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Hi everyone! This is Top 3D Shop, and in this video, we will tell you about a new high-end 3D printer from the Chinese company Creality - K1 Max.
Creality 3D has been in business since 2014, producing a fairly diverse range of 3D printing equipment, mainly for the hobbyist segment.
In the early years of development, it gained its popularity with products such as Ender 3 and CR-10.
Today, the company’s production capacity allows it to produce FDM and resin 3D printers, industrial 3D printers, electronics for their control, 3D scanners, and consumables for printing.
During these 9 years, the company has earned trust due to the quality of its products as well as some interesting innovations.
On the screen, you can see the main characteristics of the product in question. Recently we reviewed a compact and fast 3D printer from Creality’s new series - K1. We recommend you watch that video, and today, we are going to talk about its more advanced Max version.
Creality K1 is a brand new line of 3D printers. It is characterized by high printing speed and equipped with various modern features such as automatic bed leveling, additional cooling of the build area, and improved air circulation in the chamber. The Max model also includes such innovations as Lidar analyzing the quality of the first layer, as well as a camera that can detect problems during printing, or even a foreign object on the platform, which will immediately stop printing.
But as always, let's start our review with the supply package.
Despite the printer’s impressive build volume, the package is still small, which indicates the compactness of the device. Everything inside is packed securely with foam, with the contents neatly organized in boxes. Importantly, the printer comes fully assembled.
In contrast to the standard model, the package of the Max version is richer: in addition to all the same tools for maintenance and operation as well as extra elements for the final assembly, they added a special lubricant for the guides, a 1 kg spool of hyper PLA (in contrast to 200 grams for K1), and a spare hotend. It is the same for Max, but with a different nozzle, a copper one with a hardened steel tip. It probably won’t last long with composites, since the heating zone is still prone to wear, but the manufacturer leaves the possibility to change the nozzle for the Volcano hotend: the thread is the same, only the tip of the nozzle is shorter by 2 mm. And since the print head movement along Z is controlled by load sensors, there is no need to adjust anything after the replacement.
The maximum temperature of the hotend is increased from 300 to 320 ℃.
The design of K1 Max is based on 3D printers of the Chinese company Bambu Lab, especially when it comes to the mechanics.
As with the standard version, K1 Max is probably the most compact model to date among enclosed 3D printers in the category.
The enclosure is made of cast aluminum parts - two frames at the top and bottom, connected by four posts around the perimeter. The back wall and the lower part forming the electronics compartment are of ABS plastic. The sides and top cover are acrylic, and the door is made of glass. It closes tightly and is firmly fixed by magnets. There is only one drawback: the door opens slightly more than to 90 degrees, so you need to be more careful when working with the printer.
Unlike K1, the Max version has a flat top cover also made of glass. It is not fixed and can be completely removed.
All the transparent elements are made of gray tinted material, which gives a modern and balanced look to the device.
The same high speed of printing is declared for Max, and it is primarily ensured due to the sturdy frame.
Secondly, the same fast kinematics CoreXY is applied. As with their other product lines, Creality has implemented it here traditionally, with cylindrical guides, but this time with brass-graphite bushings as bearings. Unlike ball bearings, the bushings make the mechanics much quieter. Two powerful stepper motors are responsible for moving the printing tool.
Another factor making fast printing possible is the compact and lightweight print head. At the same time, it contains the peripheral control electronics, a dual-drive feeder, and extremely productive hotend, the maximum flow rate of which can gain up to 32 cubic millimeters per second. A powerful fan is also set to cool the extruder on both sides. Furthermore, a longer nozzle is used, with a heating zone twice the size of the standard one.