Creality's K1 is a pretty good printer.
Although I also received and used this printer last year and experienced the new world of high-speed printing based on a clipper for the first time, the ringing issue at specific speeds, which is one of the printer's chronic ailments, remained unresolved, which was still a headache and a regrettable part.
Then, early this year, a K1C printer with these issues improved was released, and with significant improvements in the hotend, motor pulley and motor, and bed parts, it appears that the various problems known with the K1 have been resolved when actually used.
So, I wondered if a kit for improvement for K1 users would come out later... but personally, I thought that among the three major changes, the change to the hotend and nozzle was the least significant part.
Because I already tested products with significantly improved flow, such as the CHT-support nozzle from Triangle Lab, which is available for the K1, and I believed that simply changing the hotend system would not eliminate ringing issues.
Usually, ringing or ghosting is known to be caused by motion control (acceleration, motor, pulley size, belts, etc.), so I thought this change was made to obtain better flow rates during printing or to occasionally resolve filament clogging issues.
However, Creality had not released any improvement kits specifically for K1 users, so when I saw that they had started selling the K1C nozzle, hotend, and heating block kits on AliExpress, available from mid-April to the end of April, I hesitated a bit about whether I really needed to buy them.
So, I took out the K1C heating block I had and tried installing it on the K1.
Actually, this was a task I had been debating since the day I first received the K1C...
This was because the block section below changed its design, making it impossible to resolve the issue by simply changing the nozzle and hotend.
The left side is the K1C block set and the right side is the original K1. You can see that the shapes are quite different.
Of course, I couldn't imagine this would have a major impact... so I kept putting off this task, but I finally tried it this time.
The results and effects were incredible..
First, let's take a look at the replacement work and results via the video below.
The results were shocking.
In the photo below, the left side is the K1C, and the right side is the K1.
Really..
It was a shock, far from what I expected. It was just a single heating block system change.. The K1 became the K1C and the K1C became the K1...
Of course, the motors or other improvements might also have an effect.
The photos below show the K1C on the left and the K1 on the right, with the data on top being low-speed data printed at an average speed of 20mm/s or less. As is known, the K1 is particularly prone to showing ringing or ghosting at low speeds; when printing at such low speeds, the results look like the K1 regardless of whether it is a K1 or K1C, or the nozzle used.
I suspect this part is likely the cause of the difference between the ghosting issue and the ringing issue.
Looking at these results alone, the pattern issue that appears at normal speeds seems like a ghosting artifact issue, while the pattern that appears at low speeds might be a ringing issue caused by resonance due to motor or fan vibrations. It is known that the vibration correction algorithm of the K1 series has some drawbacks, but it seems that both the K1 and the K1C still have this issue.
Of course, that is why I hypothesize that combining the nozzle change with the motor pulley size change and other modifications is necessary to achieve the original K1C quality.
Ultimately, it is believed that the ringing issues that have plagued K1 printer users for a long time will be largely reduced simply by transplanting the improved K1C heating block system onto the K1, without the need for such complex combinations.
Currently, the K1 has become quite affordable due to the release of the K1C... If this test content is true, not only existing K1 users but also those considering a new printer will be able to obtain a very cost-effective printer by purchasing a K1 + K1C heating block and modifying it.
It seems that the K1C nozzle and heating block sales schedule was only released two months after the K1C was released.. It seems that Creality is considering this utilization, and to prepare for the K1C not selling well, they are fully resolving K1 inventory, and perhaps they are only now selling the K1C nozzle or heating block, etc., after the K1C has sold sufficiently..
I'm not sure if this is definitely true, but if this issue also applies to the K1 Max at this point... The K1 Max, which possesses the strengths of a 300 x 300 x 300 sized chamber printer, might become the strongest again on the ground, don't you think?
K1C Nozzle Purchase Link
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DBJ2ecN
K1C Heating Block Purchase Link
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DEfJO1P
K1 Purchase Link
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DBUxGW1
K1 Max Purchase Link
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DFXyGyd