Creality kindly sent me a whacking great Creality CR-6 Max 3D printer, so I set about turning my messy ad hoc fixing area into a proper 3D printing station. Then I opened the box and found part of the printer had been smashed on its way to me. Here’s what happened, and how quickly Creality sorted it.
Clearing out the old fixing area
While I was waiting for the new workshop setup, this corner became my temporary fixing area, so clearing it turned up all sorts: a clear Game Gear shell and some recap kits (and I’ve certainly got Game Gears that need doing), the Tatung Einstein we’re still working on along with its discs, a C64 that I think has a busted SID, a couple of donated switches to look at, and a small LCD with S-Video, RGB SCART and component inputs that’s ideal for a bench testing table.
The new printing table is an old dining table picked up cheaply from a local group, which is perfect, because we all know 3D printing is going to wreck it. Underneath, my resin printing kit (resin, wipes, mats and trays) is boxed and labelled ready for the resin printer that will also live here.
The Creality CR-6 Max
The CR-6 Max is a two-person lift. My previous printer was a CR-6 SE, so this is a huge jump in size: a build volume of 400mm wide by 400mm deep by 400mm high. It isn’t the biggest FDM printer you can buy or build, but for me it’s a big old unit, and it should be useful for larger projects, perhaps even rudimentary replacement cases for machines melted in the fire. Creality also sent three packs of filament, which all turned out to be funky multicoloured rolls, so every print is going to look hella funky. Big thanks to Jackie at Creality for sorting it all out.
In the box: the usual Creality packaging, a handy sheet of foam (good for padding cosplay helmets for my teenager), the hot end and head assembly, control panel, spool holder, a bag of nuts and bolts, the extruder arm, threaded support rods and a little sample roll of white filament.
Broken in the box
As I lifted the printer out, a broken piece fell from the packaging. I then found the real problem: the belt tensioner had been whacked in transit and snapped off, and a second part, made of what looks like aluminium, was broken too. Neither could be glued strongly enough to hold belt tension, and the box was littered with little fractured pieces.
Did Creality sort it?
Yes. I spoke to Jackie at Creality, sent pictures of the broken parts, and the replacements arrived in about six working days. That’s particularly impressive because they weren’t in stock in Europe and had to come from China; I can’t get parts from Wolverhampton in six working days at the moment. The next video will be finishing the build and printing something, and seeing where this 3D printing noob goes from there.
If you want one, Creality’s stores are here: UK, US and EU.
Related
More on the bench: my top 13 tools for fixing stuff, the Tatung Einstein upgrades and a 3D printed repair in fixing a 3DO laser with a printed gear.
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