Creality Ender-3 V3 KE

5 entries published2026

1. 2026 / 10 / 11 Print log

   Z banding on the KE: an 8 mm period, then a 2 mm period, and two different fixes

   Z banding has a period, and the period tells you the cause before you touch anything. This log works through two bands on the same machine — one at the leadscrew rotation period and one at the thread pitch — and shows why the first needed a mechanical fix and the second needed a software one.

   • MaterialPLA
   • Nozzle0.4 mm
   • Layer height0.2 mm
   • Print time58 min
   • Failure chain2
   
2. 2026 / 10 / 02 Tune profile

   TPU 95A on the KE's stock extruder: 3 hours 44 minutes and one very specific buckling point

   The KE's Sprite extruder is direct drive, which makes flexible filament possible rather than easy. This profile is built around a 3.0 mm3/s ceiling that the machine will actually sustain, and it documents the one place where every failed attempt fails.

   • MaterialTPU-95A
   • Nozzle0.4 mm
   • Layer height0.24 mm
   • Print time3 h 44 min
   • Failure chain2
   
3. 2026 / 09 / 21 Print log

   Shimming the KE's bed: 0.15 mm of mesh error that compensation could not hide

   Auto-levelling has a limit, and on a 0.28 mm first layer that limit is about 0.08 mm. This log covers a KE with a 0.15 mm low corner, the shim washers that fixed it mechanically, and the nine-position first-layer test that proves it worked.

   • MaterialPLA
   • Nozzle0.4 mm
   • Layer height0.28 mm
   • Print time41 min
   • Failure chain2
   
4. 2026 / 09 / 12 Print log

   Stringing on the KE: temperature first, retraction second, and the trade you make to get it

   Stringing is the most over-diagnosed problem in FDM printing, and the diagnosis is almost always the same order: temperature, then travel, then retraction. This log takes a tower from heavy unbroken threads to fine wisps on the KE, and explains the surface cost of getting there.

   • MaterialPLA
   • Nozzle0.4 mm
   • Layer height0.2 mm
   • Print time1 h 16 min
   • Failure chain2
   
5. 2026 / 08 / 31 Tune profile

   A PETG profile for the Ender-3 V3 KE that stops fighting the stock settings

   The KE ships with a multiplier, a retraction distance and a bed temperature that all work for PLA and all work against PETG. This profile replaces five of them, built from measurements on this specific machine rather than from a generic PETG starting point.

   • MaterialPETG
   • Nozzle0.4 mm
   • Layer height0.2 mm
   • Print time1 h 48 min
   • Failure chain1