How to level your bed on ender 3 v2 / other 3d printers - easy process-manual on the fly levelling

[@ChazBword]

OMG This is the first video I've found that actually explains leveling in a way where I understand why when I turn one screw, it messes up the opposite corner. Thank you so much for this video. Very good information.

[@andikayudha6698]

this video should have >10k likes. The most useful and sensible way of bed leveling. I am a Robotics Control System Engineer, so I know precision and accuracy. This video provides those.

[@LostInTech3D]

appreciate the comment! 👍

[@markwhi1]

(re: the table demo) This is why they should use 3 leveling wheels in a triangle instead of 4 in a square. 3 points define a plane. 4 points is a pain.

[@LostInTech3D]

Indeed they should! And so should tables! The flashforge creator pro has 3 wheels - but the creator 3 has only TWO wheels with the third being a static non adjustable third leg. Which technically is also 3 I guess.

[@strictnonconformist7369]

One of my long-term goals with my smaller printers (currently 2 Ender 3 clones or near-clones) is to build a larger capacity printer that’s not a bed-flinger because that’s just nuts for scaling especially (it’s nuts to also be flinging something with a partially molten blob on it as well, that may be hotter than boiling water, for several reasons). What this video shows nicely (thanks, @Lost In Tech, you got a new subscriber, also I’m saving this video as a reference!) is what’s called “wobbly table syndrome” or, at least, something very close to it: it’s actually *worse* because it’s a wobbly table suspended over a teeter-totter for the middle! For my long-term printer design, it will have 3 points (adjustable supports) used for leveling out the bed to avoid this insanity, or at least make sure the bed isn’t a wobbly table/teeter-totter (reality is that with uneven heating, nothing can reasonably be expected to be perfectly flat and level) and is a stable target.

[@Accessgp]

You are simply the best, I watched Hundreds of videos on how to make 3D printers and especially ones from the experts (supposedly) but nobody explained this most important fundamental in such level of detail. After making 3 printers which don't work I even bought an ender 3 to try and understand better on where I was going wrong but what I received was absolute junk which did not even make one proper print and their customer service is less said the better. I finally found usefull information on why I was not getting the perfect first layer and I had resigned to printing only in the top right corner of the Ender still with minor imperfections. Now I will put everything I learnt and I am sure I will be able to print anywhere on the bed 😀👍 forgot to add, love your sense of humour 😀😀😀

[@MrRobertshaw100]

Been printing for a few years now but still learnt a few things from this vid and templates are Brill! Thanks. 👍

[@xXIamJAEXx]

new to 3D printing, just got donated a friends old ender 3, so glad i found your channel love your sense of humour and video style, new sub

[@n3m0-42]

Big thanks for this video and the tests. This is by far the best and easiest way to truly dial in the level settings. I used this on my Ender 3 v2 Neo. My print quality is like night and day. Keep up the awesome work.

[@felipefrango]

This is no doubt the best video on bed leveling out there.

[@gibsonav]

I was convinced to buy a BLTouch with my Ender and never used it. Literally gave it a way to another fellow n00b who still wanted to try it. Like you, I just learned to level better manually.

[@eladdov8601]

Thank you so much for this! I have been struggling with printing PETG (which is very unforgiving to bed level and bed height) and the large diagonal pattern was perfect for getting the printer in the ballpark for getting good adhesion followed by the more elaborate main pattern that really helped me fine tune it to perfection. I can now get really challenging prints to stick perfectly to the bed. You deserve way more subscribers!

[@rolanddube2169]

This is an excellent video. I just leveled the bed on a CR 10 fresh out of the box. I wish I had seen your video before I did that because I could have short cut the learning process. I will say going from a bed mat to a glass bed is a game changer. Thank you for making this video.

[@syberphish]

Will be happy to give it a shot. I do the paper thing first then print squares offset from the corners and check the thickness with calipers. Look at the deviation in thickness from one to the next. So if it's RR= 0.4, RF=0.35, LF= 0.4, RL=0.35... then two opposing corners are just a tad low. Nudge both wheels and reprint. Takes 5 mins, then measure again till they all match. I'm also legally blind, so I can't really tune it on the fly by eyeballing it. So I usually get it by the 2nd pass from measuring and nudging. Been using spring-steel PEI coated plates.

[@springy120453]

I still tend to clean the bed and use a feeler gauge or a piece of paper for leveling. The problem I see is that after you have printed the patterns you have to scrape them off, applying pressure to do so, which could knock the leveling off before you start to print. That said, it's still a worthwhile video for demonstrating the interactions between the leveling knobs.

[@syberphish]

I really dig your wittiness.

[@jaywand3395]

Thanks, I am just getting started with my Ender 3 v2, nice to see someone show and explain how the bed interacts with moving a corner.

[@canderson8632]

This really helped me out, thanks! Hours of troubleshooting, knowledge gained.

[@calamityjaycantebrigge]

I had kinda figured out the effect of one corner on another, but finding your video has visually confirmed what I thought. Therefore, you've saved me a lot of time today running endless tests. Thanks

[@mandyj5222]

Thank you for just stopping and explaining for us noobs!! I've been so frustrated trying to auto level with my chiron but that's trash, and I've just been winging it with the screws. But these templates will be so awesome!! I'll try these on my days off to see where I ended up! I still can't print things that aren't essentially flat 😏 thanks again 🙏

[@gavanwhatever8196]

Strictly speaking, if the bed was completely rigid then only that part of the bed that is outside of the spring will raise if you lower the opposite corner. That you were able to remedy a dip in the centre of your glass bed by putting a few sheets of foil under it means there is some flex in even a glass bed.

[@augustinusmagna6182]

I find it hard to believe you have less than a thousand subscribers. Top notch video, thanks man.

[@LostInTech3D]

Getting there.... getting there. 👍

[@strictnonconformist7369]

I love the explanation of the reasoning that went into the template layer designs here! Also, the brief-but-useful explanation of how the bed leveling adjustment screws affect diagonal corners. When you think about it, it’s very similar to how you need to tighten lug nuts on when you put tires on your cars. I suspect I had some poor adjustments on the wheels on my Y axis of my LotMaxx (Ender 3 or similar clone, has same basic structural design) during manufacturing so now I’ve got a notable amount of slop that causes really bad issues for multiple layers. I strongly suspect my initial leveling put things under too much stress and is a weird sprung balance, with the print head pushing into the bed too much over time causing problems, combined with how things are sprung. What I see from this looseness/slop is what makes the bed appear (via results) to not be level, but the most scary thing is to watch it carefully and pay attention and to see the bed actually act as a teeter-totter as it goes back and forth with the print head applying filament: it suddenly takes a big drop. This causes interesting print defects that aren’t so readily seen and understood with just a single layer. This is a design defect of having the Y axis supported with a single central support extrusion as it moves, combined with the V-groove wheels being made to roll in the grooves on a vertical axis, so especially if things aren’t adjusted perfectly, it’ll speed up wear and thus add slop as it wears, between the combination of being too loose/tight to begin with, and then the long-term repeated stresses. The great thing about your set of templates is it appears pretty efficient for materials usage and time usage for ROI in getting things dialed in, but there are other things that would be of great value, that can be added: 1. Bed/axis skew measurement. Your pattern is already large enough it shouldn’t be much more to add this. If you have good leveling but a skewed axis (or more than one) that limits what you can do. Things don’t fit together as planned when things are too skewed. 2. Z axis issues: the problem I’ve currently got (may need to replace the V-wheels, I haven’t taken it apart yet, these are my first printers I’ve used) may be mistaken as a Z axis issue if you don’t think to carefully watch bed motion. 3. Print speeds for extrusion quality: not all extruders are created equal. Where do you get acceptable tradeoffs for speed and layer heights? Perhaps 2 layers is sufficiently thick for this analysis. 4. Fine details for vertical printing, again, at measured speeds. Unless you have a fixed bed printer or perhaps one where the bed only moves on the Z axis, all those springs and the rest of the printer act as a suspension system for your printed part until it is completed. Each system has a spring constant K for each sprung load. What makes it especially interesting in a bed-flinger is all the springs may be at different tensions due to the imperfections of the bed and carriage materials. As you stated on the video about using sheets of aluminum foil in the center of the bed, well… I can’t think of a better proof things are suboptimal! In this test, I’d want a number of strategically-spaced spires, both small extrusion width ones that are as small as you can make them for that extruder setting, as well as X single-wall, also double-wall, etc. to understand what your printer can do. Why single and double wall, you ask? This is a test that measures space/time/energy all at once. Perhaps some more wall options would be useful. In particular, this would be useful as a torture test to have the tiniest spires go to the limits of the printer’s Z axis at these strategic points, so a user could know what print speeds they can achieve for the spring factors of their printers in all the dimensions, and see how their machines are sprung by how the spires lean in whatever dimensions they do. Tiny narrow spires (and also longer (but still short) lines, along various X, Y orientations, and also overhangs) would reasonably be expected to set up oscillations in the entire printer structure if they’re continued long enough, sort of like the old joke “if you see the car a-rocking, don’t come a-knocking” so I can see a need to do perhaps another template, one printed in isolation of everything else, for all key areas of the bed: we don’t want to let oscillations have a chance to dissipate in the test, because eventually, the user may actually have such a crazy part to print and have a messy failure they didn’t anticipate. Note also that this test should also be designed to measure skew as well, since that can happen in all dimensions. So, with that in mind, that also results in multiple areas in a single printing also being printed across the print bed. This may also show how level the printer itself is, especially with pushing bed and extrusion temperatures higher, which also can be used to judge cooling capacity (clearly, multiple interacting variables here to test and judge). Of course, that’s not an all-inclusive set of things to test, but that’s something I’ve not seen explicitly addressed, thinking about all the videos I’ve watched. My formal training is EET/automation, and I’ve ended up making a living in software development. For that reason (and licensing costs are harder to justify for Fusion360) I’ve been using OoenSCAD for part design. It’s available for Windows/MacOS/Linux for free, so it’d be about as close to perfect to convert your templates into that internal scripting language and parameterize it for the print volumes and characteristics of people’s printers, because I see a number of people with issues of things being too large for their printers according to Cura. What if they have a larger format printer? They have the problem with it not being as useful for the whole bed as it is now. Thanks!

[@michaelfoxfoxster469]

It is a masterwork. If it moves we will all be hypnotized and then you can make us bark like chickens.

[@eletronica1857]

15:00 , the figure looks like a crop circle... nice a lot... good video, congrats

[@danielst.germain554]

dude, I just changed my springs and had to relevel everything and was having a hell of a time.. I see this video and BOOM!

[@TheGuyInRooM420]

Are all the Ender models with the CR touch, suspects when it comes to these springs?

[@fedetarcetti2526]

Excelent videos ! I just subscribed when you explained why the diamond shape because i am amazed with your criteria. thanks a lot

[@dimensional7915]

my hunt for the perfectly level floor with these new cosmic patterns shall continue tomorrow

[@LostInTech3D]

feels like a rick and morty joke here 😒

[@crossthreadaeroindustries8554]

I don't hear much about how wonderful BLTouch is - does it really help? When I do manual bed leveling before I run BLTouch I notice oscillations in what you would think would be the bed surface but what I believe are coming from eccentric runner wheels either in the bed slinger mechanics or the X runner wheels on the cross bar. I suspect the BLTouch mops these imperfections up but I don't know for sure. I mean, it seems I can get my first level uniformly thick after all the leveling.

[@Xchamonix1]

Hey all, when i print this, i have parts of almost all the squares and middle part and circles that either have bits of filament or no filament and other parts perfectly filled up. Why is this? i have done my e calibration. Still all of sudden having some massive issues with ender 3 max.

[@rmdbrc]

Hello. Very good video, but I have a philosopical/math problem with this kind of bed support : ¿Why the heck does someone has to pick four points to define a plane? Geometrically, a plane is defined by three points, and thus, if you adjust one of this three points, you don't mess with the other two... It is inexplicable to me why build a bed with four support points, complicating and making leveling so difficult

[@LostInTech3D]

I have mentioned this, I cant remember when, but yes absolutely. Some printers do have 3 points.

[@BrodyWoelke]

Another good alternative to the springs is using silicon columns instead of bed springs.

[@LostInTech3D]

I prefer springs to help with nozzle crashes but both are better than solid mounts.

[@jaspercallahan3318]

Lets say my bed is level and my z offset is good.smaller prints for first layer come out ok this is when its a larger first layer.If my speed is too slow can the heat from the nozzel influence the pla adhearing to the bed. (It tends to lift a bit on larger parts)

[@NM-wd7kx]

Did you get this sorted? Could it be a draught? Try a draught shield setting, it's helped me hugely

[@10msplits]

I have issues finding a place to put the clips that the nozzle or nozzle head body *won't* hit - any advice?

[@LostInTech3D]

you probably have brim or skirt turned on, turn it off and it won't go there.

[@10msplits]

@@LostInTech3D ah, yes- I wondered what that thing at the edge was. Thanks!

[@86Carrera911]

Does this help with printing large scale items that get fairly close to edges of the bed? I can't print things toward the center without too much problem, but when I tried to do something out past the adjustment knobs... disaster.

[@LostInTech3D]

Kind of, you really need a stored levelling mesh to get accuracy like that at the extremes. The alternative is to set your first layer (only) as high as possible, eg 0.35mm and just wing it.

[@nola2635]

What is everyone doing to get the files to slice in Cura? I keep getting the error saying to check and make sure the model fits within the print area, are assigned to an enabled extruder, and not all set as a modifier meshes.

[@LostInTech3D]

What's your cura version? And do you have the build area set to 235 x 235 x 250 in the machine settings? (this is as per the cura included ender 3 settings...so basically if you added the printer as an ender 3 - even if it's a v2).

[@LostInTech3D]

Also just to add, I discovered this happens if you have brim or skirt on. Would be nice if cura told you this rather than the cryptic message! 🤔

[@michaelfoxfoxster469]

Joking man, it is a very good video, thank you.

[@algis3207]

Thank you very much for what you do for 3d printing enthusiasts! I sometimes find that manual leveling can achieve better first layer results than CR touch. How accurate do you think the CR touch is?

[@LostInTech3D]

Funny you should ask, I've been slowly gathering data about probe accuracy for a future video. 👍

[@michaelwiginton8587]

You mentioned adding aluminum foil to help level a wrapped bed, I have a wrapped bed but adding foil does not seem to help. Did you happen to do a video about that part of leveling or do you know where I can find a video. I have an Ender 3 v2.

[@LostInTech3D]

I do have it on the list of videos to make in the future, but the basic premise is to just keep cutting single layers to size and putting them under the glass until it works. I'm not sure if there's a limit to how many layers you can have but I have about 9 single layers under the center of mine, gradually getting smaller so I don't have a giant lump in the middle if that makes sense. If it's not a dip in the center then it may not actually be the glass that's warped, you can have a tramming issue, i.e. the bar the print head moves along is not parallel to the rail the bed moves on, in which case the fix can be anything from adjusting the eccentric nut under the bed on the wheels all the way to having to almost rebuild the frame. That said I think this is rarely the case. You should also be aware that the clips on the ender 3 v2 do cause the glass to appear bent because they put pressure on the front and rear center of the glass. There's no easy solution to this because of the shape / size of the head so you can only have two clips but I guess knowing is part of the answer...and of course countering it with aluminium foil which certainly did the trick for me. That said I should probably point out that even with all this done, I still have variation between the edge of the bed and the center. How I get around that is to dial the nozzle a bit closer (quarter turn basically) if I'm printing small things (90% of the time) and if I'm printing something big I either accept that it will be too close at the edges or just dial it down a bit so it's "ok everywhere on average". It's always going to be a compromise unless you spend a lot of time getting things perfect...if it's even possible. In the real world things are rarely straight. If the glass itself is massively warped then of course you can just get a new one from banggood or similar for a fairly cheap price. The replacement bed from banggood is what I use at the moment and I find it as good or slightly better than the original. Sorry - bit of a long answer :)

[@michaelwiginton8587]

@@LostInTech3D Thank you. I'm a novice still trying to get things together, this helps a lot.

[@stephenratliff486]

Greetings from the States. Great video!

[@LostInTech3D]

Hello! And thank you 👍

[@logicalpakya609]

i want to add "j head all metal hot end Bowden type " to my Ender 3 v2. please make a video if possible. and thanks for detailed video.🙏

[@LostInTech3D]

I'm not familiar with that - does it have better performance than the creality one? I will look into it! Thanks for the positive comments! 👍

[@rauldelgadillo8447]

I just print a 80mm brim and live adjust as the nozzle goes in big ass circles continuously.

[@stormshadow4799]

Please help. Where can I get the diamond pattern you show I can print??

[@LostInTech3D]

It's linked in the description

[@stormshadow4799]

Where!?? I already looked

[@ShopperPlug]

3:34 - LMFAO 😂

[@dylanchurch8086]

i bought and installed an official bltouch and it straight doesn't work for my ender 3 pro. Currently I use it solely as a z offset switch while I decided if I'm returning it or not...

[@LostInTech3D]

I'm confused, how does it work as a z offset switch but not work? Did you install the right firmware?

[@luisf7780]

Do you clean the prints before putting in your mouth or is it safe to do it off the print?

[@LostInTech3D]

I was a bit confused with that question until I remembered the end of the video 😂 I personally just wash it to be sure, generally the issue with printed parts is the holes that can develop bacteria. But straight from the printer it's okay, I think, as long as you keep the printer clean, not use toxic substances, etc.

[@luisf7780]

@@LostInTech3D 😂😂😂sorry ....i only use isopropyl alcohol to clean the bed and for adhesion the purple glue

[@LostInTech3D]

That should be fine then! I have a future video planned about the discussions on food safety 👍

[@bertuncaydin8384]

For example, it prints half of the square on the left front corner but then it starts skipping the rest of the square. In this case the bed is low or high? How can I fix? I may throw my ender 3v2 soon!

[@LostInTech3D]

Hop on to discord and you can share a pic and maybe we can figure it out! (Link in more recent videos)

[@valpercinabanalan8576]

Wait please tell me more adhesion!? Why is sometimes times those pla plastic doesn't stick together? (I don't even know what's that called?)

[@LostInTech3D]

When two layers don't stick? Not sure what you mean...

[@valpercinabanalan8576]

@@LostInTech3D I mean the extruded plastic is not sticking together to form a shape

[@C650101]

Great but why not bltouch dense mesh?

[@RandomImpluses]

What if I don't want to go! Nice video going to try your templates when I get home

[@vdebaie]

I brought the diagnol line test into cura and it did not fit the Ender 3 volume. I tired a gew tests by scaling each print going down to 85% in scale and each print would hit the bed clips and make my hot end jump. after 3 attempts I decided the potential damage was not worth it. :( Great video though. Really nice stuff.

[@LostInTech3D]

Really? The templates should be 220 x 205 mm to allow for clips at front and back. Do they show up as this size in cura? (bottom left of screen). If they do, and it's hitting the bed, then are you dead center on the bed when printing, or is your center not actually center?

[@vdebaie]

@@LostInTech3D when I open the diagnol likes test in cura the object is located (x,y,z) at 200mm, 0mm, 0mm and the scale (x,y,z) is 220mm, 205mm, 0.3mm. I am using Cura's Ender 3 printer settings in Cura 4.9.0

[@LostInTech3D]

@@vdebaie Ah..I suspect the scale is the problem. I have the bed set to its true size but with safe zones at front and back for the clips. I've noted this down to have a look at to see if I can figure out what's happening and put a quick video out if I get to the bottom of it, because obviously you'd want to use the whole bed at some point! :)

[@bradfordmcadams9833]

Same here, cura will not slice it because it doesn’t fit within the build volume. Specifically the front and rear, which is likely due to the clips.

[@wizecraq]

ty going to test this on my cr-6 it has some issues with the auto leveling, maybe i can tune in if its the ALS thats faulty or something else ^^

[@LostInTech3D]

good luck 👍

[@erikkamariesrensen6989]

hey, i love your videos! thank you!

[@LostInTech3D]

Thank you! Appreciate the feedback!

[@kevinx2381]

Great video, a small problem with the main levelling test, it will not fit in cura 4.11! E3V2 bed size set to 235x235x250! its fine in crealty 4.20 bed set to 220x220x250. I think its due to some minus figures in the printhead setting? Any suggestions.

[@LostInTech3D]

do you have brim/skirt on?

[@kevinx2381]

@@LostInTech3D Spot on, yep skirt, selected none, now fits fine, thanks, got my first 3d printer E3V2 07 2021 so still learning, Keep the videos coming.

[@LostInTech3D]

good stuff - the reason I knew the answer was because I do that every single time 😂👍

[@LWJCarroll]

Thanks I will be trying this out....Laurie NZ

[@Elemental03]

so everything prints fine but when it goes to print the lines that connect everything i get a dotty mess. anyone have any idea what could cause that? im not sure if it my retraction or what

[@LostInTech3D]

There's more than one reason, but I would look at the filament first, if it's old, it can do exactly that.

[@Elemental03]

@@LostInTech3D just opened this filament but it was sitting for a while. will try a new roll and see what happens. thank you for the video!

[@Elemental03]

@@LostInTech3D ok so i changed the filament and it was instantly better. thank you!

[@LostInTech3D]

excellent, an easy solution. I don't know why some PLA is like this.

[@urzdvd]

Great video, could you please share your parameters or CURA profile ? thanks

[@LostInTech3D]

Yes definitely I can, I'm slowly cleaning up and putting my base profiles on the website, I'll give you a shout when it's done 👍

[@freedomseeker01]

Great video but I am unable to slice anything in Cura.

[@LostInTech3D]

I bet you have brim or skirt turned on

[@freedomseeker01]

@@LostInTech3D Absolutely, I had the skirt on. They are slicing fine now. I am anxious to print these in the proper order. Thanks for your help!

[@cochiseimprinting]

Good Job! Thank you.

[@loubano]

Thank you very much for this great video !!!!!

[@TheM0JEC]

Does the fl-fr-rl-rr print work ok on a delta or can you produce a version for deltas?

[@LostInTech3D]

Oh yikes. My Delta wouldn't know bed levelling if I tried, what is your bed diameter?

[@TheM0JEC]

@@LostInTech3D 230mm any cubic Kassel plus linear if that helps.

[@TheM0JEC]

It has ‘auto level’ and I think I have it close now (within 0.1mm give or take bed texture/unevenness) but it takes a full 2 hours to print a single layer across the entire bed!

[@isramv74]

Great work!

[@truantray]

I agree that auto leveling gimmicks like BL touch are just bodges for cheap beds that are not flat. But can we please use the right terms and call this tramming, it's not leveling. You can put the whole printer on a 45 degree angle and it will print fine.

[@LostInTech3D]

You're right, but at the same time.... everyone continues to call it "levelling". I've seen other KZbinrs try to change that and fail spectacularly 🤣 At the end of the day as a small KZbinr I have to use the common vernacular for keyword relevance 👍 As a side note, I was planning on doing an upside down printing episode until teaching tech beat me to it 🤔 maybe I still will, later.

[@TheChachochido]

Thanks dude!!

[@ylsafiresong1]

can we get a copy of the bed level print?

[@LostInTech3D]

www.thingiverse.com/thing:4878636 👍

[@JenniferJoyMattes]

Thank you

[@iPrintDreams3D]

Thanks!

[@Andesouras-Rex]

this process is a giant giant headache i'm going to keep at it but MANNN it's testing my patience lol

[@LostInTech3D]

You get better at it after a while!

[@Andesouras-Rex]

@@LostInTech3D well hopefully but now my screen is black i tried updating the firmware and now i cant do anything

[@Printerguy360]

90% of the problems I see talked about go back to bed level or traming. I printed for 2 weeks before I fixed that even a little. Lol

[@vampiregoat69]

dang ADEERS

[@dleivam]

Isn't you, Thingiverse hates all of us