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3DPrint.com Review of the Creality CR-6 SE

I received a pre-production version of the Creality CR-6 SE 3D printer for review a few weeks ago. I’m pleasantly surprised with this solid printer which is currently on Kickstarter for $339 and will be $429 later. It’s a step up from earlier Creality offerings, is relatively easy to use, and dependable. It’s a value for money machine that is an improved version of an Ender with some better components. Safety features, an improved extruder, and a better feeder make this a better printer, suited for beginners and everyday use.

Specs 

  • 235 by 235 by 250mm build volume.
  • Auto-leveling
  • Filament end detection
  • Touch screen
  • Mini USB/SD Card
  • Carborundum glass bed

Unboxing

Unboxing the CR-6 was easy and the most difficult thing was the manual. I also didn’t know about the handy little tool drawer beforehand but actually that is quite handy once I managed to find it. The toolset is alright with the little pliers being very handy indeed. I had the printer set up and printing within 15 minutes of unpacking it. One of the only parts where you have to pay attention is in placing the Z stage correctly, so just take some time to make sure that this is perpendicular and that it is placed absolutely level. The other part where you have to pay attention is when placing the main plug on the front of the printer the right way.

Software 

I had to update the firmware and the Creality software worked well for the printer. I also tried just regular Cura with a modified Ender profile and this worked well also. I did some prints with Slic3r and this was fine as well. The Creality software is relatively easy to use and easy for beginners as well. There were some issues with saving to the SD cards with my own SD cards not working and certain file names being too long or having exotic characters and not working either. The workarounds were to format my SD cards and to shorten the file names.

Touchscreen 

I had some issues with the touchscreen crashing but this was due to me having a preproduction version and was fixed. Other than that, the touchscreen works well and is super simple to use every day. Menus that you need are very accessible. Part of me wanted more accessible tuning options but that would make it more complex to understand.

Leveling & Filament End Detection

Bed leveling worked like a dream on the printer and was super easy. Filament end detection and pausing prints worked as well. I also ripped out filament and the software paused the print and let me feed new filament back in again. These features are all very handy and work well.

Carborundum glass build plate 

This part really threw me. The first week I totally completely loved the build plate which is a coated glass plate that works like a dream for PLA. I tried several PLA variants and they all worked well. After intensive use however, there were some adhesion issues especially with prints that had little initial surface area. I found it more difficult to clean this plate compared to regular glass also. I had real issues with the adhesion of ASA, ABS and PETG variant materials on the build plate. I’d recommend another build surface if you’d like to vary your materials. If you don’t damage the plate it works wonderfully with PLA though, so do be careful when removing prints.

Chassis 

The aluminum extruded profile chassis of the printer with the power supply in it makes for a solid base and reduces vibrations and misprints when compared to other similar printers. On the whole, components are more well made than we expect in this price category. Machining and finishing was, on the whole, better than comparable printers as well.

General operation 

It’s a simple system to use and general maintenance stuff such as belt tensioning, leveling, and printing is straightforward. Compared to similarly priced systems it is quiet and just pumps out print after print in PLA. You can hear the fans work but little else. After my testing, I started making dozens of ear savers for friends and acquaintances and it just kept on working well. For PLA it’s a dream at this price point. Feeding in filament was easy as was removing it. I found that for me it worked better with an external spool holder.

Prints 

Prints for PLA were good with the default settings and default operation working well. The printer was reliable and gave a good surface finish straight out of the box. Small tweaks improved this so that one could reliably make PLA prints that looked good.

Opinion

This is a surprisingly solid 3D printer for the price. For entry-level systems this is a step forward in ease of use, components, the chassis, and in general operation. All of the leveling and day to day operation features work well. Both the feeder and nozzle are significant steps up from previous Creality designs. For PLA it works well but with the standard build platform, ABS and other materials are just not possible. Also, I’m not sold on the longevity of the coating on the platform either. This can be remedied through a BuildTak or other build plate though. All in all this is a good printer that offers a lot of value for money for the price.

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3D Printer review: 100 hours with the Creality CR-10 V2

Creality CR 10 V2

Along with competitors Anet and XYZPrinting, Creality form a trio of manufacturers that dominate the low-cost 3D printing segment. Only a few years ago 3D printers under $500 were rare, but these firms have made them accessible and have sold hundreds of thousands of them.

In this segment, there are often a lot of issues with print quality and printer reliability. The Creality CR 10 v2 is the upgraded version of the very popular CR 10 and retails for around $500. Creality in the past has also had quality issues and even some safety issues with some components and models. The CR 10 was known to in some cases catch fire. Subsequent safety improvements have made Crealitys safer. We would not recommend running these types of machines unattended, however. Whereas Creality machines tend to work well out of the box, low-cost components do mean that after a few months you will need to replace components.

After testing it for over 100 hours of print time, we can conclude that CR-10 V2 is a value-engineered machine with a large build volume that works surprisingly well.

Unboxing and Set Up

Unboxing is easy and there is some assembly required. This process is simple if you follow instructions. You can find a video showing you how this is done. Most people should be able to do the assembly and set up of the printer.

The printer has a separate console for controls. For some this may mean that your printer takes up more space on your desk but it could also make it more accessible because you could place the console closer to you. Physically separating the main electronics and controls from the motors and frame could make the machine safer though, so that’s a positive. The filament is placed on top of this console, this seems a bit weird initially but works ok. When running the printer for a long time this does mean that you can prevent tangling by placing your filament spool at the correct angle. You can also place the spool closer to you so you can easily see if there is tangling or problems with unspooling.

Controls

Controls work through a wheeled button. It is easy to navigate through the menu screens. Do not confuse easy with intuitive, however. Menu structure and operations are far from perfect and can be time-consuming and confusing.

Structure

A nice design element is that it has an extra set of diagonal arms that gives the printer more Z-axis consistency. These arms also make the printer more stable overall and seem to have a handle in improving print quality generally. These arms also help when moving it to a new location. The arms make it much more steady overall and makes it is easy to grasp, move and re-position. Build quality on parts looks better than previous models as does overall attention to details such as cable placement. Machined parts also look like they’re better quality than before.

Operation

The ultra-quiet TMC2208 motherboard does not make the printer that quiet. It is actually annoying if you work in the same place that you print. The printer sounds like an old PC and is much too loud. This is an important point for me and actually made me use the printer less often than I would have liked to.

It has a dual-port hot end cooling fans. This is a refinement over some other clones and seems to improve the surface quality of prints. The printer warms up fast enough. Both the nozzle and the bed preheat quickly enough.

Bed leveling is still a semi-automated process. I did it manually with a piece of paper, but I only had to do it 2 times for a 100 hours of printing.

The resume printing function works extremely well. Several simulated stops and starts worked well and I was able to resume prints without incident. During normal operation, I ran out of filament and was able to replace it easily while print was automatically paused. I also really like doing gradients in colors so I like this feature a lot. It helped me play with gradient colors and gave me more confidence in the machne.

Specs

  • Build Volume 300 X 300 X 400mm
  • Weight11.5 K
  • Movement speed ≤180mm/s, normal 30-60mm/s
  • Positioning Accuracy ±0.1mm
  • Layer thickness 0.1-0.4mm
  • Heated bed temperature  ≤100℃
  • SD slot
  • File format STLOBJAMF
  • Slicing software: CuraRepetier-HostSimplify
  • OS: Mac, Linux, WindowsXPVista7810
  • Power supply AC Input 115V/230V
  • Output: 24V Power rating 350W
  • Auto leveling Optional Extra
  • Filaments: PLA/ABS/PETG/TPU (Would only recommend TPU with the optional Titan Direct Drive unit added).
  • Filament diameter1.75mm

Overall it’s well equipped for the price and especially the build volume is comparatively good.

Results


Test 1 and 2: Not bad! Some light stringing. Cura: Layer hight: 0.2 – Print speed: 60mm/s – No Supports

Test 3: This shape is not possible to get right a 100% because the tube has a 1cm diameter and is very sensitive to vibrations, but I use it as a test for the Z axis. Cura: Layer hight: 0.2 – Print speed: 60mm/s – No infill

Verdict 

Pretty good at details. Cura: Layer hight: 0.2 – Print speed: 40mm/s – No Supports

Higher than initial Creality price points of around $200 or $300, this is still a good value machine at around $500. Build and parts quality is not stellar so I will expect to have to replace parts in the long run. Machined parts and build quality does seem superior to previous models, however. Day to day this printer is adequate for an entry-level user. Operation is not super intuitive but you will get the hang of this machine. It is easy to unbox, set up and organize. An issue that I have with it is that it is surprisingly noisy, also when compared to other similarly priced machines I have. The CR-10 V2 is a value-engineered low-cost machine with a large build volume that works surprisingly well. I was happy with the print results overall and the printer let me customize enough through settings that I could dial in new materials, new colors and optimize prints. The print detail is actually quite good. If you’re willing to take the time to understand the process and variables this could be a good first printer for you.

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Interview with Riddhi Maharaj on 3D Printing Space Systems in Africa

NewSpace Logo

Riddhi Maharaj is a Materials Engineer at NewSpace Systems. In this interview, we discuss 3D printing with respect to Space components design, product development and Lean engineering.

Can you give a brief introduction of NewSpace Systems?

NewSpace Systems (NSS) is an advanced satellite component manufacturer predominantly focused on the operational SmallSat constellation market. Making use of our 30 plus years of experience in the space industry, our team specializes in high-reliability Attitude Control Systems and services such as contract manufacturing and technology commercialization. To date, our team has worked with nearly 50 customers, across 5 continents, and has a UK subsidiary and 6 international partners/resellers. Additionally, the NewSpace manufacturing capability currently comprises of a unique state-of-the-art facility on the African continent, boasting several ISO 14644-1, class 7, certified cleanrooms and technicians who have been accredited to European Space Agency standards (ECSS), to effectively support our international clients and their demanding missions.

A chemical engineer by training, I obtained my B.Sc Honours in 2013 and an M.Sc in Chemical Engineering in 2016. Currently, I am pursuing an M.Phil in Space Studies, part-time, through the University of Cape Town. While my formal title at NewSpace Systems is that of Materials Engineer, on a day to day basis I’m involved in several R&D projects, one of which was aimed at the development of metal additive manufacturing high-frequency Radio Frequency (RF) components.

From your experience, how important is 3D printing and Additive Manufacturing in product development and Lean Engineering?

3D printing is a constantly developing technology that plays an important role in rapid product development and lean engineering due to the nature of the process. By allowing for rapid prototyping of parts additive manufacturing is a critical stage in lean engineering product development.

Printer pictures MH3

3D printing is a technique that builds objects layer by layer using materials such as polymers, metals, and composites, offering unparalleled manufacturing flexibility. 3D printing relies on CAD software to print products and in so doing drastically reduces the amount of supply chain management. Due to the additive nature of the process, it allows for the manufacture of very complex components with a substantial reduction in manufacturing time, costs and material wastage which are key objectives in the lean engineering approach.

Additionally, AM provides the users with the flexibility to create complex part geometries that are difficult to build using traditional manufacturing methods. Parts can now be manufactured with intricate internal cavities and lattice structures that help reduce parts’ weight without compromising their mechanical performance. Furthermore, AM machines produce less scrap than traditional machines and allow for recycling of the metal powder alloys further reducing material wastage.

One of the major advantages, which further cements the importance of 3D printing in product development and lean engineering, is that 3D printing allows for the fabrications of monolithic parts. In the space industry where mass is a premium,3D printing allows for lighter more efficient products that can also be produced faster. This is a major benefit in space product development given the growing demands of the industry for rapid product R&D and delivery.

What significant role has 3D printing and Additive manufacturing played in NewSpace Systems?

NewSpace Systems as a lean engineering company has increasingly started to utilize 3D printing in our product development in the last couple of years. It is typically used for rapid prototyping of new products during the product development phase to develop marketing ‘mock-ups’ of our products,  and to manufacture complex test and product assembly jigs, to ensure that our products meet our stringent quality standards.

Space Components

Apart from that, NSS is actively involved in the development of a new product line that utilizes laser metal 3D printing in titanium and aluminum to produce high-frequency RF and microwave products. High-frequency RF products are used extensively in satellite communication payloads. These systems are highly complex and are both difficult and expensive to manufacture using traditional methods which also produce very heavy systems. Due to the geometric freedoms offered by metal 3D printing, it allows for extremely light-weight and even more complex and highly efficient RF systems to be manufactured faster.  This led to NSS incubating a spin-out company, LambdaG.

LambdaG is a technology company specializing in the design and manufacturing of advanced RF & microwave components. Their primary focus areas are microwave components and innovative antenna systems in space, defense, and aerospace domains. Together with NewSpace Systems (Industry partner), they offer bespoke and custom 3D-printed waveguide components for small satellites. This additive manufacturing solution allows for unparalleled design flexibility. Their primary solutions are, but not limited to antenna systems for Telemetry, tracking and control, payloads, feed chains, diplexers and filters, passive waveguide components and custom sub-assemblies. LambdaG’s goal is to advance RF and microwave connectivity within the space, aerospace and defense domains with the aid of material science and advanced manufacturing. LambdaG is currently developing several requirement-driven RF & microwave products from L- to Ka-band as innovative solutions to the growing satellite communication needs.

Space equipment

Has 3D printing become a key technology in Materials Engineering?

I think 3D printing has become a key technology across a lot of engineering disciplines, not just materials engineering. Through my experience with metal 3D printed materials, I have noticed active R&D in the production of metal alloys and a growing area of interest being metamaterials.

 

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Long Term Home Review of Ultimaker’s New S5 Professional 3D Printer

At Hannover Messe this past April, desktop 3D printing leader Ultimaker introduced its first new 3D printer in two years – the S5, an expansion to its professional 3D printer portfolio. Ultimaker reseller Dynamism showcased the new S5 at RAPID + TCT that same month, as did Ultimaker itself. The desktop system, with a 330 x 240 x 300 mm build volume, has all kinds of great features, including dual extrusion, an intuitive touchscreen integrated into the front panel, and an enclosed front with tinted glass doors…so imagine my excitement when I learned that Dynamism would be shipping me a review unit!

Full disclosure – while I’ve completed 3D prints before at Dayton’s 3D printing bar, this would be my first time setting up and operating a 3D printer all on my own. So when the gigantic box, and a smaller one of extra filament, arrived on my porch, I was a little…okay, a lot…intimidated. In fact, I was so concerned about not having anything pull focus from the unboxing and set-up process that the gigantic carton just sat in my dining room for a few days until the opportune moment. At 3DPrint.com we do not charge money for reviews. This is my own experience and my own opinion.

I’ll say this – the S5 was extremely well packaged. I was amazed at the sheer amount of used packing material I had at the end of the process, but also not surprised; I was dealing with precious cargo, after all. Another thing I will say, with complete honesty, is that while I write about technology all day every day, handling it is not my personal forte. So the fact that I was able to get this machine out of the box and set up with relatively few hiccups means that anyone can. The provided instructions were easy to follow, and if I needed more information, I just checked out the Ultimaker Resources.


The S5 came with a test print and a box of hardware accessories and tools, including two print cores, several nozzle covers, the glass build plate, a 2 mm Hex screwdriver, a glue stick, spool holder with a material guide, XY calibration sheets, a power cable, and a USB drive. The 3D printer also came with Tough PLA and PVA support material, the latter of which I am in love with…but more on that later.

Keeping my cats and dogs away!

I found it fairly straightforward to set up most of the hardware, but I had a bit of trouble using the clips to secure the Bowden tubes; however, I think that was more user error than anything else. I had no issues installing the Cura software, or updating the firmware once the 3D printer was fully up and running, though it took me a couple of tries to get the 3D printer to connect to my WiFi. While there were no problems loading the materials, I had a harder time installing the BB 0.4 print core. I think this was mainly due to the fact that I was so insanely aware of just how expensive this machine was and was treating it with kid gloves, and a firmer hand is sometimes required when installing hardware. Luckily, the more I used the 3D printer, the more comfortable I became.

Speaking of actually using the 3D printer, when the time finally came to test it out, I got a little too excited and forgot about a very important step: calibration. I very quickly realized that there was a problem, as the print was stringing and not adhering to the build plate, even though I’d applied a thin layer of glue, and stopped the job about three minutes in. While I was sad that my first print was far from a resounding success, I resolved to make it right.

I again waited a bit to try calibrating the S5, partly because I was busy but mainly because I was intimidated by it all over again. But once I took the time to sit down and figure it out, the calibration sheet that came with the 3D printer was a breeze to use, and I was on my way once again, ready to try 3D printing something that wasn’t just the calibration grid of straight lines.

My first successful attempt was one of the two sample prints that came on the included USB drive, which printed very quickly. I love the intuitive touchscreen on the front of the S5 – it’s very user-friendly, and I quickly figured out how to pull up a rough image of what the print would look like once it was complete, so I’d know that it was printing correctly. Once I pried the tiny print off of the plate (a very easy task thanks to a layer of glue underneath), I put it in a small container of water and let it sit overnight, so I could see how long it took to dissolve the PVA support structures.

I loved the Ultimaker water soluble PVA. It was just so easy – pop the print in water and let the material work its magic. It’s possible to simply crunch and pull the supports off by hand as well, but the immediate effect wasn’t as clean. Obviously, the larger and more complicated the prints were, the longer I had to let them sit in water, and I learned that unless I felt like getting gummy residue stuck to my fingers, it was best to just wait until the supports had 100% completely dissolved. It was also a little tough cleaning the build plate, as the PVA sort of bonded with the glue and became hard to scrub off. But I followed the advice of the Dynamism team and got a soft, non-abrasive sponge to help with this task.



My next two prints were included Cura files: a star trophy and a rocket ship. Both of these were fairly straightforward prints, and gave me a chance to try out an extra form of bed adhesion with the addition of a brim; I can tell you now I much prefer a skirt, but I figured I would just give it a shot.

The first print I completed that wasn’t already included in Cura or the USB drive was a Harry Potter Logo by Cults3D user 3DNaow, which turned out great. It’s definitely my favorite 3D print from this review, mostly because I love Harry Potter. Because I majorly scaled it down, the print took a lot less time to complete as well.

I’m going to take a moment here to rave about the remote monitoring. I didn’t download the app, but I did not have the S5 set up in my office. I live in an older Cape Cod house, and my office is in the half story upstairs, which doesn’t have great ventilation. So I decided it would be better to put the 3D printer on a table in my dining room, which is in a much more open part of the house. But this meant that I couldn’t keep my eye on it during the day. Having the option to monitor my print jobs from upstairs, thanks to Cura and the camera located above the auto-leveling bed, provided me with peace of mind.

I would have called this adorable Low Poly T-rex by Thingiverse user slavikk my favorite, had I not screwed it up so badly. I had been messing around in the custom settings in Cura, just to try and put the system through its paces by changing up things like the infill and layer height, and I somehow managed to change the support material from Extruder 2 – the Natural PVA – to Extruder 1 – the Tough PLA. It took me about a quarter of the way into the print to realize my mistake, and by then it was too late. So this dino is still pretty cute, but I think he will be much better-looking when I take the time to get an X-Acto knife and cut away the black supports from the front.

In completing my small collection of low poly animals from Thingiverse, I chose to 3D print a Low Poly Cat – another print by slavikk – and a Low Poly Stanford Bunny by johnny6. I put both the cat and the bunny on the build plate at the same time for a 7.5 hour print. This is where things started to get a little rocky.



About four hours in, an error message popped up on the touchscreen: “One material appears to be empty. Please change it to a new material to continue printing.” I wasn’t home (this became the only time I left the house during a print job) and my husband texted me about it, but said that it didn’t appear that the filament was empty. Once I got home and took a look, it was definitely very obvious that neither filament was empty, so I just took a shot in the dark and pressed ‘Ok’ below the error message to confirm that I had changed to a new material, even though I hadn’t, just to see if it would start up again.

I got lucky and the prints resumed…for about 20 minutes. Then, the same thing happened again, I tried the same fix, and things continued on, though the support material was looking pretty stringy. About an hour later, the connection went out and I lost the monitor view upstairs, but the S5 just kept rolling along.



My next print was an STL file that the Dynamism team had sent me of a generic sample spare part, which took about 15 hours to print, with no supports, when scaled to 100%. It was a good illustration of just how important professional 3D printers, like the S5, can be for businesses in need of prototypes or models. The level of quality and accuracy of the prints produced on the S5 is just stellar, in my opinion. Maybe you should take my opinion with a grain of salt, because as I noted earlier, I’m not an expert on using 3D printers, but that’s up to you.

Realizing that not a single one of the items I’d 3D printed so far were at all useful, I  went back to Thingiverse and found this batman earphones holder by itlaor, which quickly printed without any supports and is now being used by my husband, with great appreciation, to keep his earbuds from getting tangled up all the time.

I also decided to 3D print this very detailed Eagle Sculpture by Thingiverse user 3DWP for my husband, who is an Eagle Scout and has a small collection of eagle figurines and sculptures. With this one, I couldn’t get my computer upstairs to connect to the 3D printer downstairs. I turned the WiFi off on both the computer and the printer and then immediately back on, and still nothing. So in the interest of saving time, I simply saved the STL file to the USB drive and printed it that way. About 10 hours in to the 16.5 hour print, I got the same error message I’d received with the low poly animals, and “fixed” it the same way. It seemed to only occur on prints with PVA supports for some reason.

I enjoyed trying out the Ultimaker S5 3D printer from Dynamism. I had it for far longer than I planned, but thoroughly enjoyed using it. What I knew already from writing about this technology daily, and have now had the chance to truly experience for myself, is that 3D printing takes time, which is something I don’t always have in the evenings – I do a decent amount of church and theatre volunteer work. So I kept searching for quick print jobs to try with the S5 because I just do not often have 15-24 hours where I am at my house the entire time. But as for the quality and ease of use – that was top notch.

The Ultimaker S5 is available for purchase on the Dynamism website starting at $5,995.

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.

[Images taken by Sarah Saunders for 3DPrint.com]