# Assessing Energy Efficiency in Desktop-Size FFF 3D Printers
## 3 Results and Discussion  
Using electrical energy meters, the total energy consumed throughout the FFF technological process was measured from machine startup to shutdown. Detailed results are compiled in Table 2, with all values presented as averages based on four identical manufacturing runs. It is important to note that preparatory time, which includes heating the worktable and extruder nozzle from ambient temperature to operational parameters, varies considerably among machines, with a difference of nearly 7 min between the shortest and longest times. The average production time for a sample, across all machines, was 41.35 min. For easier comparison of the key measurement values, the total energy consumption and manufacturing process time are presented in the chart shown in Figure 2.  
For all tested machines, instantaneous power consumption registered at 0 W when the physical switch was set to the off position, indicating an absence of standby mode \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Device** & **Idle** & **Bed Heating** & **Bed Heating** & **Nozzle** & **Max Energy** & **Process** & **Total Energy** \\  & **[W]** & **Max [W]** & **Min [W]** & **Heating [W]** & **Intake [W]** & **Time [min]** & **Consumption [kwh]** \\ \hline Anet ASM & 8.55 & 184 & 162.5 & 67 & 221.25 & 31 & 0.05625 \\ Creality CR10s PRO & 16.7 & 530.5 & 486.75 & 61.55 & 535 & 37.5 & 0.11675 \\ Creality Ender 3 V1 & 9.025 & 263.25 & 234 & 47.875 & 283.5 & 46.75 & 0.09375 \\ Creality Ender 3 V2 & 6.4 & 249.5 & 214.5 & 54.25 & 300.5 & 47 & 0.091 \\ Creality Ender 3 V3 & 7.7 & 297.75 & 250.25 & 61.75 & 327.25 & 45.5 & 0.09425 \\ FlashForge Creator Pro & 12.675 & 261 & 240 & 54.5 & 288.75 & 34.5 & 0.0595 \\ Prusa 3 MK3 & 17.175 & 238.75 & 212.25 & 67.5 & 277.25 & 41.75 & 0.08175 \\ Raise3D Pro2 & 38.475 & 486 & 475 & 97.25 & 586.5 & 43.25 & 0.18975 \\ Tevo Delta Little Monster & 43.625 & 399.25 & 392.75 & 110 & 403 & 29.25 & 0.1115 \\ VSHAPER PRO & 74.75 & 466.75 & 421.5 & 235 & 469.75 & 41 & 0.14225 \\ Zortrax M200+ & 46.75 & 229 & 217.75 & 85.375 & 236.25 & 49.5 & 0.06875 \\ with filtration & & & & & & & \\ Zortrax M200+ & 40.25 & 223 & 212.75 & 78.5 & 227 & 49.25 & 0.06025 \\ without filtration & & & & & & & \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: Electrical power consumption during manufacturing process. Figure 2: Comparison of total energy consumption (blue bars) and process time (orange curve) for FFF 3D printers. power usage. The physical switch fully disconnects the machine's electrical circuit from the power source. Electrical energy meters also recorded instantaneous energy consumption during distinct FFF process phases. Three phases were identified as having stable energy consumption, excluding the actual manufacturing phase, where fluctuations occur due to motor and heater activity for the axis, worktable, and nozzle. For this study, it was assumed that PLA filament was pre-loaded and sufficient for the entire production without spool changes, so results exclude filament loading time and extruder heating energy during loading. The first phase with stable energy consumption is production preparation, where only control electronics and, in some machines, specific fans are powered. During this brief phase, operators select the gcode file for execution from the control panel, contributing minimally to total energy consumption. However, notable differences were observed across machines, with power ranging from a minimum of 6.4 W to a peak of 74.75 W, which represents the machine's baseline power usage throughout the process. Examining the energy required to maintain electronic systems shows considerable machine-to-machine variability, with some devices consuming between 5% and 56% of the total production energy in standby mode. Thus, some machines could potentially consume up to half of their production energy even while inactive. Table 3 provides the compiled data. The second phase involves heating the worktable, a process demanding the highest power draw.