Creality Ender 3 V3 SE headaches.

[biggman100]

I can not get this thing to print consistently. Sitting in the exact same spot, not being moved, it printed maybe 5 small test items, and, now, it won't print anything. It only has auto leveling, and no adjustments for the bed, but, I'm not sure that is the issue. Every time I try to print something, by about the 2ND layer, the nozzle grabs it, and pulls it loose. I have tried making sure the printer is level, adjusted temps while printing, let it get up to temp and sit with the nozzle at 210, and the bed at 60, and even that didn't help. And, it isn't just one design that I tried to print, it's every one (I am no good at 3d modeling, so all the files I'm using I found online, mostly on thingiverse). It will print the Creality test stuff, like the Benchy boat, and, these really small aircraft kits I found, sometimes, but nothing else I have tried works to print. I'm literally grasping at any and every idea I find at this point.

 

[WickedFog]

I have never used auto leveling, but there has to be a calibration adjustment. If nothing else, raise the sensor a few thousandths of and inch. You are not getting enough squish on your first layer, or there is something like oil from your skin or dust on your bed.

If you have an air vent near the printer, block it off, or put up a shield to stop air from blowing towards your printer.

Raise your bed temp by 10°

Raise your hotend temp by 5°-10°

Put a thin layer of glue stick down.

Try some Aquanet hairspray, but make sure you shield your gantry and crossrail and belt. Getting it on the machine will attract dust.

 

[WickedFog]

Go watch vids on bed level calibration for your specific machine/probe. Maybe there is a tuning cycle you can run that is built into the Marlin firmware.

 

[biggman100]

Go watch vids on bed level calibration for your specific machine/probe. Maybe there is a tuning cycle you can run that is built into the Marlin firmware.

I have been at this for nearly 2 weeks now. I have tried everything I have seen, read or heard about. To me, the biggest issue is that except for the auto leveling, there is no other real way to level it. No thumbscrews under the bed or under the frame, and, the only settings you can play with are the Axis (X, Y, Z), and even the paper method for the Z-Axis doesn't seem to work. The other issue I noticed is, after auto leveling, it is always showing positive to the front, and negative to the rear. This was the screen the last time I auto leveled it:

It was even suggested changing settings while printing (bed temp, nozzle temp, nozzle height), and even that didn't really do anything. I have even played with the nozzle height, from the -1.95 it gets set at after auto leveling, all the way to -2.17, and nothing changed. The probe, I can't seem to find a way to raise or lower that in the settings, or online.

 

[WickedFog]

The probe is leveling your bed for you. It reads the various points on the bed, then automatically adjusts the first layer to compensate. Either that, or it takes the averages and does a plane shift, which really wouldn't make the most sense, but that is the only two ways possible for the machine to "level" the bed. While your bed may be fixed, even if it was adjustable, it would still have high and low spots. So theoretically, the probe is the best solution to getting a good first layer. So you aren't looking for a way to level it. You're looking for an offset value.

I don't have an Ender, nor have I ever needed or used a bed leveling probe. But I have been around computer controlled machines long enough to be able to walk up and run anything out there in the machining industry. I know for a fact, and I would bet my life on it, there absolutely, 100% positively has to be some kind of setting, either in the printer's firmware, or in the settings, or in the slicer, to set the offset for the probe's difference to the nozzle. The offset will be the distance from the tip of the nozzle to the contact point on the probe more than likely. Or it could be an offset from a general value set in the firmware for that distance, depending on which probe is installed, then an offset value is used for fine adjustment. There is simply no other way the probe can work.

Since you likely don't have an indicator, the way I would check that offset value is with a 1-2-3 block, or something on the bed at the median of the bed's runnout. Run the nozzle down until it touches a feeler gage on top of the block. Set Z zero on your readout, or record the Z position. Move the probe over and repeat the process and touch the probe to the feeler gage. Record that value. The difference in those two Z values will be your offset. Or whatever that is called. If that value is stored in your firmware, there is likely a simple gcode line to change that value. You would enter that value into your machine via USB or by entering that into a gcode file and running it just like you do a print file.

The problem with that is... where in the travel of that probe tip after it makes contact does it actually record contact? It very likely is after the probe tip has moved into the housing a bit. So even getting the actual distance from nozzle tip to probe tip is going to be off slightly. So after you set that value in the machine or software, you will still have to make adjustments.

But in your case, that value is already set. And you have to be close. So you just need to increase that offset a little at a time until you get a good first layer.

You could go ask Chatgpt or google gemini where that setting is, which would be easier than trying to find the info on YT or the internet, because you would first need to know what that value, setting, or command is called in the machine or software. But if you explain to AI what your problem is, it will find that info out for you.

You can also go to the support page for whatever probe your machine has and there will be info there on exactly how to set the offset value that is causing your problem.

 

[WickedFog]

Your machine I believe is running Marlin firmware. Do yourself a favor and go to the Marlin website and find the list of commands for your machine. Read through it. There are a gazillion things that firmware can do by simply running a command line, and people have no clue about that stuff. The slicers do not utilize a lot of the machine's capabilities.

You want your machine to play music at the end of a print? There is a command for that. You want your printer to turn off after a print? There may be a command for that. You want your machine's hotend to drop down and drive the part off the bed after the bed cools so you can automatically run another part? You can do that. You want to do multicolor printing on a machine that doesn't have a multicolor attachement? You want it to stop and tell you to change the filament color and start where it left off printing the new color? Yeah, that is simple commands you enter into your start and stop scripts.

 

[biggman100]

The probe is leveling your bed for you. It reads the various points on the bed, then automatically adjusts the first layer to compensate. Either that, or it takes the averages and does a plane shift, which really wouldn't make the most sense, but that is the only two ways possible for the machine to "level" the bed. While your bed may be fixed, even if it was adjustable, it would still have high and low spots. So theoretically, the probe is the best solution to getting a good first layer. So you aren't looking for a way to level it. You're looking for an offset value.

I don't have an Ender, nor have I ever needed or used a bed leveling probe. But I have been around computer controlled machines long enough to be able to walk up and run anything out there in the machining industry. I know for a fact, and I would bet my life on it, there absolutely, 100% positively has to be some kind of setting, either in the printer's firmware, or in the settings, or in the slicer, to set the offset for the probe's difference to the nozzle. The offset will be the distance from the tip of the nozzle to the contact point on the probe more than likely. Or it could be an offset from a general value set in the firmware for that distance, depending on which probe is installed, then an offset value is used for fine adjustment. There is simply no other way the probe can work.

There is, but, even after playing with it, I still can't get it right. Honestly, I'm nervous about making too many adjustments, and really messing up or damaging something.

Since you likely don't have an indicator, the way I would check that offset value is with a 1-2-3 block, or something on the bed at the median of the bed's runnout. Run the nozzle down until it touches a feeler gage on top of the block. Set Z zero on your readout, or record the Z position. Move the probe over and repeat the process and touch the probe to the feeler gage. Record that value. The difference in those two Z values will be your offset. Or whatever that is called. If that value is stored in your firmware, there is likely a simple gcode line to change that value. You would enter that value into your machine via USB or by entering that into a gcode file and running it just like you do a print file.

The problem with that is... where in the travel of that probe tip after it makes contact does it actually record contact? It very likely is after the probe tip has moved into the housing a bit. So even getting the actual distance from nozzle tip to probe tip is going to be off slightly. So after you set that value in the machine or software, you will still have to make adjustments.

But in your case, that value is already set. And you have to be close. So you just need to increase that offset a little at a time until you get a good first layer.

You could go ask Chatgpt or google gemini where that setting is, which would be easier than trying to find the info on YT or the internet, because you would first need to know what that value, setting, or command is called in the machine or software. But if you explain to AI what your problem is, it will find that info out for you.

You can also go to the support page for whatever probe your machine has and there will be info there on exactly how to set the offset value that is causing your problem.

I have increased and decreased both the probe depth, and the nozzle height, going by official Creality guidelines, and I still just can't get it. I have went both ways with both the nozzle and the probe, decreasing and increasing no more than 0.02MM at a time per Creality's support group, and still haven't gotten anywhere. The "official" answer now is, use a glue stick so the first layer will set better. To me, that just sounds like a band-aid answer, especially since, I don't think it's that it's not sticking to the bed, I think it's something in the height settings either at the start of, or during printing that causes it to be too close, and I'm not thrilled with bothering even trying it. Their original answer was hairspray to make it stick. No thanks, not with the heat that comes off the printer. I'm starting to think it's a defect somewhere. A guy in one of my RC groups has that same printer, and he never has issues with his, but he has been doing this awhile. If only I could get him to come look at mine, it might get figured out. This last time, I set it using a 2MM feeler gauge, again, per Creality, and still no real luck. But, I still believe I'm doing something wrong, although I don't see how. As for your suggestion about an indicator, dial or digital? Magnetic base, or steel base? I was a machinist for a few years before I went back to computer work. However, I didn't think to check it that way, so I will have to dig one out, if I still have one. Mostly, I posted this in the hopes someone else had ran into the same issues. So far, no matter where I post (FB, Reddit, here, the Creality forum, official Creality support), I get basically the same answer. Apparently I'm unique in this issue, which is also why I think honestly a lot of is just me, and not fully understanding certain things about it.

 

[BustedAw11]

I've been running the same ender v3 se for a year now..

I've had and solved probably every dang issue that is even possible...

What program are you using?
I've only had good luck with Cura..

This printer is VERY picky about nozzle height... I absolutely have to do an auto leveling and let IT set the nozzle height.. for a while I was setting it manually. By taking a piece of computer paper and running the nozzle down just until it got hard to slide the paper between the nozzle and bed... but. As I said I then found its more consistent to let it set the height itself.

I run almost everything in pla+ at 190-200 and bed temp is always 60.

If I dont wipe the bed down with rubbing alcohol it won't stick. Any amount of oils from fingers will cause what your saying..

 

[WickedFog]

Run your auto level.
Go into your printer's menu.
Find the Prepare or Control menu and look for "Z-offset"
If your nozzle is too high at the start of a print, add -.05 to that offset value.
If that turns out to be too low, add .02 back to it.
Your first layer should look slightly transparent.

 

[WickedFog]

I've been running the same ender v3 se for a year now..

I've had and solved probably every dang issue that is even possible...

What program are you using?
I've only had good luck with Cura..

This printer is VERY picky about nozzle height... I absolutely have to do an auto leveling and let IT set the nozzle height.. for a while I was setting it manually. By taking a piece of computer paper and running the nozzle down just until it got hard to slide the paper between the nozzle and bed... but. As I said I then found its more consistent to let it set the height itself.

I run almost everything in pla+ at 190-200 and bed temp is always 60.

If I dont wipe the bed down with rubbing alcohol it won't stick. Any amount of oils from fingers will cause what your saying..



View attachment 260052

I ran Cura for awhile in the beginning, about 10 years ago. A few weeks into it I switched to Simplify 3D and the toolpaths were a lot better. A lot more optimized. The finish was also better, and the multiple process ability was a game changer. You can put 5 different parts on the bed and have completely dufferent print settings for each part. It also made multi-color print setup a breeze with each process used for each color change. I am betting Cura has stolen that idea by now, but I haven't used Cura in years.

Creality has their own slicer now too, and I printed a few parts with it to test it and it does a helluva job.

 

[biggman100]

I've been running the same ender v3 se for a year now..

I've had and solved probably every dang issue that is even possible...

What program are you using?
I've only had good luck with Cura..

This printer is VERY picky about nozzle height... I absolutely have to do an auto leveling and let IT set the nozzle height.. for a while I was setting it manually. By taking a piece of computer paper and running the nozzle down just until it got hard to slide the paper between the nozzle and bed... but. As I said I then found its more consistent to let it set the height itself.

I run almost everything in pla+ at 190-200 and bed temp is always 60.

If I dont wipe the bed down with rubbing alcohol it won't stick. Any amount of oils from fingers will cause what your saying..



View attachment 260052

I use Creality Print, but, I don't design anything. I just find the .STL for what I'm trying to print, and let Creality Print convert it to .GCODE. As for letting it auto level, I have done that multiple times, and even let it calibrate right before trying to print something, all with the exact same results. However, someone else mentioned, the issue could entirely be something to do with the files I downloaded. I don't know enough to know what to look for to know if something is off or not there. The one I'm currently dealing with, nozzle temp is set at 200, bed at 60, and, layer height is at 0.20 for each layer. I'm trying to print a tow behind RC trailer I found on Thingiverse. Half the time, honestly, if Creality Print shows an error, it takes me literally a couple hours to understand what the actual issue is. As for cleaning the bed, I have used hot water and Dawn, then Isopropyl alcohol, and even rubbing alcohol, and same results. I was also told it could be over-extruding each layer, so now I'm trying to figure that all out.

 

[biggman100]

I took one of the things I'm trying to print, and kind of played with the settings a bit, such as, it has the first layer at 0.50, so, I set it at 0.30, just to see what would happen, and, it printed maybe 4 or 5 layers, and, again pulled it off the table. I also adjusted temps before it even started, and, even going as high as 65 on the bed, and 215 on the nozzle, same thing. This last time, I preset the nozzle at 210, the bed at 65, and left it like that to "preheat" if you will for about 15 minutes, and, same result. I'm starting to think either I'm gonna have to glue each print down, since I hear that one a lot, or just give up on it altogether. I'm just not too keen on using glue every time. To me, with the heat, how would glue even work.

 

[WickedFog]

I use Creality Print, but, I don't design anything. I just find the .STL for what I'm trying to print, and let Creality Print convert it to .GCODE. As for letting it auto level, I have done that multiple times, and even let it calibrate right before trying to print something, all with the exact same results. However, someone else mentioned, the issue could entirely be something to do with the files I downloaded. I don't know enough to know what to look for to know if something is off or not there. The one I'm currently dealing with, nozzle temp is set at 200, bed at 60, and, layer height is at 0.20 for each layer. I'm trying to print a tow behind RC trailer I found on Thingiverse. Half the time, honestly, if Creality Print shows an error, it takes me literally a couple hours to understand what the actual issue is. As for cleaning the bed, I have used hot water and Dawn, then Isopropyl alcohol, and even rubbing alcohol, and same results. I was also told it could be over-extruding each layer, so now I'm trying to figure that all out.

It has absolutely nothing to do with the files. It has to do with your machine setup. I explained how to fix it. You can lead a horse to water, blah blah

 

[biggman100]

It has absolutely nothing to do with the files. It has to do with your machine setup. I explained how to fix it. You can lead a horse to water, blah blah

And, I have done exactly that, more times than I can count, with the exact same results every time. You aren't the first one that insisted on changing the Z-Axis, to the point where, I changed it 0.01MM at a time, and ran the same print 12 times in a row, and, exactly the same results every time. After that, it was 0.10 each time, and, same thing. I have done every official Creality step they told me to try. The official way to set the Z-Axis is to auto level it, then, go into the move menu, lower the Z-Axis to 0, from 10.0, and, then use the paper method while lowering the nozzle 0.01MM at a time, and, even doing that changed nothing. Now, they are insisting that I try a new nozzle (they are saying that somehow the nozzle got scratches in it, and the filament is sticking to the nozzle because of it, instead of the bed), which means waiting days for one to get here, since no one local stocks anything for it. As for temps, exactly when do I change them then, since I have tried changing them before starting the print, during the print, and even preheating the nozzle and bed, and it is always the exact same results. However, the last time, I was able to print at least 5 layers before it pulled it off the bed, so, I'm starting to think the entire issue is that the bed isn't staying warm enough for the print to actually stick, which means going and buying an IR reader so I can test the actual temp of the bed in different spots (no, I don't own one, because I frankly could care less about the heat that the motor in my RC cars gets to. I used to, but, anymore, I just don't). The first pic is what it was supposed to print, and the second pic is, so far, the most of that part it has printed, after changing the first layer to 0.30MM from 0.50MM. Frankly, you haven't told me anything different than any of the other sources keep saying, and, apparently, either I'm just really not getting it, or, that isn't the issue. I'm starting to think the issue is in the machine itself, but, something other than the Z-Axis setting.

 

[WickedFog]

If setting the Z offset is not changing anything, something in your gcode coming from your slicer is probably setting it back. You will find with 3d printing, settings can be chaged by the slicer, the firmware, etc. That's why I said to look through the commands available in Marlin. If you find out what the command is to set your Z offset, you may find that in your gcode the slicer outputs. Then you will know it is your slicer reverting your offset back to 0 or whatever.

 

[biggman100]

This is literally the only thing I have printed successfully (someone wanted them for Christmas ornaments). Every thing else I have tried to print has completely failed, which is why I think I'm starting to agree that it has to be something in the settings of the print I'm currently trying to do, because, if I wanted to, I could print them all day in multiple colors.

 

[biggman100]

If setting the Z offset is not changing anything, something in your gcode coming from your slicer is probably setting it back. You will find with 3d printing, settings can be chaged by the slicer, the firmware, etc. That's why I said to look through the commands available in Marlin. If you find out what the command is to set your Z offset, you may find that in your gcode the slicer outputs. Then you will know it is your slicer reverting your offset back to 0 or whatever.

I already know what setting that is, and, I have checked it multiple times, and, even set it to match exactly what the printer says after auto leveling, and, same result. However, I think I just figured out at least one issue. I had my hand about 1/8 of an inch above the center of the bed, and couldn't feel any heat at all, but, I can on the edges, and that was with the bed preheated at 60 for 15 minutes. It's still preheated, and, I can barely touch the outer edges of the magnetic plate, but, I can lay my hand flat in the center of the plate.

 

[WickedFog]

I already know what setting that is, and, I have checked it multiple times, and, even set it to match exactly what the printer says after auto leveling, and, same result. However, I think I just figured out at least one issue. I had my hand about 1/8 of an inch above the center of the bed, and couldn't feel any heat at all, but, I can on the edges, and that was with the bed preheated at 60 for 15 minutes.

You don't set it to what the printer says after auto leveling from what I found. You add -.xx to the value that is cutrently showed in your z offset. If you can't get that to work, loosen your hotend and let it drop a tad. That would work, but too much and your dragging the bed.

Make sure there isn't a tiny blob of filament stuck to the outside of your hotend. Get a piece of grey or white scotchbrite and twist it around the outside of the nozzle. Run your clearing wire into the nozzle. Do a cold pull of your filament to pull out the filament from your nozzle. If done correctly you will see a mold of the inside of the nozzle. That will pull any contaminants from your nozzle.

 

[Lukedavis]

There is, but, even after playing with it, I still can't get it right. Honestly, I'm nervous about making too many adjustments, and really messing up or damaging something.

I have increased and decreased both the probe depth, and the nozzle height, going by official Creality guidelines, and I still just can't get it. I have went both ways with both the nozzle and the probe, decreasing and increasing no more than 0.02MM at a time per Creality's support group, and still haven't gotten anywhere. The "official" answer now is, use a glue stick so the first layer will set better. To me, that just sounds like a band-aid answer, especially since, I don't think it's that it's not sticking to the bed, I think it's something in the height settings either at the start of, or during printing that causes it to be too close, and I'm not thrilled with bothering even trying it. Their original answer was hairspray to make it stick. No thanks, not with the heat that comes off the printer. I'm starting to think it's a defect somewhere. A guy in one of my RC groups has that same printer, and he never has issues with his, but he has been doing this awhile. If only I could get him to come look at mine, it might get figured out. This last time, I set it using a 2MM feeler gauge, again, per Creality, and still no real luck. But, I still believe I'm doing something wrong, although I don't see how. As for your suggestion about an indicator, dial or digital? Magnetic base, or steel base? I was a machinist for a few years before I went back to computer work. However, I didn't think to check it that way, so I will have to dig one out, if I still have one. Mostly, I posted this in the hopes someone else had ran into the same issues. So far, no matter where I post (FB, Reddit, here, the Creality forum, official Creality support), I get basically the same answer. Apparently I'm unique in this issue, which is also why I think honestly a lot of is just me, and not fully understanding certain things about it.

Did it print just fine on the included print files? If so, what slicer are you using? You may have to adjust your start g-code, as I had to do when swapping to mriscoc firmware on my ender 3 v2 neo. if it doesn't have the M420 Line and or G29 line in the start code, it will take your auto bed leveling that you just completed and toss it out the window, and not use it. It would be very helpful to see your slicer settings, and printer settings. I struggled FOREVER getting my ender 3 v2 neo to print past the first and second layer, and adding the extra code fixed it for me.

 

[Lukedavis]

Also, does it seem like the nozzle digs into the print and rips it from the build plate? Or does it just stop the print entirely? If it stops it entirely, try reformatting your sd card to FAT32, and make sure it isn't bigger than 16GB