Linear rails guide and test on Ender 3 and Ender 5
Do linear rails improve print quality? On paper, yes. In this video we find out about actual results with before and after test prints.
In summary, linear rails offer little in improvement for a really well set up machine. They still have a purpose and if you are going this way, these are quite good kits. The quality is nice and the modular nature means you can switch over a little each time or all in one go. You also have a choice of how much to spend on linear rails and blocks.
Linear rails might have more of a benefit when switching to a heavier direct extruder, or perhaps when pushing high prints speeds.
These kits and rails supplied free of charge for the purposes of conducting this test. All opinions expressed are my own.
Purchase these kits from www.printermods.com :
MDD V1.2 kit (required for X axis, gives you the ability to convert to direct drive if you wish): printermods.com/products/dire...
X axis linear adaptor (required for Ender 5 X axis only): printermods.com/collections/l...
Y axis kit: printermods.com/collections/l...
The required rails and bearing blocks are listed on each product page and in the support section.
My previous video on the modular direct drive kit: • Modular direct drive k...
My acceleration test video: • Remove ringing by tuni...
Alex Kenis linear rails video 1: • Cheap Linear rail "rev...
Alex Kenis linear rails video 2: • Cheap linear rail part...
Tom’s 3D Prusa MK3 linear rail test: • Upgrading the MK3 with...
Test models:
Lion HD: www.thingiverse.com/thing:124...
Blink fox: www.myminifactory.com/object/...
Buy quality and affordable filament from X3D. Buy 3, get 1 free and a free sample pack with every order: www.x3d.com.au
Buy quality resins from 3D Printers Online. Get modelling, ABS-like, flex, high temp and tough resin at www.3dprintersonline.com.au
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Support me on Patreon: / teachingtech
So, this must be the last upgrade to my Ender 3 before I can build a complete stock Ender 3 from the remaining parts.
DjZorlag lol. Cheap machine, expensive mods!
@@kerbodynamicx472 Yeah, I'm seriously considering this linear rails mod over the PC wheels that they sell. Should work a lifetime.
Food for thought, isn't it?
Iñigo Zapata spend extra first, save more later
I had some magic smoke during an upgrade a while back and never got around to revisiting my Ender-3. Now, I use it for spare parts for my new Ender-5.
This is what happens when a professional teacher makes how-to videos! Good job
For anyone still debating, upgrading a couple of things won't give you much in terms of speed, accuracy or performance. But now that I've done about everything you could dream of (without altering the frame) on my Ender 3 Pro, including 32-bit mainboard, ABL, linear rails on every axis, rigid build plate, dual z steppers and direct drive with an all metal hotend, I can confidently say that immediately after finishing the project I'm now printing at 300 mm/s with equal-to-or-better quality than what I was able to achieve before upgrading anything. Skimp and settle for limp, go full ham and kablam! Still testing to get the speed ever higher. The Ender 3 is a versatile and awesome piece of kit, just needs a few QOL updates to make it an astonishing one :)
300 is hard to believe. Best I got without fail is 150 😂 Did you replaced your hot end ?
What options did you change in your slicer to take advantage of these upgrades and how did it change print times? I've already invested time and money making my 2x Ender 3's silent and I was debating getting a Bambulab P1P for speed but it's expensive and I read it doesn't perform well with 0.6 or 0.8 mm nozzles (only stock 0.4).
With no goal of increasing speed I have done similar to the modestly specced E3V2, including all metal hot end, BL touch,BTT SKR mainboard and TFT35 screen, plus just got a Sonic Pad,but about to get X rails and wondering if I should get Y as well..Y not? And must look up what rigid build plate is and i am yet to do another Z stepper which is think is an option for an E3v2. I have been printing the notoriously uncooperative PETG like a dream at ridiculous speeds of 75mm plus I can honestly say this Frankenmess with wiring all ove the gaffe and various scratches and loss of power coating on the extrusions etc. that this is still a way better machine than my E3S1Pro which I am def not crazy about lol has printed PETG about twice without problems and sometimes struggles with PLA...at the moment has a burned out mainboard I think..what a turkey the S1 Pro is
What acceleration speed do you have it on?
Happy to agree, Ender 3 platform is such a kit to modify. Even a simple custom home made Firmware recompile enabling linear advance and manual mesh give me better and consistent result for basically free
This is a very well documented and logically approached test . Good job.
Happy with the stock set up on my cr-10 s5 X axis. Going to round linear rails for Y axis was the best thing I did. That 510x510 bed and rubber rollers were nothing but a head ache. Almost sold the printer off cheap before the upgrade, now I don't even think about replacing it.
Thanks for such detailed instructions Michael - as usual!
Great step by step and trial. I was considering the change for linear rails, but I’m not on the stage of pushkng my printer’s limit, so better keep saving or upgrading other way. Thanks a lot! 😁
06:09 Y axis for ender 3., 09:00 X acis Ender 5., 11:27 X axis ender 3., 12:39 General Tips.,
Thanks for this video, I was just thinking if I should do this mod on my printer.
My guess is that the initial quality will be similar or the same, but linear rails will hold that quality in the long run with no adjustments needed. At least not the same as rollers and concentric nuts.
Which is always a big positive. Consistancy is key
@Kenny Eaton precision ground bed but you mount linear rails to aluminum extrusion lol... Also you can get within 0.005" with rollers. It's the aluminum extrusion that's going to make or break your tolerances. Sounds like you just kinda throw money at the thing.
Yep, those concentric nuts don't help at all. That's why I use eccentric nuts. :-)
@@justd3fy No, the cast and ground plate is one of the best things I ever bought, mostly because it doesn't change when heating. The original plate bulged hideously when a Keenovo bed heater was added. I don't have rails, but the bed change alone meant never having to re-level, and I no longer had to bother with the BL-Touch. I've been thinking of adding rails just to cut down on the maintenance, I don't expect to see better prints, but don't have to worry about wheel wear and adjustments. My printers run pretty much constantly doing days-long prints, it's worth it to me.
@@WhiteG60 I, too, would love to hear of source suggestions. In my relatively brief search, the only place that MIGHT have what we're both looking for would be Midwest Supply. "Cast Aluminum Tool & Jig Plate (ATP 5)" has yielded the only online source I've found that will give an immediate quote for small quantities. Shipping to my area was about at expensive as the plate, though, lol. Oh well.
Thank you for the honest opinion. I had a feeling the v slots would be pretty close in quality but I did not have to spend a lot of money .
Great Video as Always Micheal.I hot glue my 5015 fan wires on back to stop them from breaking at solder joint.Keep up the good work.
what a silly smile at the end? :) Appreciate your work, very informative and teaching. Thank you
I tried extra hard for that one. My wife is always teasing me about them not being big enough.
@@TeachingTech hahahaha nice
Thank you, you just saved me $100. Was thinking it would be an improvement to prints, im glad i did some research and found your video, thank you
I love my rails using the mdd on my 5+. Having the bracket made it that much better as I was using a printed part and it would come loose quite often. I talk with matt quite often and will be doing my e3 when funds allow.
The more I try to upgrade my Ender 3, the more I realize it was born perfect.
Living through this now as my “upgraded” ender 3 sits dismantled
@@iDigStuff Lol. Perfect except of course: Cr10 bed springs, A metal extruder, Capricorn Bowden, Spider coupler and an anti-backlash spring. Otherwise, born with it.
@@Splatterpunk_OldNewYork Mines stock and I was amazed at how well it printed I did now upgrade the bed springs and the extruder is metal and it's gone from amazing to almost prefect
@@SeizureGman Hang a sandbag on the top beam, or otherwise add some weight (kilos) to the frame. Do this while having the machine rest on foam feet or sheet. Large machines have lots of mass, allowing for cleaner prints.
@@Splatterpunk_OldNewYork Thanks I'll give it a try. The ender 3 v2 is leagues ahead of my FLSUN qqs Pro
Great video, thank you. I was already looking for linear rails for Ender 3, and investigating if it will help and improve printing, so you helped me a lot with this video.
Just the video i was waiting for...... THANKS.
You made this on my birthday, THANKS!
I’m upgrading my x axis to a linear rail as the acceleration with Klipper is grinding the v-slot wheels. I’m also going to do an input shaping calibration to hopefully eliminate any ringing.
I've been hoping for this video! Good to know that the print quality is pretty much the same, i'll hold off on this mod for now :)
Great stuff pal, i've watched a few of your vids now and all's good. Liked and subbed :)
Wow. Thx for this video. Just purchased a ender 5 Plus 4days ago. Hooked and I'm experimenting with settings. Love the tinkering. Would guessed that linear rails would have a bigger impact than your test showed. But as someone mentioned, with fresh rolls and tighten it won't make much difference. But I'm pretty sure u could experiment with faster print speeds and acceleration settings.
Interesting as always 👍 Thanks for sharing 👍😀
Thanks! finally ender 5 mods from someone I trust.
If those assemblies didn’t have had rubber bushings ringing would be worst with the linear rails. Some vibration dampening is a must with linear rails it seems. So glad you have not actively sold those parts like some other KZheadrs. It shows integrity. Some others just sell them even if the results where worst. This solution might be the best option and does not make the prints worse. It might give higher durability to the system provided one uses good linear rails. But truth be told V slots adjusted properly are enough to achieve maximum printing quality of the complete system disregarding that it is the “inferior” solution.
How do you keep doing videos about things I've been wondering about??? Are you a mind reader? You could open for my stage show! Keep up the great work!
Thank you. that was helpful. I don't have a print quality issue but I was looking at linear rails. I probably don't need them
Very good video, i've an ender 3 V2 and i think i will upgrade it with your solution, congrats
I was considering building a core xy for my extender, but now I am considering this kit and converting to hybrid steppers with encoders and the motion axis.
Thanks for covering this. Do you feel it would benefit other operations such as laser, pcb, and acrylic etching? I don't use my ender 3 for much 3d printing. Im wondering if they would help keep the gantry on each axis more rigid
@teaching tech - nice shirt, hope we get to see Danny Ric at Albert Park soon 🤞🤞
I guess the benefit of linear rails is really only going to be seen in the long term repeatability and reliability of the print performance rather than in radical improvements in print quality.
No. The main benefit is that they're extremely rigid, but for a 3d printer with light (sub 1 kg) print head lack of rigidity is not an issue. Prusa printers don't use them, that should tell you something.
@@michaelbuckers Yes but prusa doesnt use roller wheels they use linear rods which is very similar to the linear rails
Linear rails still need maintaining , removing old grease and putting in new from time to time as against wheels that crack and need replacement every few years.
@@cutty02 Yep linear rods is in between linear blocks and rollers. It easily slide and with added rigidity. Linear blocks needs weight applied to it to slide well and no weight in 3d printing gantry or bed is heavy enough. Linear rods can really benefit the bed and the gantry.
I wonder if linear rails are better reserved for a CNC router or mill, where their strength and rigidity is more significant? As always, an excellent, thought-provoking video. Thanks.
Thank you for the honest Review!
Dude.. how crazy is that!? I just finished putting rails on my alfawise u10. Keep it up man!
Michael, I actually changed out my Y axis with the linear rails from 3dfused...this didn't help with my EZABL issue, but figured it wouldn't hurt. I like mine so far and don't have to worry about my rollers being too tight. I was going to relocate my main board and pi to the back bottom like you had in a video, but the 3dfused rotates the Y axis motor so it takes that space up in the middle. So now I will just put my pi in your pi rail case. Non-Pro Ender 3. Only other problem is getting the Y-endstop from moving and missing the bed. I might have to try this for these axis.
The precision of the linear rails will likely cause the vibrations of the stepper motors to show in the print much more than the standard system, since it's more rigid. I can see it in some of the prints where there are straight lines. Thanks for the video. Really enjoyed watching it!
Yeah, actually the rubber wheels have a good damping coefficient, that dissipates more energy due to kinematics
Just bought the kit, thank u!
Thank you for this video. I've been thinking about linear rails but after watching this, why bother, Improvement vs price just doesn't justify the expense.
I'd say the biggest advantage of the linear rail kit is the "set & forget" aspect of it. If you're having problems with your 3d printer, it reduces your problem tree significantly. It's also a little quieter
I think the biggest difference would be dual Z and linear rails on Z-axis, in my opinion the Z rollers that has flat spots make the biggest surface imperfections on prints
I am new to 3D printing and I have ordered first 3D printer which is the Ender 3. I enjoy your videos over most other YTers because you are easy to follow. My question is this: Would one still need to add the smoother chip sets if linear rails are installed? Do the linear rails help with minimizing/diminishing if the dreaded shaking/wobbling that occurs?
I had built a "Repstrap" a few years ago. Originally it used ball bearing drawer slides as the linear bearings, but there was some slop once these wore in so I wanted to replace them. I used conventional round linear bearings and rods for the Y axis and a square linear rails and block for the X axis. I wanted to replace the Z axis drawer slides with the linear rails and blocks, but this would have required me to completely disassemble the printer and drill new holes in the steel frame. Since I had already replaced the threaded drive rods on the Z axis with actual metric drive screws, I left the Z axis alone. I don't think the linear rails and rods made a great difference in print improvement, but I did change out the size of the bed from 7"x7" to 8"x10", and upgraded the motor mounts in the process so my mods did yield other benefits.
I got mine because of consistency and reliability. In the long run, its just better to have them. It eliminates possible issues in the future as well as gets rid of those annoying concentric nuts. Doesn't really affect quality like you stated but I do think you're able to print slightly faster. Thanks for the informative vid. Ender 5 looks like a great machine
chinese rails have a reputation for failing over time and having paly tho
@@ameliabuns4058 WHICH Chinese rails? That's kind of a sweeping generalization
I would treat it more as a "quality of life" upgrade - a perfectly set up ender that always gets great quality then yeah, no point. But if you're having issues that might be due to poorly adjusted POM wheels it would be a great upgrade.
@@BLV-3D he often doesn't use much critical thought in his "tests"
What's POM?
@@lucky4the4turtle en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyoxymethylene
@@MudHut67 Why do you suggest it's not a valid test?
I have an ender 3 v2 with dual z, tiered braces, antibacklash nuts, skr v2 board, closed loop steppers on the x and y, all metal hotend, bl touch, different part cooling, and maybe linear rails in the future idk. Upgrades are a lot of work and I recommend one at a time. This printer commoly does the largest size prints possible and it does a perfect job, I can hit print and walk away. I also have two Ellagoo clone that just have a Capricorn Bowden tube upgrade and they do smaller prints no problem. I think upgrades can be worth it but the stock machines put together right and trammed square are awesome
hey buddy what's up PJ here from 3D printing Canada I just recently did the micro Swiss direct drive linear rail as well as bed and zerails I found it made some improvements in my print quality but like you said not tons it definitely has helped me push speeds mind u I'm running klipper
I added liner rails to x, y and z on my Ender 3 Pro and am quite happy . I used 3DFused products a little expensive most of my printing issues have been corrected . One issue I ended up with was a issue of getting the first layer to adhere to the glass bed ..If you have a suggestion for this issue please send it to me ...I like your series and have used it to learn and operate Marlin this is a bit of a choir but like the challange....thanks for you time ..keep up the great work ....
Wait... how did you linear rail the Z?
@@jasonking7570 I don't know if 3DFUSED still sail the rails or not...if you have direct drive make sure you get the mount needed.
I'm going to test this one as well but do intend to add upgraded belts (wider, double supported pulleys, also for the motor side) and if that doesn't offer any effect I also want to try to use a high helix spindle setup. I don't think the setup allows you to get everything out of the linear rails because the frame and the driving elements have to much backlash/flexibility. Still a valid test though, under more reasonable circumstances. What I plan to do is pretty much designing and building a new printer.
Professional firmware for bed leveling was a game changer for me.
I'm in the process of adding linear rails to a cheap TonXY X3S, difference here is, I'm losing the belts and adding in lead screws... I'd love to see you do this as well to see if it changes quality.
the linear rail alignment tool gave me an idea for my Cetus clone project thx, its almost done all i need to do is make the y axis belt return and the y end-stop.
Unless those alignment tools are precision made, and the frame is aligned precisely they are as much use as an ashtray on a motorcycle..
@@Pilotltd it does not mater they only need to be consistent
@@henry67278 If they differ by even a thou - you have a thou misalignment over the distance you have them apart.
@@Pilotltd yes but if they are the same gcode file printed twice they are identical and don't tell me otherwhise
Henry McCausland I very much doubt that...
I've got linear rails on the way, but I'm going to use my milling machine to make a new steel frame, replacing the aluminum extrusions. More mass should greatly improve the whole setup.
I know this is an old video and hope you monitor comments. I truly have learned a lot from your channel for first of all thank you! I have an ender 5 plus that I use regularly and am looking to speed things up a bit. Runs great now, but will be adding linear rails here in a few days when they show up. My request of you is would you be able to share your Cura profiles that you use to attain reasonable quality at 100mm/s? I am creeping that way but would like to reference your configuration along my journey.
Funny that you showed what happened with the 5015 part cooling fan, I just had almost the same thing, except one strand of the wire touched the other, causing a short and killing the SKR 1.4 motherboard. I'm going to post a PSA about these 5015 fans, because it's really easy to get a short from them the way the wires are soldered. Basically I used a couple spots of hot glue to make the fan more resilient, so you're not weakening the solder joints when you work on the hotend.
I guess I was lucky. I used hot glue as well after my repair. It's good insurance.
Nice video. I just ordered an Ender 3 Neo Max and I wonder if the linear rails could be more helpful for the larger and heavier bed. I have heard the printer is great but there can be some Y-ghosting issues, which perhaps this could fix.
Thanks! Great video as usual. How can you not like Riccardo?
In a previous job I had installed hundreds of these linear rails on optical measuring machines.These rail do not come in straight, they are all kinds of warped. We had to use some pretty sophisticated measuring tools to install them. They are also designed to be mounted to granite because its the best material that can over come the twists in the rails. To really benefit from linear rails they need better alignment tool installation. 1 tip i can give you is to tighten the bolts in the center and work your way out. A 2nd tip is try to mount a dial indicator somewhere on your nozzle end and run it across your bed. you will begin to see how nonparallel the rail is installed.
Very good insight, thanks for sharing.
I have to wonder how much warp is from the factory and how much is from shipping, packages being tossed onto pallets, shipping guys fencing with them, customer handling, ...
@@scottwillis5434 that's just bad packaging then
they're mounted on mineral machine bases (like granite epoxy) because it combines high rigidity with high internal friction, which means it dampens vibrations
I ran the stock rollers on my Ender 3 for about two years and other than a wipe down every so often, I didn't need to do any adjustments to the rollers. I then decided to try a linear rail on the Y axis to see if there would be any improvement in print quality. I found a conversion on Thingiverse and used that. If there is any improvement, I can't see it. To be fair though, with all the rollers properly adjusted, the printer was printing pretty good as is. Decided to leave the X and Z axis with their rollers since they're still fine with no adjustments required.
There's no advantage to rails if you're rollers are adjusted correctly. At the end of the day the goal is to minimize play between the components. Well adjusted rollers can achieve almost zero play just like precision linear rails. The difference is longevity. Rollers are plastic and will eventually wear thus requiring adjustment. Linear rails use hardened bearings and case hardened rails so they'll last much longer before requiring replacement.
I guess it will pay on the long term; I was a bit disappointed, that there is no significant advantage in the quality, but on the other hand it shows that the basic concept of the 3D printers is not that bad. But I may give it a try to my Ender 3 Pro, as it's bed has always problems after some (2 or 3) prints. either wobbling or new leveling necessary, got a monday reviewed modell I think.
Same here..... wobbling
Nice video and nice shirt!
Do you have any plans to review 3 point leveling systems like the Gulfcoast Robotics Y carriage upgrade?
One question I have is whether changing to linear rails made the printer sound different? I know you've done many videos in the past on replacing mainboards and stepper drivers, which have a huge impact on print quality and sound. Did replacing the hard rubber wheels with rails make it sound any different when doing long or short movements? TIA!
Great video as always! A question though: did you go with name brand/pricier rails, inexpensive ones, or somewhere in between? Keep up the amazing work :)
The rails were supplied by printer mods, so I'm not sure exactly which ones they are
i did this conversion on my prusa clone, going from rods and bearings, to linear rails. I did it because my printer was showing signs of age (years of printing) and the bearings were failing. I initially bought new rods and bearings, and it did solve the issue, but i decided why not and got some linear rails as well. *There is no significant difference in print quality*, besides what was outlined in toms video (the issue wont occur with higher tolerance machines in my experience). the rails have a somewhat quieter operation, but not by much. The main reason you should go for linear rails is because either you want to and can, or you want the better lifespan and tolerance they provide. and they look way better :)
I got the ender 3 X-axis rails because of the placement of the DIY housing for all the electronics in a modular enclosure. It benefited by having a rigid drag chain on top of the X-axis extrusion which opens up after removing the wheels. Otherwise i would have kept it stock.
I retrofitted my customer Kossel from Delrin wheels to custom cut Hiwins I ordered from Alibaba and I couldn't really tell the difference. I believe the linear rails are better particularly at higher speed, but I couldn't really come up with data to support that theory. I used the Delrins for about 3 years and they were fine. What's kind of worse was that before the Delrins, I used Home Depo shower door wheels which was an absolute hack. Each wheel had a lot of slop. But when I switched to the Delrins the improvement was real, but quite small. I think maybe the slop of the Home Depo wheels might have been largely cancelled out by there being 9 of them in total, all joined to one effector. I think the best reason to consider linear rails is actually because then your mechanical motion happens on a component that's relatively protected. By doing your motion on the same V-slots that are the body of the machine, you run the risk adverse effects from small dents the machine takes as you move it around. Linear rails are somewhat protected by comparison, so they may not get damaged as easily. I think it's a small benefit. For the cost, it might be wiser to just work on acquiring more/other printers. The only other reason to have rails is cause they seem "cool".
I would question if the "hiwin" rails from aliexpress were actually hiwin. I dont think they sell their products on aliexpress. Also Hiwins are massively expensive. I just got a single rail made by THK, one rail with 2 blocks, for $125. And this was nearly the best price I found on ebay for USED rails. The new ones from hiwin would bankrupt me. But comparing this rail, which I just got today, to the cheapo ones from amazon (20-30$) the difference is spectacular. Its massively noticeable, in terms of slop and lack of friction. And I am comparing these rails that just arrived, no cleaning or lube, to ones that I cleaned, replaced the ball bearings with tighter tolerance balls, and lubed up. I can't believe the difference.
Hi thanks for that, it answers some questions I had over using this linear rail actually on a laser cutter, one thing i noticed was your ender 3 has a touchscreen is this new version or a mod you have done thats available at all please? Keep up the good work. many thanks.
Minor fix is needed in your video, on blink fox you said "Top/Bottom" when they are set side by side. otherwise, this is cool. I have never thought of using linear rails and i believe it reaches to the point of diminishing returns.
I'd love to see you review uStepper as an upgrade option, maybe on Ender 5 or CR10 Pro?
May I ask, what is that filament you used for the lion model? Looks like a kind of steel blue, but very shiny! Thanks!
Can you test smooth idlers vs toothed idlers to see how it affects the low frequency artifacts on the print?
Good job!!
A great video!
I am a very big fan of your channel. This is my go to if Im doing researches to printing topics. In KZhead you can find pretty little about the v2 with mounted linear rails. Does this "printermods"-Upgrade fit to a V2 as well?
Only question I'm left with is whether there would be an improvement going full linear, rather than just attaching some linear rails to even out any potential bumping using the belts alone. What if the belts were entirely removed and two linear rods sandwiched around a geared rod, were used for both X, Y and Z axis, with the Z axis having a vertical stabilizer on the other end. Practically giving the printers the same transmission type as large scale CNC routers for industry and the like.
What do you use for having that special menu for z-offset on your printer, something with marlin, with the motherboard or with octoprint?
I had problem with the original rollers where they developed a like flat spot / edge damage but not from overtightening I changed them to the clear type plastic rollers and pinched them up that very slight more than the others and haven't had a problem since and not adjusted them so far since was a cheap option too
I was looking at linear rail mods for durability because of metal ball bearings vs the delrin wheels for longevity. Long term test over time would be important in this case. Going cheap on the rails and bearings might not be an answer.
I would very much like to see a mod with the combo both linear rails and E3D Hemera direct-drive config on a CR-10. I feel this would be more interesting because the larger sled / build platform on the CR-10 and heavier weight of the Hemera. Think I might be interested in buying such combo for my CR-10S if it was sold as a kit for it.
thanks was considering this for my cr10 think I'll spend the money on bracing and AC bed upgrade instead
Didn't know Esteban Ocon is into 3D printing! Nice
I am thinking about the linear rails might be good for me because I don’t use my Ender 3 very often so I get flat spots on my wheels. I would think they would have an option for the z as well?
Great video, you think the will make it for the BIQU B1 printer ??
I was wondering when this video was gonna come out
linear rails help with lateral forces that you dont get so much in 3d printing but do see in routing and milling so yeah the effect would be minimal. on top of that closed loop steppers would help with accuracy and shift prevention.
What filament color did you use for the lion test, it look awesome
My Ender 3 now has Linear Rail Kits on all 3 Axis along with Solid Bed Mounts and a Direct Drive Extruder. I have replaced the control board with an SKR Mini E3 and have gotten rid of my EZABL. I've created my own custom Firmware with VS Code and Platform.io using the Manual Mesh Bed Levelling system with every feature enabled other than Bed Probing. Something that couldn't be done with the stock Melzi 8 Bit Board due to space limitations. I can now Level my bed Once and Never have to do it again, Period as it is Rigidly Mounted and the Bed Screws now have Red Loctite securing the nuts.
Thumbs up for the Renault shirt. GO DANNY RIC! :D
I have modified my CR-10 S5 and mounted linear rails on all axes. Except for flat nylon rollers that you won't have to worry about anymore and the sporadic adjustment of tension with the eccentric nuts on some of the rollers, there is not much of a difference to be seen in the print quality... just as you concluded.
man i hate that the ender 3's x axis needs a printed part for the belt... I want metal to lol! but yeah i might do this! have you ever looked into the closed loop steppers? BTT just brought out their S42B and I would love to see a video on that, specially sound comparison! would you consider doing this? i just ordered a skr v1.4 turbo and with that i no longer need the driver adapters.
Everything in this video was very informative and I think it's great.....the only critique I have is that there's no reason to remove parts to slide the t nuts in from the end of the extrusion....by their very nature t nuts are ment to be installed by simply lining them up with the slot and turning them clockwise to tighten them.....it's just unnecessary steps to remove parts to install them....again....great video
He was using slide-in t nuts rather than the drop-in variety. Drop in t nuts are more convenient, but don’t always turn and align themselves when tightening. They tend to self adjust and loosen with time and vibration whereas the slide-in t nuts only fit in the channel one way and will not move and loosen over time.
I am guessing, but I would expect the improvements would come over time, in that the V roller wheels would degrade over time, and this wouldnt be the case with the rails. As well, as long as your V rollers are centered and running true , you wouldnt see an improvement, but if they got Loose, they are more likely to introduce errors. all theoretical of course.
I think you've summed it up nicely.
Very good and interesting video, thank you. I'm impressed that the Ender is doing so well. Note: If anyone wants to upgrade to linear rails, please make sure you get quality rails and not the cheapest rails you can find on eBay (or wherever you purchase them). The difference is that the cheap rails will very likely be worse than the rail system you have already, whether it be 2020, round rods, SBR/TBR or something else. I wonder ... Did anyone invent MagLev rails yet ? ;)
I was having the worst time with my Ender 3 and the stock rollers, could feel and hear notches during motion that made my prints awful. I tried replacing them but the only Amazon parts had horrible tolerances for the bearings which gave me lots of side to side play and still bad print quality. the moment I changed to a linear rail (initially then rails) I noticed significant improvement down to supports coming off like a dream. I had a bit of binding with the belt tension and the roller cage so ended up getting a second linear rail for the bed and my prints have never been so good. the only down side has been a loss in build volume and I don't want to mess with any code or board swap so thank you for letting me know about this kit, will order ASAP
Nice t-shirt, didnt know you are an f1 fan aswell
You forget the most important reason to do the rails. Its printer bling.
Haha I am enjoying the appearance.
Can you get them in gold? And maybe insert rhinestones in the screw holes...
@@TeachingTech How about some RGB linear rails? lolllll
@@musingsofanitwit hold my beer
@@musingsofanitwit I mean, are you even PC Masterace without RGB? Hmm, gives me ideas...haha
i had issues on one of my cr10s pro v2, y-axis started having bumps after few prints all the time. after linear rails i havent adjusted it once. you can also design and print the adapters and only buy the linear rails.
Why is there a whacking great chunk missing from one of the extrusions on your Ender 3?