Why the Creality K1C 3D Printer Deserves a Spot in Your Workshop
The Creality K1C is a reasonably priced totally enclosed 3D printer that may print utilizing carbon fiber-filled filament. Learn on to study if it’s price a spot in your workshop.
I’ve turn into a little bit of a 3D printing fanatic and have been slowly build up my very own “farm” of 3D printers. I’ve reviewed a number of Creality 3D printers already, so when the corporate supplied me the chance to check its latest flagship product, the Creality K1C, I jumped on the likelihood.
A collection of fashions printed utilizing the Creality K1C. Solely the “Flexi Manufacturing unit” badge was printed on a special 3D printer for the reason that K1C doesn’t assist multicolor printing.
Creality unveiled the K1C in early 2024, the latest addition to their totally enclosed K1 flagship line of 3D printers This printer retains the distinctive high-quality, inflexible body and tinted clear part-glass enclosure that characterizes the sequence. This enclosure helps keep a heated inside chamber, supreme for working with specialist supplies.
You would possibly assume the C would stand for coloration, or somewhat multicolor, however nope. That function hasn’t arrived within the K1 lineup but. I’m advised it’s coming as an add-on accent sooner or later, however for now, it’s a function reserved for the yet-to-ship K2 Plus.
As an alternative, C stands for “Carbon Fiber.” The K1C enhances the capabilities of each the K1 and K1 Max, incorporating further options that set it aside. A type of is an upgraded nozzle that may higher face up to abrasive carbon fiber-filled filaments.
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Engineered for Carbon Fiber
A standout enchancment is the fully revamped instrument head, which now features a 300° hot-end with a hardened metal nozzle tip. Creality calls it a “unicorn” nozzle. This design is ideal for dealing with specialist supplies like carbon fiber, making the K1C significantly interesting to trade professionals.
The brand new, upgraded hot-end on the Creality K1C
This enhancement brings to thoughts the specialised carbon heads of the Cel-Robox Twin from just a few years in the past. Its design is supposed to raised face up to the grit and particulates in carbon fiber-filled PLA, PA, and PET.
Whereas it shares the identical dimension and mechanical specs because the K1, the K1C advantages from superior options just like the AI digital camera, beforehand unique to the bigger K1 Max. Creality has additionally added a rubber brush to the rear of the magnetic construct plate for cleansing the nozzle earlier than mattress leveling and printing. A label simply inside the inside provides slicing parameters for numerous filament varieties.
Though the K1C isn’t a direct substitute for the K1, the slight value distinction makes it a pretty improve. With its versatility and superior options, the K1C emerges as a compelling alternative for anybody contemplating a 3D printer from Creality’s K1 sequence. Until that’s, you like to attend just a few months for the K2 Plus multicolor mannequin to start out delivery.
Let’s dive into why I believe the K1C is a good addition to your workshop now, although.
What Comes Within the Field
As you unpack the Creality K1C, you’ll discover there received’t be a lot meeting required. Extra on that momentarily, however right here’s what you need to discover within the field as you pull all the pieces out.
- The Crealty KC printer itself
- A pair of aspect cutters
- A plastic scraper
- {Hardware} needed to complete meeting
- A USB stick containing the person handbook and pattern fashions to print
- A pattern spool of white Creality Hyper PLA
You’ll additionally discover a fast begin card that will help you end assembling your 3D printer. The complete person handbook, together with a duplicate of Creality Print slicer software program and some pattern fashions to print.
Getting the Creality K1C Up and Working
There’s little or no you’ll must do to get the Creality K1C printing. Because it comes about 98% assembled proper out of the field, finalizing the meeting is fairly straightforward. You should pop on the air filter to the again, screw on the filament holder, and plug within the contact display.
There are additionally three screws holding the print mattress in place throughout delivery. You’ll must take away these, and that’s not the simplest job on the earth. The screws are small however lengthy, they usually’re in a tightly confined area on the backside of the printer.
As soon as that’s accomplished, and also you’ve made certain to set the facility provide to the proper voltage in your nation, you possibly can plug the printer in and switch it on. It’s going to run an computerized leveling program that each ranges the mattress and performs enter shaping to regulate the settings to accommodate for vibration and resonance. This may take about quarter-hour, then you possibly can transfer on to loading the filament and starting your first print.
Loading the Filament: an Awkward Process
Loading the filament is a bit tough. Initially, Creality’s directions for doing so are a bit missing; I needed to verify the assist tutorials for the unique K1 to study precisely what to do. You feed the filament by means of the runout sensor on the again by means of the reverse Bowden tube. As soon as it reaches the extruder, transfer the locking lever on prime of the extruder so you possibly can feed the filament the remainder of the best way to the gears.
When feeding the filament, you would possibly discover the curve of the Bowden tube alongside the chain and into the extruder causes a little bit of a jam. Simply pull the filament again a bit and feed it once more, adjusting the curvature of the Bowden tube if it’s essential to. Lock the lever on prime and use the touchscreen to extrude the filament. Chances are you’ll must repeat the Extrude step a few occasions and will must push the filament deeper into the extruder once more.
Now, the rear placement of the filament holder is a bit awkward. I needed to flip my printer round to load filament, merely to offer myself sufficient room to work comfortably. Creality does embrace the STL recordsdata to print a few choices for side-mounting the filament holder and people do assist.
Sadly, you continue to should cope with the runout sensor positioned on the again of the printer. My subsequent undertaking goes to be relocating that sensor to the aspect, which ought to make loading and unloading filament an absolute breeze.
One other Beneficial Mod
There’s one different mod I’d advocate for the K1C. As shipped, the chain and PTFE filament tube will strike the K1C’s lid every time the extruder strikes all the best way to the left. Whereas this shouldn’t trigger any issues with print high quality, it may be a disconcerting sound. There are a number of risers you possibly can print to alleviate this.
You may additionally respect a riser that features an air vent you possibly can open and shut. Creality recommends eradicating the lid or opening the door if the chamber temperature exceeds 34º Celsius for PLA. Opening an air vent close to the highest of the printer will normally remove the necessity to do that.
Beneath the lid, you possibly can see a riser printed to maintain the chain linked to the extruder from placing the printer’s lid.
3D Printing Jobs on the K1C
There are three handy strategies to switch recordsdata to the K1C for printing. You should use a USB stick, hook up with the 3D printer through WiFi, or use Creality Cloud. Like most comparable portals by different 3D printer producers, Creality Cloud’s interface may be very busy and overly gamified. Nonetheless, you would possibly benefit from the expertise.
Slicing Your STLs
Creality has its personal software program, based mostly on an older model of Utilimaker Cura and known as Creality Print. Utilizing Creality Print, you possibly can retrieve recordsdata from Creality Cloud, slice STLs for printing, and transmit the G-code to the K1C. Whereas utilizing the Cloud is non-obligatory, this system means that you can drag and drop STL recordsdata out of your arduous drive into the slicer, and you’ll switch recordsdata utilizing Wi-Fi or a USB stick.
Creality Print is user-friendly and comes with quite a few presets for numerous filaments. Though its structure differs from Cura or PrusaSlicer, it affords the identical functionalities. The software program’s Gadget tab serves as a streamlined Klipper display, displaying your printer’s file storage, temperatures, movement system, and digital camera. You’ll be able to even use the Object Exclude function from right here.
From the Gadget tab, you too can drag and drop recordsdata from different slicers on to your printer. Whereas there aren’t any built-in profiles for Cura or PrusaSlicer right now, creating them is simple utilizing an Ender 3 as the bottom.
Printing the Information
The K1C is a quick powerhouse, and it could actually deal with many several types of filaments. The 3D printer may even deal with carbon fiber-filled filament with ease, permitting a bit extra selection to what you possibly can print.
I’ve skilled terrific outcomes printing on the Creality K1C. Each mannequin proven on this article was printed with ease with out utilizing any helps. The one advice I’ve is to allow Skirt underneath Construct Plate Adhesion. The priming line the extruder prints earlier than beginning the primary layer isn’t at all times sufficient to get the filament flowing correctly.
Last Ideas
The Creality K1C is a good 3D printer and a superb enchancment over the K1. Nonetheless, it does lack multicolor printing assist coming quickly within the K2 Plus. Whereas Creality assures me the complete K1 lineup, together with the K1C, will ultimately have an improve path to do multicolor 3D printing, chances are you’ll favor to attend for the K2 Plus to start out delivery in October 2024.
The Creality K1C retails for $559 from the producer’s retailer, however reductions are sometimes obtainable.
