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3D printer CR-10

The video about the CR-10 3D printer


Get the printer at Gearbest.com_

Only a small spool of white PLA filament comes with the kit, thus don't forget to order filament.

Assembly

CR-10 3D printer kit
Figure 1:
The printer comes as a kit, but most parts are preassembled so that the build instruction is short and you can put it all together in one hour. Tools needed for the assembly and included in the box are a side cutter, two wrenches, five hexagon tools, a screwdriver and a scraper that is useful to remove parts from the print bed. The frame is composed of aluminum profiles of the dimensions 40 times 20mm and 20 times 20mm. The orange rubber inserts are nothing but decoration and they have a strong smell after unboxing - at least for the first week. Minor scratches on the aluminum frame don't affect the functionality - it's a machine for your workshop.
CR-10 3D printer Y axis mod
Figure 2:
I removed two of the six bearings guiding the Y axis to eliminate backlash.
CR-10 3D printer Z axis
Figure 3:
The Z axis is driven by a single motor through one spindle - the second end of the X axis rides on three rolls without another motor. When lifting and pushing down that end of the X axis by hand, we get an error of approximately 0.4mm, which is anything but negligible. However, while operating the machine, gravity pulls the axis in only one direction. When driving the carriage to the right to the left and back to the right, that end of the X axis moves for no more than approximately 0.02mm. Even more important is, that the reading on the dial indicator varies for clearly less than 0.01mm whenever the carriage is at the right end of the X axis, which is nearly perfect.
Don't move the print head by hand while leveling the bed - use the control panel instead, because as demonstrated in the video, the right end of the X axis bends under load.
CR-10 3D printer
Figure 4:

CR-10 3D Drucker
Figure 5:
One of the plastic rolls of the print bed after approximately 80 hours of operation (left) in comparison to one of the dismounted rolls (right). I can't feel any grooves on the surface.

Electronics

CR-10 3D printer electronics
Figure 6:
All plugs are labeled and protected against reverse polarity by what a faulty wiring is nearly ruled out. All cables are bound together by weaved tubes, so there is no cable spaghetti. The electronics, including the power supply, is covered by a solid metal case. With that, the insulation of the mains power is perfect. Turn the selection switch to the proper mains voltage of your country before powering the device for the first time.
CR-10 3D Drucker Electronik
Figure 7:
It's very tidy inside the box.

Sample prints

CR-10 3D printer sampkle print cat
Figure 8:
All details of the cat, including the Chinese characters meaning fortune, are clearly visible.
Nozzle diameter: 0.4mm
Layer height: 0.12mm
Extruder temperature: 200°C
Print time: 3h 35m
Height: 70mm

CR-10 3D printer sample print cable chain
Figure 9:
Links of a cable chain (Green parts = CR-10, Blue parts = Anet A8, Orange parts = Tronxy P802).
Nozzle diameter: 0.4mm
Layer height: 0.1mm
Extruder temperature: 200°C
Print time: one hour

CR-10 3D printer sample print winglet
Figure 10:
A "winglet", which is an end plate at the tip of a wing. The cross section of the airfoil is very thin at the rear end - at this point, the print head changes direction rapidly. The CR-10 prints that edge of the winglet precisely. The surface of the airfoil is smooth at the vertical part - the perimeters are running perpendicular to the layers, by what the low print resolution doesn't matter that much.
Layer height: 0.3mm
Extruder temperature: 200°C
Print time: 20 hours
Dimensions: 25x8x20cm

CR-10 3D printer sample print winglet
Figure 11:
Especially at the rear end of the horizontal part of the winglet you can clearly see the layered structure of the print. While designing an object you should always have an eye on the direction of layers and surfaces, however my design failure shows that the printer did a good job - all edges are running in parallel.
CR-10 3D printer sample print rocket
Figure 12:
Rocket mockup standing on the print bed with four wings and the rocket engine.
Layer height: 0.3mm
Extruder temperature: 200°C
Print time: 4h 35m
Dimensions: 22x20x40cm

With growing dimensions, warping becomes a serious issue of filament printers in general (it's nothing only the CR-10 has to fight). The surface of the rocket shows vertical lines caused by dimensional changes while the filament cools down. I will talk about those issues in more detail, soon...
CR-10 3D printer sample print Moai
Figure 13:
Layer height: 0.2mm
Extruder temperature: 200°C
Nozzle: 0.4mm
Print time: 9h 25m
Dimensions: 9.5x7.1x12.4cm

I printed this Moai figure for one of my Patreons. The template is from Thingiverse.
CR-10 3D printer sample print Moai
Figure 14:

CR-10 3D printer sample print Spaceship
Figure 15:
Layer height: 0.2mm
Extruder temperature: 200°C
Nozzle: 0.4mm
Print time: 12h
Dimensions: 11.8x15.1x4.7cm

This spaceship was also made for a Patreon. The template is from Thingiverse.
Support struktures are needed to print the overhangs at the rear of the spaceship with a filament printer. Those supports were generated by Slic3r and can be removed after the print is finished.


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