Today I review the SP-5 CoreXY 3D-printer. The SP-5 is one CoreXY 3D printer with large printing surface and a clean cube-like design. It’s a professional desktop 3D printer with metal enclosure case and outstanding performance. The SP-5 CoreXY 3D printer will delight intermediate and seasoned 3D-makers.
Model | SP-5 |
Number Of Nozzles | 1 |
Nozzle Size | 0.4mm |
Molding Platform Size | 300*300*330mm |
Printing Accuracy | ±0.1-0.2mm |
XY Axis Positioning Accuracy | 0.01mm |
Z-Axis Positioning Accuracy | 0.0025mm |
Layer Thickness | 0.1-0.4mm |
Printing Method | TF card / online printing |
Display | 3.5″ Color Touch Screen |
Machine Speed | 10~1000mm/s |
Printing Speed | 20-200mm/s |
Max Extrusion Head Temperature | 260℃ |
Max Hot Bed Temperature | 100℃ |
Support Filament | PLA/ABS/PETG/Wood etc. |
Filament Diameter | 1.75mm |
Software Format | STL、OBJ、JPG |
Print File Format | Gcode |
Power supply | 220V/110V 360W |
Operating System | Windows |
Support Software | Repetier-Host |
Machine Size | L485*W460*H590mm |
Machine Weight | 14KG |
Package Weight | 18KG |
The printer is delivered in a compact cardboard, where the printer is properly packaged with black foam protection on all sides to retain the components safely during shipping.
All the printers’ parts are well organized, with pre-assembled parts, labeled bags for screws and required tools for the built up. An illustrated user manual is provided in English and Chinese, adding other common languages should have been a plus for a worldwide company. The manual is not as user friendly as it should be and not fully detailed on some crucial steps, which for beginner could lead to incorrect assembly and increase the required time for it.
For experienced users it will take about one hour and half of assembly and per online feedbacks about 2 hours and half or more for beginners. I strongly recommend to all users to take the time to read the manual carefully and completely before proceeding to the assembly; a bad assembly may have an impact on the rigidness of the structure and printing quality. You can also find online videos that could assist you.
The XY assembly is a system of linear rails on all axis and a CNC plate for a clean design printer. The printer could also be enclosed if needed by purchasing the acrylic shell also available from Two Trees. The cube-shaped structure is stable and rigid with straight corner and good wire management. The electronic components are all placed in the bottom housing where fans blow the air out to keep the stepper drivers cool among other things.
As in all Sapphire Pro printers, the SP-5 CoreXY has some features that will facilitate the utilization of the machine as the assisted bed leveling, mechanical filament sensor… But the most noticeable one is the CoreXY kinematics, the fixation of the motors reduce the hotend inertia and stabilize the gantry. The quality of the impression is increase due to decrease of vibrations during printing and the accuracy at higher speed is also increase. To complete the CoreXY system, they also added 5 MGN12H linear rails, located on the X-,Y- axes and on Z axis holding the bed in a stable and fixed position with no backlash and ensure a smooth motion. Two Trees bet on improving the quality of the impression and added Dual Z-axis for the heat bed, which is a requirement on a machine of this size. The printer is also remarkable by its clone BMG dual-gear extruder, which reduces the chances of filament jamming or stripping, this coupled with a mechanical filament sensor, which can detect if the filament runs out or breaks, pausing the print.
The SP-5 CoreXY has a powerful MKS 32-bit Robin Nano V1.2 motherboard featuring TCM2208 stepper motor drivers. The TMC2208 stepper motor drivers’ efficiency and quiet power cycling and “StealthChop” functionality allow to the printer to run quietly and smoothly. The extra stepper driver slot will also permit to upgrade the printer, like with dual-color capabilities for example.
Finally, the machine offers also an important built volume of 300*300*330 in a relatively compact and clean design. While you can easily use the 300×300 build size on the X and Y axis, the Z-axis will not allow for the full 330mm movement.
Commonly found on professional grade printers, these features allow Two-Trees to provide non-professional users with an accurate and fast printer even at high speeds.
Let’s talk now about the printing and use of the printer itself. The printing could be done via Micro-SFD or USB mode. I performed the print using the standard Micro-SD, no profile or test are provided on it, which could have been a plus.
For the tests, I used the micro-SD mode, and the tests/printing were designed with Cura or Simplify3D software.
After the satisfaction of the printer assembly, I also had the satisfaction of the printing. Below some of the printing performed on the SP-5, at different speed:
3D-lamp:
This lamp printed in white PLA, with 0.12mm layer height, 50mm/s, and 180/50°C.
Tree-Motherday:
Next, I printed the Tree motherday in grey and copper PLA, with 0.16mm layer height, 60mm/s, and 195/50°C.
I was quite amazed by the quality, with the correct profile adjustment, the quality of the print at 70mm/sec was amazing, a smooth, accurate and very detailed. The print is almost flawless, and the layering is good.
In conclusion, I am a big fan of the SP-5 printer, the design, XYCore kinematics and printing accuracy make it one of my favorite machines. With its large built volume, silence and good quality of printing even at high speed for this kind of printer, it will allow you to let your imagination goes wild with few technic issues. The sole improvement that I can see is the change of the cooling flow for a larger one in order to improve the speed for a larger overhang.
It could be not so easy to assemble or use for a beginner in 3D world and I will recommend it more for some experienced or confirmed users.
By Teddy Grd-Snr
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