Creality CP-01 3D Printer – The 3 in 1 engraving 3D printer

The Creality CP-01 3D Printer is the latest in a long line of innovative releases from the beloved Chinese manufacturer, Creality!

Good Things Come In Three’s

Embracing new ideas is one of Crealitys strong points. The Creality CP-01 is the latest offering to bring new ideas and technology to the masses. In other words, let’s examine each process individually

3D Printing

OK! You probably wouldn’t be reading this article if you were not already familiar with the concept and processes of 3D printing. so let’s look closer at what the CP-01 offers us in this arena

With a printable area of 200x200x200, the Creality CP-01 is not the most significant player on the field. However, this is not likely to be an issue with users. More likely to be looking at the overall abilities.

Straight away, we notice that Creality has carried over several of the great features that we noted in our article about the CR10s-PRO. For example, the glass print surface and the print surface clips along with the stiffer “yellow” springs are all welcome sights. Set up for PLA, PETG and TPU even ABS the CP-01 is as capable as some of its larger siblings.

The press release photos appear to show that the extrusion is carried out directly, thus removing the need for a Bowden setup. As a result, this would also sit well with the modular nature of the machine allowing the unnecessary components to be removed with the print head – a guide to extrusion types can be found here from All3DP

Laser Engraving

Before now, Creality has offered a Laser engraver in their online shop. This was able to be fitted to the range of Cartesian printers with the use of magnets,

With the CP-01 the modular working head means that in 30 seconds you can remove the 3D printing head and fit the Laser. No messy trailing cables and no magnets.

The laser itself is of reasonable power if you understand that it’s not designed to cut but to engrave. The laser Creality have used a working power of less than 0.5W. This is around the same as most entry-level laser engravers so should not find the unit lacking.

Creality state it is capable of engraving on wood, plastic, leather and more. The working area is slightly reduced to a 200×190. Firstly, once a surface to be engraved is fitted, the laser can be enabled.

Above all, please make sure you wear your safety glasses at all times. When the laser could be active and remember never look directly into the laser emitter even with safety glasses. (a great safety guide for new laser users can be found here from Full Spectrum Lasers.) Secondly, once enabled the focal length of the laser needs to be manually set. This is done by twisting the collar around the lens by hand.

CNC Tool Head

The final tool head is the CNC. With a chuck capacity of 4MM and head rotational speed of 4800RPM, the entry-level CNC on the Creality CP-01 is capable of cutting machining and engraving wood, plastic, PCB, and leather. We don’t think Aluminium will be possible on this machine, but I wouldn’t put it past Crealitys ingenuity. If later variants didn’t have that capacity, but that’s just me surmising. Before using the CNC head, you need to fit an engraving surface to the Creality CP-01 3D Printer to protect the bed from damage and give you the ability to clamp the workpiece down.

Think Outside The Box

Running Marlin open-source firmware, Creality is sticking to what it knows. Besides, the use of a Meanwell power supply as seen in the Ender 3 Pro and CR10S-Pro gives peace of mind to users.

Power loss protection means that a power cut should never cause you to lose a job. As a result, it saves the position and tasks the modular head was performing.

CP-01 Assembly

Being a modular design has its benefits. Unboxing the unit, we can see that the frame and base are separate but complete units. Therefore, slotting the frame into the location on the bottom, it is secured using the now-familiar Allen headed bolts and supplied Allen keys.

The dual z screw design is fully contained within the framework; the result of this prevents snagging or waste material build-up. The wiring for the stepper motors are connected at the top of the z-axis, either side rather than the bottom as with previous machines. It is secured into the frame and covered a very cool idea from Creailty that prevents snagging and makes the machine look more beautiful too. Kudos.

The Z-Axis limit switch is back! As much as I love the auto levelling sensor on my CR10s-Pro, the peace of mind given by a physical Z stop can’t be underestimated. As a result, it is secured to the left-hand front side of the gantry. Fitting is a simple matter of screwing on and attaching the cables.

Finally, the x-axis limit switch and x-axis stepper motor are connected, and the wiring is complete. Now let’s get onto the fun bit of finding out how the modular heads are fitted.

Heads or Heads?

Attaching the large modular heads to the carriage is accomplished by three tools, fewer screws. The power is supplied via what has all the looks of an old fashioned nine-pin serial lead.

Powering Up

Switching on the Creality logo flashes onto the screen. We are treated to some cool looking new icons once the firmware is loaded. Also, I should point out here that the memory card slot is still using Micro-SD, but as before there is a USB port. Another rumour is that the Creality CP-01 3D Printer will have WiFi connectivity.

Tech Specs

I want one, and it’s that simple. I already have three 3D printers from Creality and love the idea of this. The only alternative I was able to find online is the snap maker and Snapmaker 2. With the Snapmaker retailing at around $800 and the Creality CP-01 3D Printer price unannounced, it’s not possible to say which is better value for money. To sum up, I’m looking forward to its release!

Enjoyed this article? Why not check out the review on the Creality Cr10s-Pro or our top tips and must-have mods for the Ender 3.

Feature Picture Attribution 3DPBlog