Creality has long been a leader in the 3D printer space, and this week at CES 2024 the company unveiled its new flagship: the Creality K1C, along with a new mainstream printer, the Ender 3 V3. The successor to the popular Creality K1, the K1C is also a closed Core XY FDM printer that can reach speeds of up to 600 mm/s.
Designed to compete with the best 3D printers, the K1C ups the ante with an all-metal hot end, an improved motor system and a new build plate. I had the opportunity to see the K1C in action at Creality’s CES booth today and watched as it printed a number of small component parts at high speed using the company’s Hyper PLA.
However, the purpose of the K1C is not only to print in PLA, but also to use carbon fiber filaments. Company officials explained that the “C” in K1C is “carbon.” The K1C’s hotend can reach and maintain temperatures of 300 degrees and its direct drive path is designed to easily handle carbon fiber filaments.
Representatives said there are some small but important fixes. The Bowden tube has also been repositioned so that it can move more freely (not get caught in the chain). And the feet apparently don’t fall off as easily as with the K1.
Creality hasn’t officially released a full spec list for the K1C (some alleged specs have leaked elsewhere online, but not official), but we do know that it has the same 220 x 220 x 250mm build volume as the K1, which is 355 x 355 x 482 mm about the same size (versus 355 x 355 x 480 mm for the K1).
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Creality representatives also told me that there is a firmware update for the K1 and K1 Max that adds more expert features to the touchscreen interface and makes it more intuitive. The K1C will come pre-installed with the latest firmware when it launches in the near future. There’s no word on price yet either, but I’m assuming it’ll cost a little more than the $599 K1. I suspect a $100 reward.
The K1C isn’t the only new 3D printer from Creality. This week the company also introduced the new Ender 3 V3, a slinger-style open-frame printer that also offers a speed of 600 mm/s.
The Ender 3 V3 has a really attractive design with a large gray metal portal and a solid build volume of 220 x 220 x 250 mm. The printer itself is 358 x 374 x 498 mm. We don’t have any further specs for it, but it seems pretty similar to the Ender 3 V3 KE, although the latter is rated for a slower speed of 500mm/s.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
There is no information on pricing or availability for the Ender 3 V3 yet. But considering that the Ender 3 V3 KE costs around $299, we expect it to be in the $299 to $399 price range.
