to keep a spare around, replacement hotends are pretty easy to find now.
Actual Hardened Nozzle for Centauri Carbon – What to Buy – It uses a nozzle design with a brass body and hardened steel tip, giving you the heat transfer benefits of brass while making the part that contacts the filament much more wear resistant.
Anyone Add a HEPA Filter to the Centauri Carbon? Here’s an Easy Option. One thing I’ve been looking into with the Centauri Carbon is adding a little better filtration. The printer already has an enclosed design, but if you’re running this thing inside your house.
What Ironing Settings Are You Using on the Centauri Carbon? Ironing is one of those settings on the Centauri Carbon that can make the top of a print look way better, but it can also make things worse if you get too aggressive with it.
Do You Need to Mess With Input Shaping on the Centauri Carbon? Input shaping is one of those 3D printing terms that sounds way more complicated than it really is. On the Centauri Carbon, it’s basically there to compensate for vibrations created when the printhead is flying around at high speeds.
Is the Centauri Carbon Ironing Test Actually Worth Doing? Basically, ironing makes the nozzle go back over the finished top layer and push out a very small amount of filament. It’s almost like the printer is smoothing over the top of the print one last time.
Why Did My Centauri Carbon Just Stop in the Middle of a Print? There’s nothing more annoying than checking on a print that’s been running for hours and realizing your Centauri Carbon just stopped mid print.
Why Does My Centauri Carbon Keep Pausing During Prints? Having the Centauri Carbon keep pausing in the middle of a print can be really confusing because sometimes nothing actually looks wrong.
Anyone Else Have Their Centauri Carbon Randomly Freeze? Nothing makes you trust a printer less than walking over to your Centauri Carbon and realizing the whole thing is just frozen. Maybe the screen isn’t responding, the printhead stopped moving, or it simply seems like the printer decided it was done for the day.