Creality's new chamber-style Core XY printer, the K1C, has been released.
And I was able to get it early and use it before the official launch thanks to a great opportunity.. After testing it for over a week, I could clearly see that it has improved significantly compared to the K1.
However, looking at the exterior, the K1 and K1C look almost the same.. What changes were made so that the prints seem to have improved, and the ringing, a chronic ailment of the K1, is barely visible?
So, I took a visible look at the K1 and K1C, breaking down just a few parts for comparison.
구관이 명관 프린터본체 프레임
The left side is the K1C and the right side is the K1, but the overall frame looks almost the same. Actually, it's identical.
Personally, I think the K1 series frame is very well made. That's why I think many users overseas are modifying it while keeping the K1 frame, despite its unsatisfactory quality.
Perhaps that is why the K1C uses the K1's excellent frame as is. Personally, I think the design is also nice.
Is this a full metal system? Changes in the nozzle section
Although not immediately visible from the outside, I believe this is the biggest change affecting print quality.
The C in K1C is said to stand for Carbon, and since it is a full-chamber-style printer, it is advantageous for temperature retention; it seems to highlight this advantage as being able to print difficult filaments made of carbon materials by utilizing this characteristic well.
When printing with carbon-fiber reinforced filament, the nozzle itself wears down easily, so a hardened nozzle is required. The K1C appears to come with such a hardened nozzle by default, and it seems to have been changed to a single-piece nozzle, considering the filament extrusion issues that existed in the previous series.
It is certainly an advantage that it is easier to replace compared to the existing system, but since nozzles compatible with the K1C are not yet on sale, I cannot know the price... structurally, it seems impossible to use the existing compatible nozzles.
That is, the cost to use it will likely increase.
Also, since the default nozzle is replaced with a hardened nozzle, the flow seems to have decreased slightly, but I was puzzled that even when testing Max Volume Speed with Hyper PLA, the maximum value only reached about 15~18 mm/s3. (I should test this again...)
And with the nozzle system changed, the connecting parts have also been redesigned. Previously, they were connected somewhat loosely, as if hovering in the air, but this part has finally been improved.
A socket was added to support the connection between the heater and the cooler above it... surprisingly, the K1 didn't have one, so it was floating in mid-air.
I was always curious, but it seems Creality felt the same way.
This time, improvements have been made.
Changing Motor and Pulley Diameter for X,Y Axis Control
Personally, the most satisfying aspect of the changes is the result.
The pulleys connecting the motors and belts that control the X and Y axes have become smaller. They have shrunk from approximately the original 25mm diameter to about 15~16mm, which appears to be why the ringing on the K1 has been reduced.
Actually, the use of the wide-diameter pulleys on the existing K1 was somewhat understandable for high-speed control, but it ultimately seemed to cause ringing issues during low-speed usage.
While the exact correlation is not yet 100% known, the ringing on the K1C has noticeably decreased, and since it appears to be almost invisible, it seems the changes to the motor section have made a significant difference.
It is not entirely clear, but consulting a vibration control expert, the opinion was that the motor shaft was too thin compared to the pulley structure, which likely caused some deflection. (It seems that is the case upon reflection.)
Also, as the pulley diameter has changed, the motor specifications seem to have changed as well.
Bed Design and Version Changes
The most noticeable change at first glance is the change to the bed.
At first, I was amazed that the entire bed frame itself had become incredibly thick!! I thought, "Is this the full metal changeover!!"..
I don't think so; it seems the design was changed to better prevent bed warping that might occur as a result of the added Z-axis bending on the front, as shown in the photo below.
Upon closer inspection, the design of the hinge part connecting the top plate of the bed has also been changed.
It seems there were design flaws in the existing K1 bed mechanism. I didn't notice it much, but seeing many domestic and international K1 users complaining about leveling noises, it seems the K1C has definitely addressed and improved upon these points.
And the version of the top bed has also changed, changing from the existing V13 to V14.
So, unlike the bed where the top plate was exposed with a rubber magnet, it seems to have been changed to a textured magnetic bed.
I'm not sure of the exact reason, but I wonder if the previous slightly rubbery-feeling magnetic bed also affected the printing. (Maybe not.)
Other Minor Changes
This time, the K1C has added a filter for the chamber exhaust fan, which users of the existing K1 had to attach themselves via custom DIY. Additionally, the internal design has been slightly changed.
Personally, I think it's a small change but has a big effect.
I get the feeling that the smell of filament being extruded has significantly decreased. I thought a carbon filter might not be very effective... but it seems to capture a lot of the odor.
Also, there was a slight change to the board located on the front of the head; the board version is the same, but the attached cooler has been changed.
Looking at the voltage or current values, it seems to have almost the same specifications..I'm not sure if it's just that the manufacturer changed to in-house production or if there is a performance difference.
The nozzle cooling fan, which is known to have a significant impact on output, has also been changed.
And the case color has subtly changed and the weight has increased slightly too..
I'm not sure what the difference is. It felt about 10g heavier... but that's quite a big difference, so maybe some internal structure or parts were added.
Other unchanged parts
Actually, when the K1C was first released, it was a full-metal head!! Since they advertised it like this, I wondered if the head parts or mechanism structure had changed to a unified metal.
I don't really know why metal is good, but if that happens and it gets quite heavy... why change it? Because I was too curious.
As a result, it appears that aside from the parts listed above, nothing has changed, and it seems to be manufactured using almost identical parts.
Additionally, the extruder is installed with the same structure that was last distributed to existing K1 users; users who recently purchased a K1 likely received the same extruder with that white component installed.
Out of curiosity, I disassembled the build plate as well, but I only saw minor differences in cable management; it appears to be almost identical. The K1 has better cable management.
For a full comparison, please check the video I have prepared.
Conclusion..
This concludes a detailed look at how the Creality K1C printer, which has been announced and is scheduled for release soon, differs from the existing K1 printer.
Overall, the Creality K1C was developed by taking into account various criticisms the original K1 received upon its market release, and as a result, it appears to be capable of producing high-quality prints.
However, from the perspective of those who already purchased the K1 printer, one might think that the author is selling the product to users while having beta-tested it.
Of course, Creality worked hard to address initial issues and won over consumers by almost giving away extruders and filament, so I hope they will also release upgrade kits this time so existing K1 users can modify their printers similarly to the K1C. I'm holding onto that hope.
Maybe that will sell well if it comes out..
K1C official sitehttps://store.creality.com/products/k1c-3d-printerpurchase linkAliExpress link : https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DED9ROl