[Gulfcoast Robotics] Modular Y Carriage Plate Upgrade for Ender 3 and Ender 3 PRO 3D Printers (3-Point Leveling Adjustment)

Bed leveling on this thing is dead simple. It makes MUCH more sense and I can get my bed perfectly leveled in one pass instead of having to do multiple passes with the 4 point system. It is just faster, easier, and more logical. Install is straightforward, just be sure to have the carriage oriented correctly. It is very easy to have it flipped over in one axis and not notice that it is wrong. My only gripe with this is that it does not come with the correct length M4x30 countersunk screw (it comes with a M4x15 countersunk, which is just too short). The one that ships with it is far too short. I don't think that is worth knocking off a star for because i was able to make it work still with the other nuts and bolts I have, and the amount of time and aggravation this thing saved me, I can easily forgive that.

The instructions are for the Ender 3, but are very straight forward. The product had holes cut for the Ender 3 Pro and it wasn't complicated to figure out the correct orientation. I also, combined this upgrade with a set of stiff compression springs. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KVMJWZM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Wow! What a difference. One round of "No Print Bed Leveling" and then "5 Point Bed Level". I highly recommend this product as a must upgrade for the Creality Ender 3 or Ender 3 Pro. I'm very please with difference it has made with the quality of my prints. The prints in the photos were printed with 3DSolutech Real Grey with .12mm Layer Height at 60mm speed.

This might be the single most important "first upgrade" for an Ender 3 after a fan cover. Out of the box my Ender was difficult to level correctly, all 4 corners could never seem to get right and keep the middle in the right place as well. While it was good enough to get some prints going, it was always frustrating any time I needed to re-level. Once installed, this makes the whole leveling process a lot easier. You still have to take the time to level, and do it right, but the fact that every adjustment keeps you in a plane makes this a lot easier. That said, consider moving the two (or all 3 if in the center) closest knobs to each leveling point, that will help adjusting to 3 point instead of 4 point leveling. There are no printed instructions with the product, and the manufacturer linked fan instructions are good enough, but it would be nice to have better, clearer instructions with better pictures. Additionally it would have been nice if it came with lock nuts if not for all 3 main leveling screws, then at least for the center one which is in accessible from the top without removing the whole bed, and thus highly benefits from a lock nut holding the screw in place so it doesn't turn while leveling.

My ender 3 carriage was warped. I replaced it with this and the issue is gone and I really enjoy the 3-point leveling. It's much easier. Instructions could be better though. I had to google online to see pictures on their website and even then I messed up and had to undo everything and start over. Make sure you compare the holes on your old carriage so you don't accidentally install it the wrong way like I did...

I'm going to use this carriage plate. I don't, however, expect it to last the life of the printer. The problem is that the STEEL eccentric nuts sit right against the ALUMINUM plate. The stock plate is steel, so it was less of an issue. Now, every time you adjust the eccentric nuts, you'll be GOUGING into the aluminum plate. One small adjustment while installing the plate has done this. Very disappointing! I see this as a MAJOR design flaw. They should include shorter eccentric nuts to allow for a washer or something between the plate and the nut. This would alleviate the issue, or, make it last a lot longer before problems arise. Too bad really. I was really looking forward to the upgrade until I found this.

I found the y-axis carriage plate well made and it seemed to be truer than the stock y-axis carriage plate as I was able to manually level the bed much faster than with the stock carriage plate. The one thing that you will want to consider is the orientation of the aluminum carriage plate. Don't install it backward, "as I have done in the photo". The larger side goes in the back! I would purchase again for a second Ender 3.

I bought this to install on my Ender 3. No instructions were included. You can find a fan-made instruction guide on YouTube (which Gulfcoasts officially links to on their website), but his instructions are ambiguous as he doesn't go into detail about setting up for 3 point bed leveling. They give you 2 M2 bolts, lock washers, and nuts. They also give you a longer M2 bolt for the 3 point cross bar, however, they don't give you a nut for it. So when you install the longer nut into the middle of the crossbar, it wiggles around and is not stable. I tried out 3point leveling and hated it. I could never get the side with only 1 adjustment wheel to be level and square. One side or the other was always 1 or 2 mm off. Save your money and buy glass bed or an extra heated bed plant if your stock plate is bent. This won't help.

This kit is simple to install, has high-quality components, comes with everything you need, instructions are clear, and THE THING WORKS! Bed-leveling is easy now... and solid. Great bang for the buck.