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UPGRADE MOD

BLV Ender 3 Pro

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I am very excited to introduce to you my new BLV Ender 3 Pro Upgrade project.

designed for the popular Ender 3 Pro - 3D printer. The project's goal is to take your beloved Ender 3 Pro printer to the next level.  By using only aluminum parts, mgn12 linear rails, BMG dual drive extruder and more, you will gain maximum accuracy, efficiency, and high print quality.

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GALLERY

Why?
  • Fast, reliable, accurate
    The linear bearing and Delrin Wheel Gantry commonly used at most of the low-mid 3d printers as a cheaper solution for linear motion. well, ye... it's cheaper but at the expense of accuracy and reliability. linear guided rails (mgn rails) are a way more rigid, extremely precise and smoother then linear bearing or Delrin. shorting print time without compromising on print quality. There seems to be a good reason why they are mostly used with high-end 3D printers. I found cheap Chinese mgn rails at Aliexpress and thought to myself why not? So If you are already tired of the frequently worn POM wheels or the constant need to strengthen the wheels - you came to the right place.

  • Rigid parts
    This time I chose a different path. as you know 3D printed parts are a bit flexible and I wanted to take it out of the equation. by using CNC machined parts, we can take our printer to the next level of accuracy. for testing I have used a BT dial storing the data into a database on my pc, then after more than 2000+ loops, measuring, again and again, the accuracy (uniformity and deviation). without any doubt - the aluminum parts highly improved the results compared to 3D printed parts.

  • Accessible
    CNC machined parts are expensive, right?
    In trying to make it cheaper, I decided to give all my work for free for commercial use under one condition - my permission. part of the cost is the hours required for designing those parts (it took me more than 200 hours of work) by saving it to the manufactures the kits can be cheaper. for example, while 4 aluminum parts being sold at 30$+ on Aliexpress - This kit has 16 pcs and costs 59$ including belts, screws, and shipping! Sure you can find other aluminum + rails kits but unfortunately, they cost 300$ and more.
    Now, I bet you are asking yourself something...

  • Open Source
    where is the catch? why is this guy giving his work for free?
    a couple of years ago I gained all my 3d knowledge from this awesome community. I really appreciate the 3D community and love this hobby. So it's kinda my way to give back. this is also the main reason I made my previous projects BLV mgn Cube and the BLV anet mod. Yes, it's not easy. a lot of work especially when you got precious wife, 2 lovely little kids and a day job (which is not related to 3d printing in any way). but this "Thing" is my therapy (i think.. ☺️). I don't mind sharing my work. 10 years ago, the 3D FDM patent expired, sharing and experiences was the base to what we are having now. imagine if we had none of this and each one kept his finds and work to himself...
    I hope it could give you an idea of what I believe my friends :)

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WHY

Where To Start?
  1. Read, understand and prepare yourself
    Start with reading the Thing description, watch the 3d animations video and make sure you understand the printer structure.

     

  2. Get the needed parts
    prepare all the needed parts, spares of T-nuts, screws and all the tools you need. also, mentally prepare yourself :)

     

  3. build
    now the fun begins. It is crucial to have a precise structure for excellent printing results. there are a couple of Youtube videos that can help you, showing how to align the Ender 3 Pro frame. while installing the mgn rails, please use the provided JIGS - the assembly will be much easier. Take your time when fixing the rails to the extrusions. I found a good quick video tutorial made by 3D distributed: (youtube.com/watch?v=iX0U1ADH0MY) showing an easy way to align parallel rails.

     

  4. Electronics installation
    If you have decided to install the SKR mini E3 V1.2 board, you will find an excellent Youtube guide showing you the right way to install the board. mind that it's the same with the DuetWifi 1.04 board (if you are crazy enough).

     

  5. Software, Tests, and Calibrations
    This is the scary stuff - when you must know what you are doing - or just watch the thousand youtube videos explaining how to calibrate your Ender 3 Pro. My advice is to replace the Original FW with a fresh version of marlin following one of the Youtube masters. Please, don't forget to do the following steps:

    • wiring check + endstops check

    • updating your FW (to a freshly updated marlin version).

    • extruder calibration

    • Feedrate calibration

    • Hotend PID

    • Bed PID

    • Prob Z offset / Z offset
       

  6. print
    Enjoy your printer and give her love when needed :)
    maintain your printer by greasing the rails with a Lithium white grease or a light sewing machine oil. Keep the rails clean and the belts tight.
    Also, Clean your PEI build plate with alcohol after every print and scratch them a bit with brass wool if they are new.

     

  7. Post an "I made one" pictures
    Show the world your new 3D printer and be proud of your creation:)
    I would appreciate it if you could please upload your newly built 3D printers pics. Knowing that it helped you create your own 3D printer - for me, it's worth all the hard work and many hours that I spent in this project.

     

  8. Remix & Share
    I am 100% sure that there are many ways to make this printer even better. this is why I gave you the source file of the project. Make it better by sharing your remixed and share with this awesome community:)

     

  9. Make it?
    If you would like to use it for Commercial use - please read the "Legal Licence" section.

WHERE

TO START

REQUIREMENTS

Requirements
BOM
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General

Important note: if you are planning to use the original Z endstop and NOT the bl-touch or any other leveling sensor, please use this adapter for the z endstop

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Rails

If you already got the Blurolls kit with rails included - please skip the parts of the rails.
 

2 options for the rails

Notice: Hiwin rails should be tested with a load on the carriage)

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HotEnd

Choose your Hotend
I highly recommend upgrading your hotend to a decent one. First, you need to decide whether you want to stay with a Bowden system or try the direct drive option:

 

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Use the two screws for alignment only, then disassemble them.

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Z AXIS

choose your preferred Z setup:

  1. Single Z stepper
    I used this method for a while and I found it satisfying, however, moving to dual Z would defiantly add even more rigidity to the motion system and dramatically improved the Z-axis.

     

  2. Dual Z using one stepper
    1 x Dual Z kit using One stepper, 2 threaded rods, and a belt.
    you can gain back some of the lost Z height by using This BMG bracket
    note: Although I lost some of the build volume height (the extruder touch the left top plate) I found this method really good and it became my favorite. I would strongly recommend replacing the dual z kit's original Philips screws with Hex socket head screws from a local shop.

     

  3. Dual Z using two-steppers
    This is the recommended kit for Dual z using additional Z

  • make sure to align the z-axis to match both sides.

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Please note that using this method will decrease your Z height since the BMG can touch the top plates.

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Screws

Tools

Optional

Filament I Used

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Rails

Assembly Videos