Flashforge Creator 3 Pro review

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The Flashforge Creator 3 Pro is a professional/industrial IDEX 3D printer catered to the needs of small design studios, prototyping firms, and print farms. IDEX is an acronym as Independent Dual Extrusion, a design feature that permits it to print two different objects simultaneously and either as a duplicate or mirrored version. It also prints two different colors or materials on the same object. Both extruders can achieve an extremely high temperature of 320 degrees Celsius, and the bed can reach 120degC. The build volume that is fully enclosed of 300mm x 250mmx 200mm may not seem huge according to current standards, however it's as large as can be when you need to add an additional extruder, and keep it in a completely sealed (and assembled) and not need the use of a pallet to transport it (which is particularly vital). The extruder also has a magnetic-flexible building plate, HEPA air filtration, and cloud monitoring and printing.

It's not going to fail you. I've previously examined Flashforge Creator 3, but this is the Pro version! It's different. It's not? As I looked over the C3 My perception of it was good with some minor niggles. Did Flashforge solve these problems? Did they introduce completely new issues? We'll find out tomorrow!

Unboxing and Assembly

Flashforge is a great company of shipping fully printed printers. You can expect to take the printer from the box, take off some packing tape and then insert it, connect it to and begin printing. A high-end 3D printer must be plug and play, and I'm glad to say that the C3 Pro checks that box.

The only configuration needed was the assisted leveling procedure that virtually all Flashforge printers now have. The sensor is the basis for this, so it's not necessary to move the paper underneath the nozzle as in the previous. The screen prompts will tell you the time and amount you can turn the knob on the platform. It is only a couple of minutes.

The launch date of this printer is in line with the launch of FlashPrint 5.0 release that I tested for this review. This means that in a less formal manner, this is a five-star review; my initial observation is that this printer's dark-colored interface gives it an appearance that is more professional. Similar to the C3 Pro model, the Pro model comes with a wifi connection that performs very well although it may take just a few minutes for it to show up on the internet. The machine control window is much more user-friendly and intuitive than previous versions of FlashPrint and, therefore, transmitting commands to C3 Pro over the network is fast and simple.

The Tests

My first order was printing Benchy which you may have thought of.

This is among the top Benchies I've printed. Certainly at standard settings (0.18mm layer). The quality of the smaller details is impressive, as shown with the steering wheel. The bows are well made and the bow's overhang is perfectly smooth, indicating that there is adequate cooling in place. The bow is difficult to spot as I tried to create an angle that showed how even the top surface is. This is what I would expect from a 3D printer that is professional in 2021.

I wrote during my C3 review that the one thing I alter in review is deactivate the raft feature if it's enabled by default. Because of a range of software and hardware at the time the C3 was unable to print efficiently without rafts. So I printed the review without rafts and the printer was penalized some points for this. However, the C3 Pro has raft off as a default feature and I was happy with the results. It printed perfectly without. In reality, the initial layer of the print was too close, and caused some pieces of plastic to adhere to the bed after that first layer was taken off. However, Flashforge does not suffer from this since FlashPrint 5 finally includes a Z offset setting! I've added an 0.2mm offset, and each subsequent print is at the correct height and this includes The All In One 3D Printer Test.

The print tests almost every aspect and The C3 Pro scores high marks on every aspect. The overhangs with the highest slopes are sharp without any indication of struggle. The columns are square and straight The surfaces are smooth bridges aren't wobbly as well as the font is easily read. For determining the accuracy of tolerances I employ a calibration Cube.

The dimensions measured have X equal to 20.12mm and the Y value is 20.02mm as well as Z = 19.83mm. It's pretty good with a maximum deviation in the XY of 0.6 percent for an object of a smaller size; it is less for larger objects. The greater variance on Z is normal and can be explained by the small "elephant foot" around the bottom edge due to the first layer being squeezed by a little. It's not unusual, but FlashPrint does come with an Z compensation setting in case absolute precision is needed for your project. To put the precision limits to the test you print your Machine Canister.

 

The print-in-place canister and mechanical lid were printed so well that they don't even look 3D-printed. Naturally, the wheels are smooth and don't need binding in any way. The fact that you don't have to change filaments to print two different objects is an enormous ease of use. Two colors are great. The standing cat in two colors is a fantastic way of demonstrating this function.

 

The first photo is not with wiping walls, while the second one has wiping walls and the difference is obvious. I didn't do any cleanup on either print to accurately reflect the printing capabilities. They look great, particularly the version with wipe-wall, which contains a tiny amount of dots. I used this time to try out the camera.

According to me, the on-board camera is a requirement for a printer that is industrial like this, as it's the most efficient method of monitoring a print even when the printer is located in a different room (as it's quite loud). Although I didn't encounter any issues with this print, failures occur quite often when printing dual-color, which is why it was a great convenience for me to keep tabs on the status of the printer from the library, without having to leave my workstation. This picture also illustrates how simple it is to modify the hotend temp as well as the bed temperature and speed of print during a print which can be very helpful when adjusting a new material. I didn't capture a picture of these Pen Holders printing simultaneously, so you'll just have to take my word that they did.

The white is PLA The red one is PETG It's remarkable the fact that both were produced at the same time. There's no better way to test prototypes with a variety of materials or colors and, of course, it increases the production time when you reach the point of no return. To test support materials I made this Ornamental Squirtle as Christmas is just near.

 

The linear supports performed their job and were removed generally cleanly, so it's an improvement in my opinion. I've tried tree supports as well but they didn't perform, so that's something that might need some tweaking.

As a 3D printer for industrial use and a 3D printer for industrial use, it is expected that the C3 Pro should be able to produce industrial components. So I tried a few. Brackets are a typical industrial part, so this reducer will function perfectly.

Brackets

This propeller emerged beautifully and was easy to remove the support.

 

This is an excellent opportunity to present the latest extruders, as maintenance is a major aspect of the operation of industrial machinery.

I took off the shroud of the left extruder, revealing the interior of the extruder. Accessing filament that is jammed is simpler on this model and the cooling for the part is also superior. The main components are easily removed with just a couple of plugs.

We are the owners of two felines, which means we are unable to decorate the traditional Christmas tree. In any case, it's not traditional. This is why I designed the design of our Christmas Tree this year!

I also did this to print as tall as the printer would allow. This is a valid test, isn't it? When I add a light underneath it, it will appear much more attractive.

Because this printer is new it is possible that the slice profiles are being created for other materials. At present the profiles are available only designed for PLA, PETG, PC and ABS. I don't own a computer, however I have tested ABS in order to create the Coat Hangers.

They turned out fantastic and will be great on the exterior of my home to help train some ivy growth.

There is no 3D print review that can be completed without a top quality print test. This T-800 Endoskull that I have seen in my most-loved films did a great job.

It's exquisite. The silk silver PLA is the perfect material for this design. This print was made using 0.12mm layers, meaning it is more than this. Furthermore, I decided to print this with the raft method and was completely amazed by the result The raft was removed quickly and the lower part of the image is totally smooth. There's nothing at all which I've never experienced with a raft prior to. I think I'm a raft-loving convert.

Conclusion

Did Flashforge really update its Creator 3 with this Pro model? This is my favorite printer of all time If that's any indication. They've fixed everything that worries me: the printer operates via FlashPrint, rafts don't need to be used and users have greater control over the fan that determines how loud the printer is. In addition the heated bed takes five minutes to warm to temperatures of 100 degrees Celsius. It printed everything perfectly in the first attempt including dual-color prints. I'm confident that it will handle more material than I tried, but I decided to stick with the official profiles. I even ran a small amount in nylon, and it spewed perfectly. The best thing about C3 is that it's included in its C3 Pro plus some improvements. One of the improvements wasn't mentioned in this review, however the extruders were upgraded to more dependable models. In other words, when a clog occurs - not when however, but rather when - the extruders can be taken off and repaired. This is a crucial aspect to consider for any professional piece of equipment, where downtime can be a cost. Because I own other Flashforge printers as well, I was in a position to utilize the multi-machine control tools which make cloud printing and managing print farms easy; one click is able to send printing commands to multiple printers. Sometimes I'm reminded of being in a sci-fi film by pressing a button, and the machines begin to whir in life, performing my will.