Hello, 3D Printing Friends! Today on the BV3D Channel we're going to install
the 3Dfused Y Axis Linear Rail upgrade kit for the Ender 3 and Ender 3 Pro
3D printers. Stick around and we'll get into it right
after this. I'm Bryan and you... are watching BV3D!
Hi, welcome back!
So, my friend Kodi at 3Dfused was kind enough to send me their Y Axis Linear Rail kit
for the Ender 3 and Ender 3 Pro 3D printers. 3Dfused is the company
making the Kreatos 3D printer, a monstrously large FDM 3D printer, cut
from thick slabs of aluminum, with linear rails and a 300 by 300 by 550 build
volume. Check in the description after the video. I've got links to this linear
rail kit, and to the Kreatos down there.
Now this Y Axis Linear Rail kit goes for about $90 US, and Kodi says they're also
working on an X + Z Linear Rail kit for the Ender 3 and Pro. Now, you
might wonder why you'd want to hang linear rails on such an inexpensive
printer. Well, the Ender 3 and Ender 3 Pro have good bones. The Ender 3
is a pretty good basic kit, and if you're the kind of person who likes to
tinker, you can build it up into a pretty slick printer with linear rails and other
upgrades. And you can do it as your budget allows, rather than paying for it
all up front. Now, having never seen a linear rail in person, I was somewhat
skeptical that this one skinny little rail could support the bed without
tipping to one side or the other. After all, one of the complaints about the Ender 3
is that its Y axis runs on the 20 millimeter side of a 2040 v-slot
extrusion. That led Creality to use a 4040 v-slot extrusion on the Ender 3 Pro.
The wider stance gave the Y axis greater stability. But it turns out
linear rails are freaking amazing! That one skinny little rail is rock solid and
has absolutely no problem keeping the Y axis sled moving smoothly in that one
axis only. It doesn't twist, and what little roll there is appears to be
flexing of the Y sled itself. Now, this is an installation video for the Y axis
rail kit, not a review. The review will come once I've spent some more time with
the upgrade. And it's a simple bolt on upgrade; the short version is, removed
the stock y axis components, bolt the new kit on, and transfer the motor, limit
switch, and bed over to the new kit. Then adjust the Z limit
switch, because this kits sits lower than the stock bed by quite a bit. Then get your
bed leveled or trammed, and get printing! So having said that, let's get into the
details of the installation process. Oh, and stick around to the end. I may have a
surprise for you.
So the first thing we need to do is prepare the kit for installation.
so cut the zip tie which secures the belt during shipping.
Next, lubricate the rails with a couple of drops of Tri-Flow with PTFE, or Liquid
Bearings. Just put a drop or two in the side channels, then move the sled back
and forth a couple of times to distribute the lubricant. A quick wipe
with a paper towel will remove any excess. Install the six M4 bolts and
T-nuts in the screw holes here.
Now, the 3Dfused Y Axis Linear Rail kit for the Ender 3 and Ender 3 Pro
is a low-profile replacement for the stock Y axis. This allows the bed to sit
much lower than the stock configuration. On some printer revisions, the Z axis may
not be able to go low enough, even when bottomed out against the Z axis motor
mount. If this is the case with your printer, you will use this six millimeter
spacer and longer M4 bolts included in the kit. If your kit did NOT include the
spacer, but you need it, contact 3Dfused and they'll get you
taken care of. The Ender 3 Pro that we're installing on today does require
the spacer, so you'll see it being used during the assembly process.
Manually raise the Z axis of the printer as high as it'll go.
This will give you plenty of room to work while installing the kit.
Unplug the Y axis motor cable from the y-axis stepper motor. Unplug the y-axis
limit switch cable from the Y axis limit switch. Remove the two screws which hold
the Y axis limit switch in place. There is one above and one below the connector.
Then remove the Y axis limit switch, and set it aside.
Release the tension on the Y axis belt by loosening the four screws, two on
either side of the tensioning system. And make sure that the belt is loose.
Slip the belt over the gear of the Y axis stepper motor. Remove the four screws
holding the Y axis stepper motor in place. As you remove the last screw,
support the stepper motor with your hand so it doesn't fall. Then set the stepper
motor aside.
Turn the printer over and on its side, so we can access the underside of the
printer. Remove the bolts securing the Y axis assembly to the printer frame.
The Ender 3 has two bolts, while the Ender 3 Pro has four. As you remove
the final bolt ,support the Y axis assembly with your other hand, so that it
doesn't fall off. Then, while holding the Y axis assembly in place, return
the printer to its full upright and locked position. Remove the leveling
knobs from the bed. Remove the bed, and set it behind the printer.
Then remove the Y axis assembly and set it aside.
Here, we're using the spacer, because this printer needs it. If yours doesn't, then
don't install it. You can make things a little easier by aligning your T-nuts
so they'll fit nicely into the lower extrusion on the printer's frame. We'll
set the upgrade kit onto that lower extrusion. Make sure the kit sits flush
against the right side Z extrusion, and then get those M4 bolts and T-nuts
tightened up.
Once that's done, make sure that the system is firmly attached. Install the
Y axis stepper motor. Make sure the connector is facing this direction, away
from the power supply. We'll use the longer M3 screws provided
in the kit. When you're done, make sure all the screws are tight.
Install the Y axis limit switch on the Y axis end stop slider, using the two
small black screws supplied with the kit.
If necessary, release tension on the y-axis belt using the tensioner in the
front, then loop the belt over the gear on the Y axis stepper motor. Connect the
Y axis stepper motor cable to the Y axis stepper motor. Connect the Y axis
limit switch cable to the y axis limit switch. Tension the Y axis belt using the
tensioner at the front of the kit. Then install the bed onto the new Y carriage.
Because of the low profile of the kit, you can't fully compress the bedsprings.
Don't let the screws protrude more than about a millimeter through the leveling
knobs.
Now it's time to adjust the Y axis end stop, if needed. To find out if you need
to adjust it, use the control panel on the printer: Select "Prepare," then select
"Auto Home." You may notice that the nozzle is quite far above the bed when the axes
are homed. This is due to the lower profile of the 3Dfused Y Axis
Linear Rail kit. After we've adjusted the Y axis end stop, we'll adjust the Z axis
end stop. Use the control panel to select Prepare > Move Axis > Move 10 millimeters...
Move Y, and then turn the knob to move the axis to its maximum travel distance.
If the belt slips or the motor grinds when you reach the maximum position, you
will need to adjust the Y axis end stop. Here's how. Loosen, but do not remove, the
screw which secures the Y axis end stop slider. Move the end stop slider toward
the back of the printer a bit, then tighten the screw to hold it in place.
Repeat the homing process to test the position. Repeat that until you're happy
with the position of the bed both when it's homed and when it's at its maximum
position.
We're looking at the left side of the printer. You can see there's still quite
a distance between the nozzle and the bed. We need to adjust the position of
the Z end stop. We're going to loosen these two screws, and then move the end stop
mount downward. Loosen, but do not remove, the screws securing the Z end stop mount to
the printer's frame. Move the end stop down about the same distance as the nozzle is
from the bed, then tighten the screws.
Next, use the control panel to home all axes.
Well, that got us close, but we can get closer. So we'll repeat this process
until we can get the nozzle about a millimeter above the bed. Right here is a
small tab which prevents the end stop mount from moving below the edge of the
frame. But we need to move it below the edge of the frame, so we'll move this so
it sticks out just a bit, and that'll allow us to move the end stop mount lower.
Then tighten the screws again, and repeat the homing process.
And that is much better. We've got the nozzle about a millimeter above the bed.
Now we can use the bed adjustment knobs to get the distance just right for
printing. So, use your preferred bed leveling or tramming method to get your
printer adjusted as needed.
And that's all there is to the installation! It's a simple,
straightforward process, and you can revert to your stock configuration at
any time. So, congratulations! You now have linear rails on the Y axis of your Ender 3
or Ender 3 Pro 3D printer! And if you made it this far, thank you!
And a big thanks to everyone who likes, shares, and comments on these videos.
And a HUGE thanks to everyone who subscribes to the channel.
The BV3D Channel hit the 1000 Subscriber milestone last week, and
clearly that would not have been possible without all of you. So thank you!
I appreciate you. You're all amazing. And also a really big THANK YOU to Kody and
3Dfused for sending this kit to me. You are awesome! Now at the beginning of the
video I said that I might have a surprise for you, and here it is: If you
want to buy this kit, look in the description. Kodi has generously set up a
coupon code that can save you 15% on the kit. it's a time-limited code, so once it
expires I'll remove it from the description. And that's not an affiliate
thing. I'm not getting anything out of that deal, it's all the savings for you.
I do have affiliate links for other things though. If you shop online at
GearBest, Amazon or Wham Bam Systems, using my affiliate links doesn't cost
you anything, but it does help the channel. Okay, so that's everything. Thanks
for watching, thank you for subscribing, thank you for being you. And now that
I've got this Y axis linear rail upgrade kit installed on the Ender 3 Pro, I'm
gonna go print something cool. You do the same, and I'll see you next time!