3D Printing Journal

 So, my first 3D printer arrived yesterday. And I've only printed 2 things, but it is fun. But, the broader point of this topic is to talk more about the specific printer I bought and how I feel about it.

I got the Creality CR6-SE because a local shop which seems to only stock Creality printers was running a sale on most of them where they provided a free Pi 4 2GB and random roll of filament. Also, the other, less expensive models were sold out.

After I bit the bullet and made the purchase, I then turned around and read tons of literature on 3D printers and on the one I had bought. And lo-and-behold, it seemed like I was in for a fire hazard waiting to happen.

But, then, after even more reading I came to the conclusion; this is for the best.

Firstly, it seems like the issues were likely restricted to a small number of units and while support doesn't appear to be the greatest it does seem like most people got issues sorted out. Many of the offending parts in early models have been upgraded and (yay!) it appears all of the upgraded parts are included in my particular device.

But, secondly, and perhaps more importantly... the impending fear drove me to rigorously research how to properly setup and maintain my 3D printer. I'm no expert less than 24 hours into ownership. But, I still suspect I'm further along than I would have been after months if I hadn't been at all concerned. 

In fact, I had originally got it because I wanted a 3D printer, but also wanted another Raspberry Pi which I was going to use to offload some of my server tasks too. But, after reading, my new plan is an OctoPi server so that I can remote watch long prints and even cancel them if need be. Something I may not have ever done if I hadn't felt concerned.

More proof? After my second print which was a 6h phone stand, I noticed some wisping around the extrusion tip. Honestly, it looks like nothing. Even now I'm convinced that there is nothing to it. But, having read from some people that not all of the hot end assembly on every unit ended up after delivery properly tightened in all respects... it could be a minor leakage inside of the hot end. So, tonight, I'm going to take the assembly apart, clean it, and re-assemble it nice and tight. 

Honestly, I think that is pretty insane for me personally. I'm sure that there are many out in the community who do things like this after every print. And I'm sure that there are others who would let this go a lot longer. I would tend to be in the latter group. But, the reviews on this device are such that I'm inspecting every little thing and making it my job to know how it all works and fits together. And, I'm actually grateful for that.

The other aspect about the device which makes me happy about the purchase are some of the reasons why this is more expensive than some other Creality printers which I'm glad I don't need to deal with right out of the box. Namely, the assembly was pretty easy. And, that is including the fact that I followed another guide which was more in depth than the instructions in the box and had me checking on certain pre-assembled bits first.

Also, the auto-leveling and the touch screen. The little dials look fine, but watching people rotate a dial over and over again to get the temperature up to 200c and then down to 90 to do a cold pull. or to 0c and honestly... I don't need that. I'm new to this. Having a machine which can handle the most common and annoying things like leveling and provide a quicker and easier interface are pretty big deals.

That may sound like bravado or something. But, the reality is, being new to this, eliminating more sources of my error and buying me more time to focus on things like maintaining the rest of the device aren't trivial or bad things and are worth the extra money. If you're a veteran and prefer saving the money to invest elsewhere, I get that too. But, as someone new to 3D printing, this really is a huge help.

So, on one level, I'm not thrilled about the fact that I probably won't feel safe running this 3D printer for some time. But, on the other hand, it seems like the general consensus in the community is that you SHOULDN'T feel safe about running these things. You should be nearby and with a fire extinguisher as much as possible. And, if you need to leave, you should be able to shut things down remotely.

And with that a printer which threatens to catch fire it actually seems like not such a bad thing. At least, in one particular way. It has put a healthy fear into me. Made me obsess over maintenance. And ensured that I will put extra effort into being safe.

Beyond that, what I've tried so far has turned out great. A lot better than a lot of models I've seen printed online by people with a lot more experience than me. And, I know a lot of that is the printer and not me. Because I barely comprehend what it going on at this stage.