Ordered a Creality K2 Plus. Not that I really NEED a new FDM 3D printer. I own far too many right now. But there are reasons.

I already own and use a Creality K1C. Little brother to the K2 Plus. I am very pleased with the K1C and the Creality product. They make good hardware.

Perhaps a little “pricey” for the newbie. A well experienced 3D print Designer/Maker (person) can certainly see all the value. I can recommend the K1C if budget is a concern.

My biggest incentive to make this investment is the pending threats of import embargo against China and other nations supplying the USA with products. 

Not exploring the politics here. Just know the political bravado result will raise equipment prices and do nothing to to protect a manufacturing ability for these products we do not have. “nuff said…”

So the time for me is (was) now to make the investment.

Aside from lower cost, there are other reasons I purchased the K2 Plus.

One is its 350mm^3 build volume. True, it burns up a lot of filament to print to that volume. But it is not that I will be doing that for every print. But it will be available when I need it.

The mechanical parts are SOTA (State Of The Art) Feedback stepper servos are nice, but in reality, lost steps have never been a problem in normal printing. Just when something comes loose or nozzle drag occurs. 

True servo action with position feedback has always been considered premium. However, this is not true synchro/servo control like in naval gun fire direction control where an entirely separate mechanical device (the synchro) reports actual gun mount movement. Not just the drive motor shaft turned a certain amount. The K2 Plus feedback servo drive is a step above blind (no feedback) pure stepper drive, (Pun intended) but is NOT a positive print head position system.

Auto leveling check and first layer start height are wonderful. The K2 Plus HD extruder heater and feed system are equally great.

I have mixed emotion on the multi filament feed option. Chop, pull, shove, purge, etc. is not a great way to print multi color. Waste doesn’t bother me but the time spent per layer does. What I look forward to is the ability to run a filament to the end of spool and auto load the next spool. 

Certainly I will play with color changes but it is not the prime reason I ordered the K2 Plus. 16 colors on line is good marketing, but using all 16 on one print is ludicrous. 

Not needing to do manual retract and loading to start a new print in a different color is a big incentive for me. It’s like having my full inventory loaded and ready to go. I already mentioned the run-out change.

Size and weight was a consideration I made. The weight is 35 Kilos or 77 pounds for the printer. The foot print is just under 4 square feet.

I bought a 23”x23”x11” moveable print stand. (See picture) Yes, very low. But I service my printers mostly sitting down in my moveable office chair. So the K2 Plus will be at a good serviceable height for me. Space is limited in my work area, so I will be able to move the printer as I need. 

More information later. Printer not yet delivered. Just wanted to post that… “The time is ripe for placing overseas orders.” An embargo may just be saber rattling. But like fire insurance. You can’t buy it after your home burns down…

Update 12/16/24

K2 Plus

Received my K2 Plus on Monday 12/16/24, ahead of schedule. The filament box, the Creality Filament System (CFS), is not due to arrive until the end of January!

Shipping weight was 107 pounds and as it sets here 77 pounds. Yeah, there certainly was about 30 pounds of packing and some accessories.

One foot pad (front left) was broken in shipment, I was able to repair and all the rest is perfectly well.

The floor stand is perfect for my needs, as I work sitting. The display panel is perfectly at eye level.

The first print is a Grumpy Owl, a tradition for me.


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