On the occasion of their ninth anniversary, Creality has announced a number of very interesting new products.
It could be said that Creality announces products frequently, and they do. But this week’s blockbuster announcement is far more than they’ve ever done in the past. In all, it seems they have launched no fewer than five 3D printers, a laser engraver, a footwear extruder, and an advanced AI-powered calibration accessory.
It’s going to be difficult to cover all these, but let’s get started.
The K1 Desktop FFF 3D Printer Series
The flagship product of this announcement must be the new K1 desktop FFF 3D printer series. The series includes a base K1 model and a K1 Max.
The K1’s build volume is 220 x 220 x 250 mm, and the K1 Max’s is 300 x 300 x 300 mm. Both are CoreXY machines, an interesting switch for Creality, which has largely relied on the bedslinger i3 approach until now. CoreXY motion system designs are most often used in higher-speed 3D printers, and that is precisely what is happening here. Both the K1 and K1 Max are high-speed 3D printers that can print at up to an amazing 600mm/s.
Creality is using some form of input shaping. They explain:
“Both the K1 and K1 Max employ G-sensors to solve the resonance issue and eliminate ringing or ghosting patterns on the surface of models caused by high-speed printing.”
That’s extremely fast, but most likely, practical print jobs won’t get quite that fast. Nevertheless, these machines are certainly far faster than Creality’s prior models. Creality writes that the K1 series can print a good-quality #3DBenchy in only 13 minutes. That’s incredibly fast!
Apparently, Creality had to devise a new slicing system to enable the high speeds, so expect to use a different software tool with the K1s.
What’s more interesting is that the K1 series is equipped with substantial networking, cloud connectivity, and remote control features. It seems that Creality has implemented some form of farm management system where an array of K1s could be running production jobs. This will require more investigation, for sure.
The advanced leveling accessory mentioned above is installed by default in the K1 Max. This accessory includes a LIDAR sensor that scans the print bed and develops a surface model of “one million points”. That’s equivalent to 1,000 x 1,000 touches for mechanical sensors used in other equipment. The K1 series also includes a strain sensor built into the toolhead. Creality said:
“Each of the two leveling methods ensures good leveling, and when combined, it has never been easier to achieve perfect leveling and print a perfect first layer.”
There’s also an “AI Camera” system that uses a 1080p sensor and machine learning to automatically detect print failures. This item can be purchased separately for use in other machines.
The HALOT-MAGE Resin 3D Printer Series
Beyond the K1 Series, there is a new resin 3D printer series, the HALOT-MAGE. This is composed of the HALOT-MAGE and HALOT-MAGE PRO. It looks like these machines are designed for production use, as they have incredibly fast print speeds “three to five times faster” than other printers. This is likely due to a new lifting scheme that can apparently switch layers in only 1.2s.
These devices are also networked, have large control panels, and automatic resin top-up — and removal. This deserves attention, as few resin systems have good ways to remove resin. There is an air purification system to eliminate odors, and perhaps best of all, a flip-open lid!
Sermoon D3 Pro 3D Printer
Creality has added to the fully enclosed Sermoon 3D printer series with the new Sermoon D3 Pro. This device can print at high speeds, although not quite as fast as the K1 series: 300mm/s.
The D3 Pro is a dual extrusion system, meaning you should be able to print highly complex geometries with the use of soluble support material in the extra extruder.
The D3 Pro is also equipped with active heating, suggesting that a wide variety of materials may be printed. Creality states they’ve tested over 20 so far, including metal filaments through a partnership with BASF.
The Sermoon D3 Pro looks to be a very interesting machine, as it is almost completely automated, enclosed, and able to print virtually anything.
Other New Creality Products
Creality announced a new 3D scanner, the CR-Scan Ferret. This device uses a structured light system to scan, which apparently even works in direct sunlight.
There’s also a new laser engraver, the Falcon2. This device has a very powerful 40W laser, which enables not only engraving, but quick cutting of many materials. Creality explains:
“It can cut through 20mm wood board and 0.15mm stainless steel in one pass at speed up to 25000mm/min.”
Finally, the last item is a new footwear solution. It seems the company has tweaked their Sprite extrusion system to accommodate flexible materials that would be frequently used by the footwear industry. Creality has collected all the necessary components into a package that would presumably enable transforming a normal 3D printer into a footwear printer.
Whew! That’s a lot of new products from Creality, and we are certainly going to be looking deeper into them in the coming weeks.
Via Creality
Some details are not correct.
The K1 and K1 max are not both 300x300x300.
The falcon2 is not a 40W, but s 22W laser and can not cut stainless steel of 0.15mm but 0.05mm.
“Both devices are 300 x 300 x 300 mm CoreXY machines” is incorrect, K1 Max is 300x300x300. K1 is 220x220x250