Creality CR-10S Pro tested: assembly, commissioning and first print
18.11.2019
Translation: machine translated
I've been looking for a 3D printer for a while now. When I discovered the CR-10S Pro from Creality in our shop, I bought it without hesitation. In the first of my multi-part review, I'll tell you everything you need to know about assembling, commissioning and the first print.
Finally a 3D printer that fulfils all my requirements: A large build space, a filament sensor and auto-levelling. I've already heard a lot of good things about the CR-10S Pro. Now it's in my home.
What's in the box?
The CR-10S Pro comes in an unspectacular brown box. Some work is required before I can put the printer into operation. I first have to screw the X and Z axes, including the extruder, onto the base using the mounting material supplied. After a few minutes of tinkering, I only have to mount the spool holder.
The scope of delivery also includes 200 grams of PLA filament as well as a micro SD card with USB adapter, side cutter, spare nozzle, USB cable, special needle for nozzle cleaning, spatula and various adjustment tools.
Assembly and commissioning
Creality supplies various tools for setting up the printer. These include a ten-centimetre-long piece of wood for adjusting the X-axis. I place this along the Z-axis and set the correct height first on the left and then on the right. This proves to be difficult: every time I set the left side correctly and then adjust the right, the axis shifts again. I solve the problem by holding the left side with one hand and adjusting the right with the other.
Next, I set about levelling the print bed. To do this, I switch on the printer and select the "Bed Levelling" option in the "Settings" menu. Although the CR-10S Pro has automatic bed levelling, I have to adjust the print bed the first time I use it.
This works just like any other 3D printer. Armed with a sheet of paper, I adjust the distance between the nozzle and the print bed at all four corners using the screws underneath the bed. After a few minutes, this is also done and I select "Automatic Bed Levelling". The printer now levels automatically at 16 points on the print bed. It saves these distances as the print bed is not perfectly flat. This makes more precise prints possible.
First print
I make a test print with the supplied PLA filament. To do this, I first have to load the filament. I have trouble feeding it through the filament sensor. Only after I have cut the material at a very acute angle can I feed it through the sensor. It's frustrating, especially as it takes me five minutes to realise what I'm doing wrong. But now I can finally get started.
Creality has already saved three templates for a test print on the micro SD card supplied: Dog, Cat and Pig. Although I was born in the year of the pig, I'm still a cat person, which is why I decide in favour of this subject. I select the design on the touchscreen and choose "Print".
All settings for the print were made by Creality. The nozzle temperature - I use the English name because the language of the touchscreen menu can only be set to English or Mandarin - is 200° Celsius and the print bed is preheated to 45° Celsius. I leave the Energy Saving Mode on for the time being. During printing, I realise what this mode is for: After a while, the print bed is no longer heated. This is an effective way to save electricity.
After around three and a half hours, the cat printed with a layer thickness of 0.1 millimetres is finished. The print quality completely convinced me for the first print. The cat looks great without having to make any major adjustments. Thanks to the layer thickness of 0.1 millimetres, the layers are barely visible. There were a few threads, known as stringing, on the ears. This happens when the print head has to cover large distances without printing. I'll have to tweak the settings a little in future. Nevertheless, it looks great for the first print.
I'm now looking forward to many hours of printing with the CR-10S Pro. I have a bigger project ahead of me: I'm remodelling my son's learning tower by printing parts for a play kitchen that I'm designing myself. So I can test the CR-10S Pro with a view to printing large parts. I'll tell you about my experiences next time.
Kevin Hofer
Senior Editor
kevin.hofer@digitecgalaxus.chFrom big data to big brother, Cyborgs to Sci-Fi. All aspects of technology and society fascinate me.
