Creality CR-5 Pro Review: Specs, Features, Parts, Software and More

Greetings and welcome to the Top 3D Blog - your everyday source of quality additive manufacturing content. 

The era of affordable 3D printing has been there for quite some time already. However, most of the affordable 3D printers still offer functionality that is inferior to their professional and industrial-grade counterparts. Besides, affordable pro-level devices are quite a rare find. To address the issue and make semi-professional 3D printers more available to a wider audience, the Shenzhen-based Creality decided to create the CR-5 Pro, a stylish, sturdily built high-quality workhorse of a 3D printer with the enclosed build chamber and quite a decent build volume alongside a plethora of other essential features. 

But is it really that good? In our Creality CR-5 Pro review we will analyze the main specs and features of the printer, highlight its pros and cons, and help you figure out if it is the right semi-industrial printer for you. Let’s get started.

 

Video Review

 

About Creality

Creality is one the most popular and trusted manufacturers of affordable 3D printers and printable materials recognized by 3D printing enthusiasts all around the world. Founded in 2014, this particular company is among the ones that made 3D printers available to a larger audience. The company is well-known for its popular consumer-grade CR-10 and Ender series, and is now trying to enter the semi-professional additive manufacturing market with its brand new priced-to-please series of FDM desktop 3D printers, the CR-5 lineup. After testing the industrial market with their first creation, the Creality CR-5, the company released its upgraded version, the CR-5 Pro to continue promoting the price reduction in the semi-professional segment.

 

Creality CR-5 Pro Smart Features

Source: 3dprintbeginner.com

The Creality CR-5 Pro is a semi-enclosed FFF/FDM 3D printer with an all-metal frame. The machine is supplied in a fully assembled state, which removes any play that could’ve been caused by improper self-assembly. It offers a large print area of 300 x 225 x 380 mm (11.8 x 8.9 x 15 in.) and lets you print at a minimum layer height of 100 microns to create dimensionally-accurate models with a smooth surface finish. Besides, there are a bunch of essential features for a streamlined, hassle-free 3D printing experience like resume printing function and a filament runout sensor. 

This easy-to-use device is suitable for reverse engineering, rapid prototyping, continuous batch production of a variety of items such as props, uniquely designed household items, cookie cutters, tabletop miniatures, and more. It is a desktop-sized consumer-friendly 3D printer capable of producing industrial-grade prints while remaining accessible to both small businesses and individual makers.

Source: creality.com

First off, there is always the matter of appearance. And this particular 3D printer stands out among the majority of Creality’s offers due to its futuristic and stylish design. It is a decently-sized machine with a sleek ivory frame, a perfect fit for any desk. The frame is made of 2 mm thick aluminum sheets paired with blue acrylic see-through panels and a transparent door that will allow you to always stay on top of the printing process. Its all-metal body makes the machine reliable and prevents any unwanted vibrations that could turn your print into a mess. Moreover, its enclosed build chamber is great for keeping the optimal printing temperature. Aside from that, enclosure makes this 3D printer a safe one by restricting the access to all the hot parts, a particularly useful feature when kids and pets are around. 

Source: 3dprintbeginner.com

However, the top of the CR-5 Pro is not enclosed, and judging by the placement of its hotend wiring, the assumption is that it was designed like this because it gives the machine a more refined outlook. While it is true, such a design, in fact, narrows down the printing materials compatibility, meaning that you won’t be able to reliably print tall models with ABS and other high-temperature filaments. To complete the enclosure and reliably print with high-temperature filaments, you can always order the top cover. 

Nevertheless, the CR-5 Pro is fully compatible with a plethora of other 3D printing materials such as the eco-friendly PLA, TPU, PETG, wood-enriched PLA and many others. 

 

Extrusion system

Source: 3dprintbeginner.com

The Creality CR-5 Pro is equipped with a single Bowden-type extruder with a PTFE tubing that can be heated up to 250°C. Even though it is equipped with a powerful cooling fan, we kindly advise you not to heat it above the recommended temperature since each and every overheating leads to the PTFE tubing deformation, which can ultimately cause dangerous and toxic fumes to appear. 

Source: 3dprintbeginner.com

Luckily, you can upgrade the machine with a more powerful extruder anytime. 

 

High-end heat bed

Source: 3dprintbeginner.com

Additionally, there’s Creality's renowned state-of-the-art Carborundum-coated glass print bed. It is a flexible heating platform made of glass, a place where a printed model is extruded. It can be heated to 60°C in 90 seconds and 100°C in just under 9 minutes.

The detachable textured bed has been specifically designed to achieve better surface adhesion while facilitating print removal once cold. It is guided by a joint effort of two linear rods that provide solid fixation, ensuring stability during printing and facilitating the creation of dimensionally accurate prints. 

 

State-of-the art motherboard

Source: 3dprintbeginner.com

The Creality CR-5 Pro is equipped with a high-end motherboard with five TMC2208 ultra-quiet drivers to provide a noise-free printing experience. There may be some small clanks here and there caused by the extruder movements, but overall, the device works in an almost inaudible fashion. There’s also a 4020 radial fan that ensures top-notch ventilation.

 

Illumination

Source: 3dprintbeginner.com

Another great feature of the CR-5 Pro is an illuminated enclosure that can be turned on anytime by using the intuitive touchscreen menu. Paired up with the machine’s noise-free operation, this seemingly insignificant feature makes for unconstrained nighttime printing sessions. The printer is powered by a 350W power supply manufactured by MeanWell, a trusted manufac switching power supply manufacturer for optimal reliability.

 

Filament run-out sensor and resume printing function

Source: 3dprintbeginner.com

For more quality of life features, the CR-5 Pro offers a filament run-out sensor which automatically stops printing after the printer runs out of filament or a clogging has appeared. Besides, there’s also a resume printing function that lets you continue the printing process precisely from where it left off even if a sudden blackout occurred. Needless to say, it is an indispensable feature for printing big.

Source: 3dprintbeginner.com

You can easily control the printer using its 4.3-inch touchscreen with a neatly-looking UI and crystal clear logic behind menu options for effortless standalone operation. You can also connect the printer to a PC with a USB cable and control it remotely. 

 

Specs

 

What’s in the Box?

Source: 3dprintbeginner.com

Source: 3dprintbeginner.com

Source: 3dprintbeginner.com

The printer comes already assembled. In addition to the device, the shipping box contains the essential parts to operate the printer and a set of useful tools and accessories:

• Spare PTFE tube
• 2x spare nozzles
• Spare PTFE coupler
• Grease
• Scraper
• Toolkit
• USB cable
• 8GB SD Card
• Pliers
• Glue stick
• Cable ties

For some items, package content may change. In case of any questions, please get in touch.

 

Setting Up the Printer

As is the case with many other Creality 3D printers, the first step would be to turn the voltage switch if you live in the USA. 

Source: youtube.com

After that, you should connect the power cord to the device, turn it on, and use the ‘Auto Home’ feature. It will lift the print bed, providing access to the rest of the package that was placed under the platform.

Source: youtube.com

After unpacking the tools and parts, the next step would be to level the bed. The device doesn’t offer the functionality of the automatic bed leveling so you will need to disable the stepper motors and then put a piece of paper between the nozzle and the platform.

Source: youtube.com

Tighten the knobs until all four corners of the platform are leveled. 

Source: youtube.com

After that, you can heat the nozzle and start feeding the filament. 

Source: youtube.com

And the last step would be to insert an SD card and try to test print a pre-loaded 3D model. 

 

Software and Firmware

Like all Creality printers, the CR-5 Pro supports the most common commercially available 3D slicing software, including Creality Slicer, Cura, Simplify3D, and Repetier-Host.

The image below shows how Creality Slicer looks. 

Source: youtube.com

All the Creality printers generally run a modded version of the open-source Marlin firmware. When available, the company gives the possibility to download firmware, drivers, and troubleshooting guides for their printers in a dedicated section of the official Creality website.

 

Use Cases

Below are some of the quality prints made with the help of the Creality CR-5 Pro. You will see how smooth are the surfaces and dimensionally accurate are the 3D printed models.

Source: 3dprintbeginner.com

Right off the bat, a 3DBenchy, the benchmark of 3D printing precision came out perfectly smooth and accurate.

Source: 3dprintbeginner.com

The next print was the Technotiti printed at 0.15mm layer height. Notice the remarkable surface finish and check out all the delicate angles.

Source: 3dprintbeginner.com

Another print is a Starlight Glimmer made using purple PLA. Look at this particularly detailed, neatly-looking creation.

Source: 3dprintbeginner.com

Here’s how a model printed in blue PETG looks like. 

Source: 3dprintbeginner.com

And here’s a model of the Mandalorian printed with golden PLA at 0.15mm layer height. 

Source: 3dprintbeginner.com

 

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Pre-assembled 
• Sturdy all-metal frame
• Sleek and modern design
• Noise-free operation
• An upgraded cooling fan 
• 4.3-inch touchscreen
• State-of-the-art carborundum glass print bed 
• LED lights
• Filament runout sensor
• Resume printing after power off

Cons

• Lack of automatic bed leveling
• Semi-enclosed body, but you can get the top cover to expand the range of available materials
• Touchscreen operation can be buggy
• No WiFi or Ethernet connectivity
• The price tag may still be unreachable for makers on budget, but make sure to get in touch with our managers to get a personalized discount.

 

Bottom Line

The Creality CR-5 Pro is designed to be a professional-grade, consumer-friendly 3D printer. It comes in a fully assembled state and has to be leveled manually. While its appearance, robust all-metal frame, filament run-out sensor, resume printing function, high-end heated bed and a large build volume of 300 x 225 x 380mm indeed give it the outlooks of an industry-segment device, it lacks a complete enclosure for reliable experience with high-temperature materials, so it can be called a semi-professional 3D printer, not an industry-grade one. The printer would be a fine choice for continuous batch production, reverse engineering, rapid prototyping, production of household items, props, and more.

The quality design alongside the precision mechanics aims at delivering end-use parts fresh off the printer. Suitable for both educational and semi-professional applications, the CR-5 Pro is a good fit for almost any workbench. You can get the printer at Top3DShop.