The Creality Sermoon V1 Pro is a filament 3D printer made by one of the most popular consumer 3D printer manufacturers. For the uninitiated, 3D printers build objects layer by layer, by melting a plastic filament the thickness of a piece of spaghetti and extruding it onto a build plate. As layers are added to the plate, the object grows and takes shape.
There is a wide range of technologies, brands and types of 3D printers, but filament printers are among the most common and affordable. Another type of 3D printer uses layers of resin by exposing each layer to light. These resin printers cost about the same, but are often used to make smaller models with a greater degree of detail. They are very popular in the world of figurines, for example.
Printers like the Sermoon V1 Pro are also capable of making small statue-like objects. But the real benefit of 3D printers is that aside from the different types of objects you can download from sites like Thingiverse or Printables, you can also design your own 3D models to solve specific problems, like making a replacement part for a broken machine.
The price of these devices usually ranges from a few hundred euros to several thousand. The price is determined by the features, speed, robustness and size of the printer, among other things. The Sermoon V1 Pro comes in a nice price range, but it’s small.
See the Sermoon V1 Pro at Creality
The printer I’m reviewing in this article can be partially or fully enclosed and offers a host of features that Creality says justify its $569 price tag.
Features
- building dimensions max. : 175 x 175 x 65mm
- Dimensions of the machine: 400 x 380 x 430mm
- Machine weight: 11.5kg
- Max temperature nozzle: ≤250°C
- Max temperature heated bed: ≤80°
- Filament supported: PLA/ABS/PETG/TPU
- Filament diameter: 1.75mm
Image: David Gewirtz/ZDNET.
Facility
Installing the printer was relatively simple. Creality promises ‘plug-n-play’ operation, and that’s pretty much true. After switching on, not even need to level the bed, the printer works very well right away.
The control console is nicely integrated into the frame of the machine. The Sermoon V1 Pro has a relatively small build area of 175 x 175 x 165mm. That’s tiny for a printer priced over $500. Some of my test models had to be resized for this printer because they were just too big. That said, she’s not so small that she can’t do anything.
Image: David Gewirtz/ZDNET.
Use
At just over $500 (price fluctuates), the Sermoon V1 Pro offers a long list of useful features right out of the box. First of all, as mentioned before, it can be completely closed. You can remove the cover to allow the heat to escape, but you can also keep the housing complete, allowing a wide range of filament types to be used, including ABS.
The printer also has a front door that can be set to pause printing when opened. If you plan to use it with children in a classroom, for example, this feature may come in handy.
The printer also has a flexible steel magnetic plate with a coating that works surprisingly well for bed adhesion. I had no problem getting the prints to adhere to the plate. These are also easy to remove.
The printer also benefits from built-in Wi-Fi and has a webcam that can help you view your print progress from a smartphone. I found this feature quite useful.
The app itself is chatty though. You don’t just get notified when your print is complete, but for everything. Including when new designs are on sale in the Creality store, or when you earn Cuvacoins. Wondering what Cuvacoins are? They fit into a gamification mechanism that has proven to be more annoying than helpful.
Image: David Gewirtz/ZDNET.
This machine does not have a USB port. You can initiate prints in two ways: via an SD card or via Wi-Fi using CrealityCloud. But if you were planning to plug in a Raspberry Pi to control the printer directly via USB, that won’t be possible – unless you employ some roundabout solution.
Image: David Gewirtz/ZDNET.
The Sermoon V1 Pro features an all-metal printhead with a direct dual-gear extruder that heats up to 250 degrees Celsius. This means that the extruder pulls the filament to the heated end unlike bowden tube extruders which have a gear mechanism quite far from the end which can jam the filament. The direct extruder also allows a wider range of filaments to be used.
So that brings us to Creality’s big selling point: silent printing. Once the printer has started it is not terribly noisy, but rather during the start-up phase. Fan noise is also noticeable.
The Sermoon V1 Pro does not have automatic bed leveling. Adjustments will need to be made through the control panel and by adjusting the offset in the five separate areas of the bed. The printer also has two must-have features: a filament run-out sensor and a power failure resume function.
Conclusion
So, does the Sermoon V1 Pro want the shot?
The price is much higher than other printers with larger build areas. That said, this product offers many advantages, in particular thanks to its webcam.
Moreover, the entire chassis is made of plastic, so its lifespan is uncertain. The printing platform is another source of concern for the lifespan of the product. It’s only supported on one side, so every time you remove and replace the magnetic plate, you’re making the platform work.
If you intend this product is for a school or for children, I am not sure that it is robust enough to withstand the inevitable abuse of everyday life. For amateur use, it will probably hold up.
Advantages :
- the possibility of closing;
- multiple filaments supported;
- his webcam.
Disadvantages:
- too many notifications;
- noisy ;
- a relatively high price for a small construction area.
Alternatives
Source: ZDNet.com