Creality K1 Max - FDM 3D printer

Creality is a company specialising in the design and production of 3D printing related products. Undoubtedly, this company is known for having some of the best-selling 3D printers on the market, due to their great value for money. Creality offers a wide variety of quality 3D printer models that adapt to the user's needs and at a much lower cost than other brands.

The main features of K1 Max

One of the most interesting FDM 3D printers in their offer is the Core XY closed chamber K1 Max 3D printer, dubbed by Creality "the King of Speed". K1 Max can achieve an astonishing printing speed of up to 600 mm/s, making it approximately 12 times faster than a standard FDM 3D printer.

Image 1: K1 Max encapsulates revolutionary printing speed in a compact frame. Source: Creality.

With 20000mm/s² acceleration, K1 Max achieves a speed of 600 mm/s in only 0.03 s, delivering full speed in 90 % of the printing time. K1 Max has a build volume of 300 x 300 x 300 mm and is compatible with 1.75 mm filaments. K1 Max is delivered assembled and calibrated, which makes it possible to start printing "right out of the box".

Video 1: The superfast K1 Max 3D printer by Crealiy. Source: Creality.

The K1 Max 3D printer has a unibody die-cast and CNC-machined frame that ensures ultra-stability. Precision and staiblity are further boosted by the smart G-sensor that helps reduce ringing for high-speed printing. The G-sensor is embedded in the printhead and it is responsible for measuring the resonance frequencies of high speed printing.

Image 2: The sturdy and stable structure of the K1 Max printer. Source: Creality.

The G-sensor autotunes the printer to mitigate vibrations, thus reducing printing artefacts such as ghosting or ringing. The Z-axis positioning of the K1 Max 3D printer has also been tuned to perfection in order to reduce Z-banding, resulting in very subtle and smooth texture of the 3D printed parts.

Image 3: The hotend of the K1 Max printer is encircled by a ceramic heater for better thermal efficiency. Source: Creality.

K1 Max is equipped with a dual-gear direct drive extrusion system with 50 N extrusion force. The hotend of the K1 Max printer is encircled by a ceramic heater and contains a titanium alloy heatbreak and a hardened steel nozzle (a standard 0.4 mm nozzle is included but 0.6 mm and 0.8 mm nozzles can also be used).

Image 4: The motion advance functions reduces the risk of blobs and oozing. Source: Creality.

The extrusion temperature of 200 ºC (max. 300 ºC) can be reached in just 40 seconds and the maximum maximum flow rate of 32 mm³/s is achievable at the highest printing speeds. The motion advance function will deliver the optimal feeding flow and help reduce blobs and oozing effectively. The entire printhead is lightweight (190 g) which ensures less motion inertia, making the printing agile and swift.  

Image 5: The K1 Max model cooling system. Source: Creality.

Quick model cooling is performed by a fan with directional air ducts placed on the printhead, as well as the 18 W auxiliary  fan placed in the build chamber. This solution for part cooling makes the model harden before any stringing or warping can occur, and is very helpful with model features such as support-free bridges and overhangs.

Image 6: A part 3D printed with and without dual cooling. Source: Creality.

K1 Max it compatible with many standard 3D printing materials such as ABS, PLA, PETG, PET, PA, ABS, ASA or PC, but also with flexibles such as TPU and even fiber reinforced filaments such as PLA-CF, PA-CF or PET-CF. The heatbed can heat up to 60 ºC in only 90 seconds (max. temp. 120 ºC).

Image 7: The strain sensors in the heatbed ensure accurate hands-free leveling of the build plate. Source: Creality.

The printing surface of the K1 Max printer is a flexible aluminum build plate that makes it easy to remove the 3D printed parts by simply gently bending the build plate. The printing surface is finely frosted to deliver a model with a smooth bottom. Thanks to an array of strain sensors embedded in the heatbed, an accurate leveling mesh can be generated. This process happens on its own after the printing starts so the uesr does not have to do anything.

Image 8: The straightforward UI of the K1 Max printer, with the self-test tab displayed. Source: Creality.

The K1 Max 3D printer is equipped with many features that make it very easy and safe to use. The safety and health of the user is protected at all times with the help of the fully enclosed design that prevents the user from accidentally touching the moving parts of the operating printer (and facilitates the printing of more demanding filaments).

Image 9: The K1 Max printerair filtration system. Source: Creality.

The additional smart solutions that ensure ease of use and efficiency are automatic filament loading and unloading, filament runout sensor, power loss recovery, self-test with one tap, and effective air filtering.

AI camera and AI LiDAR

The K1 Max 3D printer is equipped with two advanced features that ensure optimal part quality and an even more automatized 3D printing workflow with maximum insight into the process.

The AI LiDAR (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) included in the K1 Max printer has a 1 μm resolution that will scan the first layer on its own (no user action required) in order to detect any irregularities. If the quality of the first layer is not satisfactory, the print will be paused and the user will be immediately notified.

Image 10: The AI LiDAR technology takes care of the first layer. Source: Creality.

Another premium feature Creality equipped the K1 Max printer with is the AI camera. This camera is used to watch out for printing problems such as the spaghetti effect, foreign objects, debris, etc. Once an error is detected, the user is notified righ away.

Image 11: Printing problems detected bt the AI camera. Source: Creality.

Furthermore, the AI camera also supports real-time monitoring and creates timelapses of the printing process for sharing. All these features make the K1 Max printer a highly professional and safe device where the risk of printing errors occurring is reduced to the minimum thanks to the AI assistance.

Simple user interface and Cloud Printing

The printer's UI is available in many languages (English, Spanish, German, French, Russian, Portuguese, Italian, Turkish, Japanese, Chinese) and is displayed on a 4.3" color touch screen.  The user can also see the printing progress with real-time model preview (only supports models sliced by Creality Print using default settings).

Image 12: A 3D printing farm with the K1 Max 3D printers. Source: Creality.

K1 Max can print via USB drive or WiFi, and with a network connection K1 Max can be controlled or monitored remotely from Creality Print or Creality Cloud APP/WEB, a feature very useful at 3D printing farms. Creality OS makes sure that data and commands are synched with phone, PC, Cloud and add-on modules, which makes the 3D printing workflow incredibly smooth. K1 Max uses the upgraded version of Creality Print - Creality Print 4.3 that includes rich presets and streamlines the laminating process into 3 simple stages. Apart from Creality Print, K1 Max is also compatible with Cura, Simplify3d and PrusaSlicer.

3D print faster than ever

The K1 Max 3D printer is perfect for those who are making their first steps in 3D printing as well as those who print a lot and therefore want to enjoy seamless printing anytime and anywhere. The wide range of compatible materials allows the user to try out new materials successfully and learn while printing. The numerous user-friendly and safety features, the strive for efficiency, as well as the large build volume make the K1 Max printer suitable for rapid prototyping and manufacturing in series. With this ultra-high-speed FDM 3D printer the users can bring ideas to reality faster and with more precision than ever.