Features
SPEED
 
A dominant feature of Creality’s reveal of the K1 and K1 Max is the speed of the printers. Creality touts a 600 mm/s print speed for both machines, with acceleration of up to 20,000 mm/s. There are asterisks alongside these claims, though, with Creality stating 300 mm/s and 800 mm/s travel speeds as typical for the K1 Max.
 
It’s a bit of a difference, but not unusual when it comes to marketing bluster about “fast” printers these days. Bambu Lab skirts this by saying a “top” speed alongside its numbers, whereas AnkerMake says its device is five times faster (than a slow, hand-picked comparison machine). It’s all smoke and mirrors but, by and large, these machines are faster than the glut of printers we’ve been accustomed to over the last years.
 
The K1 Max’s design as a CoreXY style 3D printer does lend itself to speedy printing, with the print bed static for each layer and a belt and rod arrangement for the X- and Y- axes movement.
 
G-SENSOR INPUT SHAPING
 
To help mitigate any vibrations of the print head – the wobbles from it changing direction quickly – the K1 Max features a G-sensor that it uses it detects the resonant frequencies. With this data, the printer can modify its movement to counteract the ringing that would ordinarily be present at such print speeds, smoothing things out and bringing the print closer to its desired dimensions and finish. This particular method is known as input shaping.
 
HOT END & EXTRUDER
 
While no specific name has been given to the K1-series’ extruder, we do know that it’s a lightweight unit that features a high-flow hot end. This is necessary for faster printing, naturally, since the flow of molten filament will need to keep pace with the travel of the print head.
Creality puts a number on this flow, citing 32 mm³/s, but gives no further detail – print settings and material profiles will be a modifying factor on this.
 
Interestingly, the K1 Max makes use of a new and seemingly proprietary ceramic hot end that can heat quickly. Creality states it can go from cold to 200 °C in just 40 seconds. Judging by the company’s description, it is what we’d consider all-metal, with a titanium-alloy heatbreak. It can heat to 300 °C and comes with a hardened steel nozzle as standard. Filament is fed by a dual-gear direct extruder.
 
ENCLOSURE & COOLING
 
If it weren’t apparent to you from the pictures, the K1 Max is completely enclosed, making it an attractive option for higher temp printing involving warp-happy materials like ASA, PC, and PA. It’s a full enclosure, too, meaning there’s a top cover to help stabilize print chamber temps. Any heating will be passive, though. There’s no active chamber heating.
While the K1 Max hot end features what Creality calls a “large fan” on the print head for direct cooling, there is an auxiliary chamber fan, too, to help the printer contend with fast prints speeds and the need for instantly set plastic the moment it leaves the nozzle.