Creality CR-10 S5 upgrades

The Creality CR-10 S5 3D Printer models are excellent, however they are not without flaws. Check out the best mods and upgrades for your Creality CR-10/S/V2/Mini 3D printer.

A Creality CR-10 S5 is good as it can get out of the standard package. It may be much better with a few modifications. With a little work, it may be the best 3D printer out there. So, what exactly is being sought out in a new system?

As with the CR-10 as well as the Creality CR-10 V2, all of CR-10S-variants, and also the Mini-series; there can be some great improvements. Each update adds a valuable feature to the printer and has been tested. A “hood ornament,” for example, is beautiful, but cannot be called an upgrade.

The upgrades and mods in review are as follows:

• Upgrades to convenience of use are intended to improve the user experience. These include everything from making it easier to level the bed to attaching cameras for streaming video and time lapses.
• Upgrades that allow the printer to operate efficiently and achieve better printing outputs are known as functional enhancements. 
• Support brackets and Fan ducts and are two examples of such enhancements.
• Extended improvements, such as the Raspberry Pi for operating the OctoPi application or vibration dampeners, must be purchased rather than created. 

These upgrades do not immediately affect performance; instead, they enhance the printer by adding new features and benefits.

Users who have spent any time 3D printing, will know that adhesion to the bed is among the most vital factors on the print output. 

Furthermore, having a nice build plate makes the printer much smoother. No more messing with blades and scrapers for removing a delicate print off without damaging it.

If one has to improve the adhesion, Creality has some tempting upgrade choices. Their build plate made of Tempered Glass contains a unique carbon-silicone layer. This is somewhat like the one on the Anycubic’s Ultrabase. 

This configuration has excellent adhesion when hot but readily comes off at cooler temperatures.

If one does not fancy glass, the Cmagnet flexible construction plate is another option. 

This upgrade product is basically a floppy type magnetic variant of likeliness to a Buildtak surface. It allows users to strip prints off without needing a scraper. This is as a result of its high flexibility and ease of removal from the machine.

The Creality  CR-10 S5 and CR-10S, as well as their versions with a 310mm by 310 mm print area, are the primary targets for these items. 

If one has a larger construction area but still wants to enhance their system, 3rd-party options may be worth considering.

Things go awry from time to time: seeping, oozing, and dissolving, and so on. Yet, hotends can become dirty as a result of these minor print mishaps, resulting in discoloration or other issues down the road.

The simple answer is to use hot end coverings made of silicone. They’re easy to put on and take off, and they’re also simple to clean. Furthermore, it does not expense much, especially when contrasted to the cost of potentially lost prints, broken hotends, and taking more time.

The extender cable is for someone concerned about missing the tiny microSD memory card that came bundled with their printer.

This is basically a microSD slot extension cord that transforms it into a SD card reader.  It also enables users to rearrange the SD card slot. Thus, the user need not depend on having access to the control box’s side.

The riveting terror of a filament clog is a classic of the genre in the world of 3D printing.

The filament clogging days ought to be a thing of the past with Creality’s Certified Bondtech Dual Gear extruder set. 

This improvement comes standard on a few of Creality’s latest CR-line machines. But it’s also available as an upgrade for those stuck with earlier models. 

All one has to do now is replace it and make changes to the E-steps, and one is good to go! If one is already owning a Creality CR-10 V2, they can upgrade to an Authentic E3D Titan extruder.

This modification is designed to fit into the Creality CR-10 V2 as a quick integration for 3D printing using a direct-drive extruder. This allows for using adaptable filaments. And ease some of the frequent Bowden tube difficulties.

On other Creality CR-10 S5 versions, the Titan extruder is used in place of the standard extruder. But installation may be more difficult.

It’s important to remember that after every extruder upgrade, one need re calibrate the extruder (also referred as E-steps). This is to ascertain that the printer works with a correct quantity of filament.

The heated bed comes with spring attachments on the Creality CR-10 S5. This causes some problems, especially when combined with the other suggested changes. 

Because the bed is large and hence heavy, inertia causes considerable swaying in the Y-axis. Stops and accelerations can cause the bed to shift against the springs. This can wear down the heated bed and cause shaking, which can show up in the prints as silhouettes and swirls.

The effect will be substantially reduced if these springs are replaced by either bits of tube or a drop in speed (800 to 500) and jerking (8 to 5) in the printer settings.

If one has invested in a high-end extruder, why not ensure that everything that follows it is of a certain high quality and consistency?

Capricorn tubing has substantially tighter tolerances than a normal PTFE Bowden tube. This is evidenced by its trademark dark blue hue. This means that the filament has less room to move as it travels to the nozzle. This results in cleaner, more accurate, and uniform extrusion across the print.

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While PLA printing is good, the Creality CR-10 S5 printers suffer when printing using Nylon and ABS. It’s tough to keep a printing condition without drafts at the correct temperatures. That too with an open structure and a huge heated bed.

Creality responded by releasing a printer cover kit that allows users to protect their printer from the hazards of an open workspace. 

This housing, designed to match the original CR-10 and ubiquitous Ender printers, will suit almost all of the CR-series printers. Except for the significantly larger S models (S4/S5).

Many customers have complained that the Creality CR-10’s tall vertical extrusions in the Z-axis aren’t very stable. This causes wobbling and uneven layers in taller, larger prints.

But, Creality provides a set of stabilizing rods, which are identical to those provided with the Creality CR-10 V2. 

A tapping tool is included with the rod set, which allows one to thread the center of the metallic frame extrusion’s front. The rods can then be fastened here.

This module is designed to work with Creality  CR-10 as also the 10S, and this should work with the S4 model as well. 

Other models of the CR-10 have varying frame lengths, thus the DIY variant of this modification, will probably offer more benefits.

Because this machine prints large objects, users almost certainly need to use large filament spools. The standard spool holder isn’t suitable for this use. Hence it is required to use a bespoke spool holder.

When using short spools and light weight filament, the x-stepper spool holder from Lukas Linß, clamps straight into the Z-axis. It thus delivers filament from a steady position. This is certainly a good option when mirroring the print.

One of the major drawbacks of the CR-10 printer series is the huge size of the bed. Maintaining a consistent level throughout the entire surface can be challenging. Adding a sensor to automatically level the bed is the most wanted option.

Creality offers their own BL Touch package for the original CR-10 series. This includes all one needs to get started using a sensor, such as a bracket for mounting.

For Creality CR-10 V2 owners, a simpler kit with a unique mounting bracket to accommodate the X-gantry is available at the same cost.

Adding dampers for the stepper motors for the CR-10 printer is an inexpensive improvement. Yet, it may consume a lot of the user’s time. The dampers lowers the vibrations from the stepper motors. This decreases levels of printing noise and also improves print quality.

TL Smoothers are inexpensive add-ons for the stepper motor drivers of a Creality  CR-10. They help balance out the prints and eliminate aberrations like “salmon skin.” 

They cost a few bucks and are quite easy to set up because of the plug-and-play configuration and absence of software installation. It’s a must-have CR-10 upgrade because it’s cheap and simple.

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Installing a Raspberry Pi to the Creality  CR-10 is beneficial for a variety of reasons. The most common of which is for using the free OctoPi freeware. 

The OctoPi software enables one to remotely monitor and operate the printer through Wi-Fi. This permits users to check on their prints, prevent malfunctions, and possibly even run a 3D printer farm. 

The other unique feature of the OctoPi is using a networked camera to record the entire printing process.

The Raspberry Pi is the only component required, although users can deploy a webcam or a Pi camera. Do remember to get a stylish case printed for the kit.