Creality Ender 3 V3 KE/SE 10mm Rod Upgrade, Improve Bed Mesh, Fix Slanted Gantry, Unstable Print Bed

In this video we are going to fix some of the common issues of the Creality Ender 3 V3 KE and SE models leading to a poor bed mesh and inconsistent nozzle offset. In a few simple steps we can vastly improve our bed mesh leading to much better prints. I will be demonstrating on the KE model but the two machines are similar in many regards. I also demonstrate the installation of the 10mm rod modification that you can find here:
► embracemaking.com/products/cr...
The most common of these issues is the slanted gantry which causes a tilted mesh along the x axis. Levelling the gantry is a simple process and I will walk you through the steps in this video. It is also typical of the print bed itself to come loose over time due to the vibrations during printing. So it is good practice to occasionally check the tightness of the screws holding the print bed to the y axis carriage.
The next most common issue with the KE models (perhaps not the SE) is the crooked hot end. From the factory, many of these printers come with the hot end installed slanted to one side. I will take you through the simple process of fixing this issue by partially disassembling the print head.
I've seen many reports of KE and SE users with unstable print beds due to poor rod and bearing clearances or possibly premature wear. To address this, I've designed a 10mm rod and bearing upgrade.
I found that this also further improved my bed mesh - I speculate some of my KE printers have slightly bent 8mm rods that may be pitching the print bed near the ends of it's travel, leading to a very sloped bed mesh. It is difficult to say this is the cause for certain, however, with the addition of the 10mm rod upgrade the bed mesh improved significantly and it eliminated the slope.
I demonstrate a single layer print across the entire print bed that shows excellent uniformity after all of the fixes and upgrades. I also show several taller prints to show the print bed stability after the 10mm rod and bearing upgrade.
I hope that you find this video useful in diagnosing and fixing some of your Creality Ender 3 V3 KE and SE issues. If you enjoyed the video, please take a moment to visit my website as I have other upgrades available that are compatible with the KE and SE models
Universal Top Mount Spool Stand
► embracemaking.com/products/un...
Creality Ender 3 double sided (smooth / texture) PEI flex plates:
► embracemaking.com/collections...
Super Deluxe Spool Holder
► embracemaking.com/products/su...
Spool Stand X:
► embracemaking.com/products/sp...
I hope to provide you with insight into the pros and cons of using the Creality Ender 3 V3 KE. If you are considering purchasing this equipment please consider supporting the sponsor of this video @Creality3D (As an Amazon associate I may earn a small commission at NO extra cost to you)
Creality Official Store (Creality KE)
► shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=244604...
Creality Amazon Store (Creality KE)
► amzn.to/49qxZJC
Creality Amazon Store (HYPER PLA Filament)
► amzn.to/3M8zrXc
If you are new to 3D printing remember to have realistic expectations of the learning curve involved with the hobby. This machine works decent out of the box but if you happen to run into issues you will likely get frustrated at first. Take a deep breath, stick with it and don't give up! It doesn't matter if you have a Creality, Bambu Labs, or any other popular high speed printer of this era, eventually you will need to do some troubleshooting.
A few other cool tools and things for 3D printer enthusiasts. (As an Amazon associate I may earn a small commission at NO extra cost to you)
Polymaker PolyTerra PLA (One of my favorite filaments):
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eSUN PLA+ (Another one of my favorite filaments):
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Amazon Basics AAA Batteries (shown in the battery adapter)
► amzn.to/4bKqVcp
Electric Screwdriver (shown while working on the printer):
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Thank you for watching!
#creality #ender3v3ke #crealityender3
0:00 Intro
1:45 Fix Common Issues
7:01 10mm Rod Mod
15:08 First Layer Test
16:29 More Prints
20:06 Final Thoughts
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► / embracemaking

[@802Garage]

Mike from NeedItMakeIt has also been developing mods for the Ender 3 V3 KE to try to fix its various short falls. After figuring out there was awful bed shake at the corners of the print bed, ruining quality, he made a pretty solid rod and bed mounting upgrade too. There were big issues with the alignment of the rods and how loose the bearings were on them. He has other fixes and upgrades to help with quality as well. However, the extruder still has fundamental flaws leading to quality issues. Creality really needs to get back to basics and make better printers if they don't want to be constantly ridiculed.

[@christopherismcaceas4868]

Hi. Nice mod. I didn't like linear rail upgrade as well. Yours is very easy to upgrade. Only thing I would do different, I would use grub screws to fix the rods in place(in front). Also silicone spacers instead of original plastic spacers. Spacers upgrade is huge for the mesh because you can tighten the screw as you need, they don't bottom out so you can fine tune and calibration holds longer. Again nice mod. Thank's

[@EmbraceMaking]

It's a good idea - I should be able to source those for the future!

[@dmax9324]

I can't believe that Creality continues to release a bunch of printers with clear issues just to save a few dollars for the consumer, but it leads to needed mods and consumer tinkering time. Some of these issues should just not be present on a budget printer anymore period. It's not designed for tinkerers, it's just cash grabbing.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Yes there are some simple quality checks that could have been done to prevent the majority of these issues and they could still offer the machine at the same low price. I think on these cheaper units they just get them out the door sadly. On the newer V3 core xz it seems much better put together.

[@oneanother1]

Why would you go from a solid aluminum frame to a hallow plastic base frame and weak z gantry, and people are buying them up like they are next lvl. Creality cutting too many corners, and have abandoned making good 3d printers.

[@kitchenbriks3685]

I can’t believe people still buy ender 3s or really any creality printers 😂

[@harrycee656]

Why doesn't Creality use jigs and alignment checks. It makes me question spending 1500usd with them when BL is out there. I think BL is good for making Creality to step up since the gap between Creality and Prusa was big. Now there is BL capturing the lower end of Prusa and the upper end of Creality.

[@EmbraceMaking]

For sure - I have an A1 that I am working on reviewing right now - I'm very impressed. Creality's higher end models seem like they do a much better job now than they used to. My K1C has been excellent and my K1 Max has also been very good. I have four Ender 3 V3 core xz and those have been really good too. The lower end models... hit and miss with the quality control.

[@stevejacoby9236]

My V3 KE doesn't have the two screws in the front. Does your 10mm rod kit take that into account?

[@EmbraceMaking]

Interesting, are there holes for the screws and they're just not installed? Send me an email through my website: embracemaking.com/pages/contact and we can figure it out, I'd love to see some pictures.

[@stevejacoby9236]

@@EmbraceMakingI sent you an email and I can send pictures. There are no holes whatsoever in that spot.

[@FinnRenard]

Yet another Ender 3 iteration. They fix 1 thing and new problems arise. At this price there are plenty of better options.

[@EmbraceMaking]

Yes on this machine there are still issues that need resolving that some QC could have fixed - the price is attractive but it's still a hobbyist machine that needs attention in some areas. I'm hoping that newer machines aren't shipping like this but I'm not holding my breath... the V3 core xz seems like they paid a lot closer attention to the quality though.

[@davidwilson4190]

​At$ 229 from Microcenter... I considered it a pretty good deal but if I throw much more money at it then I could have bought myself a flashforge 5m... it does pretty well for a bed slinger My 5 m. that I also own out does it and quality every time and speed ​@@EmbraceMaking

[@Ki-lr6ub]

What a lot of people in these comments aren't realizing is the V3 KE still prints just fine out of the box for the majority of people, at high speeds. All of this modding, while beneficial to people who want to tinker, is just chasing the dragon for moderately better prints. These can be had for $180-$200, what do you expect?

[@user-zt8iq3xs1i]

666 view!?

[@EmbraceMaking]

Thank you for breaking the curse!

[@FelipeGonzalezHerrera]

A better option would be to STOP BUYING CRUELITY PRINTERS! Not even their flagship printers comes without problems, they even shipped K1 printers with bad extruders.

[@leonyltupasan]

really?

[@FelipeGonzalezHerrera]

@@leonyltupasan yep. I have one of the biggest printer farm in my country and have a very reputable repair shop for 3d printers. The most horrible problems even from the box comes from 2 brands: Cruelity and Artillery with cruelity getting the worst.

[@christopherismcaceas4868]

@@FelipeGonzalezHerrera Support sucks as well.

[@FelipeGonzalezHerrera]

@@christopherismcaceas4868 support is non existent. A few years ago I've bought a brand new cruelity CR-10 Smart wich was supposed to be their flagship at the time, that POS fried the board right before ending the first print. As it was under guarantee I took it to the seller and had to wait 3 month to get a replacement board just to wait 3 more month because it arrived with the SOC burnt sealed in the box from the factory. Why I had to wait for the replacement? Because cruelity asked ridiculously big "minimum" orders for resellers to ship them parts, so the f*cking board wasn't available in the whole continent! (South America by the way). I know that because a friend of mine was the only official reseller for cruelity in my country and I saw the mails with the exorbitant MOQs.