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Transcript

Hello everybody and welcome to another video. In today’s review, we’ll be taking a closer look at the Ender 3 S1 by Creality and see what this machine has to offer. Full disclaimer, I purchased this machine with my own money in order to do this review, so everything you see here is based on my own opinion.

With this new machine, with have a newly upgraded build plate which is both flexible and has excellent print adhesion. While I have had this machine for a couple of months now, the build surface has held up and has not visible damage as yet. I haven’t had any issues with the prints sticking and removal has been quite easy with the print’s, self releasing if they’re allowed to fully cool down. In fact, I was so impressed by it that I order a second surface for my Ender 3 V2 which I had upgraded in a previous video.

This machine has been the first to come with ferrules connection out of the box, which I’m happy to report. What I have found confusing however is the fact this machine has proper connections while the CR10 Smart Pro still has tinned one. So although my machine has the proper connection types, I would still recommend you double-check yours since I purchased mine on Amazon and some reseller’s upgrade the machines prior to sending them out.

This machine does in fact have silent stepper drivers, however they did not upgrade the extruder fans to be more silent, so it can be still quite loud during operations. This is an unfortunate oversight since the hot end assembly has so many great innovations included within its design.

Similar to other recent machines, this one has a drawer which contains all the tools you’ll need to repair it in the future. This is appreciated since it makes it easier to keep everything organized and easy to find when you need it. I’ve gotten in the habit of storing original hardware, which I may have replaced, in this drawer just in case I need it later on.

The X gantry has a small clip to help to hold the cable to the hot end assembly, and while this allows for clean cable management, it doesn’t quite work correctly. When printing, the cable for the hot end assembly bends and cause the limit switch and motor connections to become strained. If you already have this machine, you may which to print this cable support to help keep this portion into place. You’ll need an extra long M3 screw to attach this into place, along with a Zip tie. I will have this file available on my website along with the PDF survival guide for this machine.

Thermal Runaway Detection was tested and is fully functional. The nice thing about this extruder drive is that it can easily be detached with the cable, so you have access to all the connections. This made it a lot easier to test as a result and will make maintenance in general a lot easier. The company has also recently released the source code files for the firmware, which should make it easier to upgrade in the future. Although not all of their machines are currently available, it’s likely that they may be in the future. I will include a link in the description below as to where you can find the repositories.

With the new dual Z axis, bed levelling should be less of an issue and shouldn’t be required as often. Both motors are linked together with a timing belt to help keep them in sync with each other. Although you shouldn’t have any issues out of the box, you’ll want to make sure that your stepper motor timing is properly synced up. For this, you’ll loosen one of the clutch screws for both motors and, with the machine turned on, use the menu to lift it up and down a bit. You’ll then simply re-tighten them, and should be good to go.

The spool holder and filament run out are both located on the top of the machine and have also been updated. The spool holder has the filament run out sensor attached to it’s front, which allows the sensor to rotate with the hot end assembly. While this helps reduce the amount of friction it does raise the overall height of the machine and because of my limited amount of space I had to create this filament guide to get around the issue. It should also be noted that having the spool holder on the top of the machine can cause more vibrations, which can affect final print quality. So although this is a great innovation, you may need to do some form of modification depending on your space limitations. I will have the STL for this modification available on my main website if you wanted to try it out for yourself.

With the upgraded hot end assembly, we now have the new sprite extruder, which uses a direct drive mechanic. It’s similar to that of the CR10 Smart Pro with one important difference. In this case, although it is does have a Sprite Extruder, it isn’t an all metal hot end. This machine has a Bowden tube which lines the inside of the heat break and should be replaced with a Capricorn one to prevent any future issues. At the time of this recording, some upgradable or replacement parts were not yet available within my area. The only way to get the upgradable components is by agreeing to the terms of service and become a Creality reseller. Due to how the wording of certain clauses are, I find this to be risky and have refused to do so.

So what is the final verdict on this machine? Well this machine is a very reliable one which has become my go to for many prints. With the source code released, it’s a great option for those just starting or more advanced user’s alike. The only sticking point at the moment is the lack of available replacement parts, so although that’s something they’ll need to address in the future, they have left it open to modifications and alternatives. So for me, this gets a solid 8/10 for both new users and veterans alike.

By Posted on Posted in Posts, Uncategorized, Video


So how does Creality treat its vendors? Just how much do they want to control the message that goes out to the public? Well, I found this one their main website by accident when I needed a replacement part for a video. I personally find this to be very concerning and worry about how they treat their resellers.

The issue I found this with this is that they haven’t limited their use of any assets which are shared on their platform, and it could potentially be used to resell STL’s and take the revenue from any shared videos. At the time of recording this, this was the only way to get certain replacement parts from the company, since their resellers didn’t have them available at the time. So in order to purchase any items you must be signed up to this service in particular and be restricted to their reseller program. With some of their reseller’s limiting their selection of products this will make it difficult to buy replacement or upgradable parts which is most likely to limit the lifespan of newly released machines.

While I am focusing on the use of the information that’s shared within this contract, there are certain areas which could also be problematic. The clause of additional fees could easily be used to sell the work of other’s by including this as a service. Since this contract is clearly stated as being flexible and could change at any time, there is also the potential for this contract to be changed to something more questionable in the future.

Original link to VIP:
https://vip.creality.com/en/register

By Posted on Posted in 3d Printing Reviews, Posts, Uncategorized, Video


Transcript

Hello everybody and welcome to another video. In today’s review, we’ll be taking a closer look at the CR10 Smart PRO version by Creality and see what this machine has to offer. Full disclaimer, I purchased this machine with my own money in order to do this review, so everything you see here is based on my own opinion.

For those of you who follow this channel, you already know my opinion on the regular CR10 Smart and this was quite a different experience mixed is with some familiar ones. To start things off, I didn’t need to update the firmware in order to get the machine to function properly, which is always a good sign. If you need to update your machine, however, make sure to check out my other video since there’s quite a few things to be aware of when starting off. So while the update process is still quite finicky, it isn’t required to get a functioning machine.

Unlike previous machines, the company has decided to stop providing the source code and this will make future upgrades more difficult and can prevent newer features from becoming available. Like most budget friendly machines, most of these are notorious for not updating to the newer versions of marlin, which often limits their usability and can sometimes present safety issues. I did test thermal runaway protection, and I’m happy to report that the safeties are in place for the stock version of the firmware. One thing I would have liked to see, however, is a specific warning of was triggered to make it easier to troubleshoot later on. As is, there’s just a generic warning in place. Now, if this warning triggers’ when you first get your machine, I could be that you improperly installed the connection to the hot end assembly. So you’ll first want to reseed it, making sure that both ends are properly secured and held in place with both the clips and the bracket.

I’m happy to report that the automated bed levelling feature works quite well on this machine out of the box. With the inclusion of the adjustment knobs, is easily adjusted to ensure proper print adhesion. When you first get your machine, you’ll first want to manually adjust the bed levelling prior to doing an automatic one. Once completed, you can choose to include an auto bed levelling procedure in your G-Code commands or do so when needed. As long as your print bed is levelled, you should only need to do this periodically instead. I will have a separate video on how to level your print bed, but for now I do have the downloadable PDF for this machine if you need it right away.

This machine like so many others on the market has tinned wired connections which should replaced with ferrule one’s. This is unfortunately a pattern with most companies and I would like this to be changed in the future since it does pose a safety risk. I already have a video going over this process in more detail, so please feel free to check that out if you ensure what’s involved.

The hot end assembly has been updated to include the sprite extruder with the all metal upgrade. With this addition, you can now print with higher temperature materials right out of the box instead of having to add this feature yourself. There is still is a small Bowden tube connection that connects to the feeder, which I prefer to replace with a Capricorn one, but I wouldn’t say this is required unless you encounter issues. Both the entire Hot end is a custom design, so unfortunately it’ll be difficult to purchase replacements from any other vendors at this time, but it was designed so that key components can be easily swapped out. The remainder of the hot end assembly is quite difficult to take apart since all the components have been tightly integrated together. Luckily, it doesn’t seem like this should be needed unless you were doing any modification. They seem to have learned from the Ender 3 S1, and have added some additional support for the hot end assembly cable. The cable does still do a twisting motion when moving around, which could cause it to wear over time, and there isn’t currently a purchasable replacement cable. Some hot end connections use a non-standard connector, which could make alternative replacement parts more difficult to find. The heat break is also using a different length and threading size than what’s standard, which once again makes it difficult to find alternative versions of these parts. The machine which I purchased showed signs of pre-testing, so quality control may have improved in comparison to previous versions.

A great new feature is the integrated lighting which has been included with the machine out of the box and is something which I didn’t think I would even need until it was available. So far this has made it a lot easier to work on the machine and turns off automatically when the machine is powered off. Alternatively, you can turn off the light with the power switch as well, making this new feature quite convenient to use.

The bottom screws that attach the base of the machine are very easily striped, so be very careful when putting them in or taking them out. I will be replacing those since I don’t want to risk being unable to access the components of my machine. When you open up the machine, you’ll see the integrated Creality Wifi Box which I of course disconnected, so I could use the USB port to connect to my computer or raspberry pie directly. I have a previous video going through this process if you intend to do the same.

The build plate has been upgraded to a flex build plate, and they’ve added some indentations to make it easier to line it up during re-installation. I personally love this new feature because it makes it so much faster to swap the build plate in and out. If you have a printing farm, then having a series of build plates you swap out just became a lot faster with this machine.

This machine has a lot of new innovations, and I’m happy to see that they’ve been properly implemented. With this however we are looking at a much higher price point especially when comparing it to the regular CR 10 Smart. So is this worth the price? If you want something that works out of the box, then this gets a solid recommendation, but I would also consider how some of this has been locked down by the manufacturer. You see, without the source code files and easily purchasable components, this machine does have a limited life span in comparison to other machines. With a regular Ender 3 V2 for example, I can easily upgrade the hot end to whatever I feel like using and this means that I can replace par ts from a larger amount of suppliers, in turn increasing the lifespan of the machine. It’s for this reason that this machine gets a 7/10. It’s a good machine, but without additional support materials and the files it may not be as repairable in the future unless you’ve created an account with the company and signed this really shady contract. Ah, ya…. as a YouTuber, I’m not going to agree to that.

By Posted on Posted in 2D to 3D - Evolution Serries, Posts, Uncategorized


The Process

So, you may be wondering how this project began? Well most of you don’t know this, but I do take on a limited number of commissions, but I can’t always talk about them. In this case, this client was kind enough to agree to the showcases of this project and even participated. So let get started.

EZStreetRick is a fellow YouTuber in my area, and he’s an avid wolverine fan, so we’ll me making him a set of custom Wolverine claws. He’s already gone ahead and chosen a file that he wants to use, but needs it to be made from a more durable material along with some minor modifications. I’m going to put a link in the description below to the original creators file on Thinginverse. Now for his final model, we needed to both combine the two meshes together and add a small hole so that he could sew these to the handle. For him, he found the provided handle grip to be cumbersome, so he’ll be replacing that with some foam to make it more comfortable.

I had two options for combining the meshes together. The first was to combine them as is, which requires a lot of merging and limits my ability to make changes latter. The second option, was to simply remodel the design so that I could make changes as I went and was the option I decided to go with. This allowed me to do a couple of things to make the printing a little easier to achieve. I added a small platform that would be flat when printed, but could be sanded down afterwards. Although this was a small change, it made a big difference when printing in an upward direction. With the final design approved, I could then begin my first test print, and it completed without any issues. This file, just barely fit into my printer, so I had been very careful when removing the build platform so that I didn’t accidentally puncture the FEP sheet. The nice thing about this however was that I could print the model in one single piece which required minimal post post-processing latter.

Before I began sanding, I first wanted to make sure that I had the correct spray paint for the job. Since durability was the main focal point, I went to the local automotive department and bought some car touch up paints for this. As always, I couldn’t resist getting some extra paints in the process. With the colour chosen, I could then begin the long process of sanding down the parts. After a couple of hours of sanding and cleaning, I was finally able to begin the painting process. I first began with a base coat of primer, and this is essential to prevent the paint from peeling. Once that was completed. I then began adding the main colour for the claws. Now you might think it was a simple as simply painting just the one colour, but you would be mistaken in this case. If you only use the one colour without any detailing, you often end up with something that looks quite bland and fake. For this reason, I began an experiment on a test piece with the final finish I wanted to achieve. In the end I used a very thick past which I could dry brush on slowly and this allowed me to get this more metal like texture and shading that you see here. Although the camera doesn’t pick up the difference nearly as well as it should, this really does make it look more like actual metal. To ensure that the finish would last longer, I used a UV coated finish that would help maintain the colour over time. So what did the customer think about the final piece? Well let’s go find out shall we!

Meeting up at one of the local malls, I was finally able to give him his new prized possession. Even after a full two weeks of drying, the piece still smelled like varnish, but he didn’t seem to mind at all.