Hi Martin,
I am quite new to the forum, but have been tinkering with 3d printing for some time.
I bought a Creality CR10 a few years back, as at the time you could get a good price (it was still post Brexit) and I was attracted by the large build area for printing plane parts or helmets for the kids!
It comes in pieces and you will do well to carefully assemble it square and true, as a model builder I am sure this will come as second nature, but over the years I have noticed a lot of people don't take care and if the gantry is not square and the Z axis level you are going to have a lot of problems and get very frustrated very fast.
The levelling of the bed is the key to a happy life. The printer has a routine in it to level the corners which works OK, adding the BLtouch sensor (magnetic touch sensor on the print head) brings a big gain as the printer will measure the print bed and compensate for it not being level. Another important step is to set the Z height, the gap from the moving head to the heated bed - printer has a routine to calibrate that and lots guides.
They all bend over time, mine is shaped like a bowl on the screen, but the same is +/- 2mm so you can't see it with the naked eye. The mesh it makes then compensates to lower the head more in the dipped centre and less and the corners.
I now find however I have rarely used the large bed space, and mostly print smaller items (sometimes to assemble into something bigger) and I also have space issues with it as it's quite large. I don't keep it in the garage as I planned due to the moisture ruining the filament and prints - so it lives in the house taking up space.
I think doing it over again today I would go for a smaller model like the Ender 3 pro - but as you say it's a pretty old design these days. The advantage is that its stable and mature, lots of spares etc.
Using the PC to drive it is frustrating, depending on your technical levels a raspberry pi running "Octoprint" will revolutionise how you use it, as you can connect the printer to the pi with USB then use a web browser to run the print, calibrate the bed and all the rest.
The latest thing is Klipper, uses a Pi to drive the printer not the board inside - I have not tried it looks complex.
What will make a cheap Creality work better is upgraded Marlin firmware. There is a Facebook group called Nic's reality firmware (
[size=78%]https://www.facebook.com/groups/485185272196044/[/size]) where the firmware from Nic Wilson is much better than the default. I also found the calibration routine much easier to use as well.
In any case I think the entry point is pretty low these days, and massive information on the web, as well as lots of things on thingiverse and other sites to print without having to design yourself.
My steps to success were:
- Put spirit level on the Z Axis to make sure its level first, adjust screw drive as needed to make plumb
- Power up Printer
- Warm up the bed to print temp (50-60c) - important step if you measure the bed cold its going to move when heated
- Level all the corners (use printer inbuilt routine) with a sheet of paper's width to the print head
- Run the BLTouch calibration from the octoprint web page
- Print stuff
You see a lot of "experts" with their own methods, but this is what worked for me. My prints always stuck to the bed, could to be removed when the bed was hot but just fell off once cooled. I see a lot of people saying use glue, pritt stick, special sheets - I have never used any of that and had great success. If the print does not stick either the print head is too high (z-offset is wrong, or the corners are not level, the bed moves when heated/cooled over time), or the filament has got moisture in it.
Word on filament, keep it in the plastic bag with the silica gel when not using for a period, or it will take moisture from the air and affect your prints.
I think the push at the moment is fancy printers for £££ but I had no problem with the old creality provided I made sure it was setup with basic steps above each time I powered it up.
Good luck :)
Paul
Edit for Typo's and to add if you want to print fine detail items you don't want an extruding print like an ender but one of the tank resin printer - small scale items, people, etc. You can get a nice finish on most stuff with a well calibrated extruding printer - at least at the scale I work 1/12th and up
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Topic: Which 3D printer to buy...? (Read 7040 times)