Flashforge Creator 3 3D Printer Review: Specs, Pros and Cons, and more

Hi everyone! Welcome to Top 3D Blog, your trusted source of quality content on additive manufacturing. 

It seems like the advent of 3D printing technologies will not be stopped anytime soon. The thing is that additive manufacturing brings us cost-efficiency, optimizes the manufacturing workflow, and grants us the ability to create precise three-dimensional models of basically anything we want without setting a foot outside our home workshop, office, or factory. Besides, 3D printing technologies facilitate the development of high-end solutions due to their potential to create any kind of object (even human organs and biological tissues) in a fast, eco-friendly, and cost-efficient way.  

But let’s shift our attention towards use cases that lie within the reach of prosumers and professional makers and review the projects that can be executed shortly after obtaining a professional yet budget-friendly 3D printer. Today, we are going to talk about FDM-powered 3D printing, which comes as one of the most popular additive manufacturing technologies to date. To make a long story short, FDM 3D printers have a number of advantages over their resin-based counterparts: they are easier to use, print a whole lot faster, create stronger and more durable models as well as ensure minimal expenses. Another important advantage of FDM-based machines is that they can be upgraded with a dozen of different add-ons all by yourself. 

 

Flashforge Creator 3

Today, we are going to talk about the Flashforge Creator 3. It is a professional fully enclosed desktop FDM 3D printer with a dual extrusion system designed for a streamlined and effortless printing experience that can print industry-grade parts right after unboxing. But is this 3D printer really as good as they say it is? Read the article for an in-depth review.

 

About Flashforge

Flashforge is a China-based manufacturer of professional and consumer-grade 3D printers and related equipment with headquarters in Zhejiang. Since its establishment in 2011, the company has been able to achieve first place in its domestic ranking of professional 3D printing manufacturers. Thanks to its diverse and high-grade lineup, the team has received its well-deserved trust from the international 3D printing community and, as of now, ships its quality machines into nearly 100 countries around the world.  

 

Overview

The Flashforge Creator 3 is a professional desktop FDM 3D printer that offers an outstanding build volume of 300 x 250 x 200 mm (11.8 x 9.8 x 7.9 inches) which is perfect for non-stop dual nozzle-powered industry-grade production. The printer comes fully enclosed, which prevents undesired temperature fluctuations and expands the range of printable materials, letting you print with high-temperature plastics and create astonishingly durable, fully functional parts. Besides, the enclosure makes the whole printing process much safer. You can learn more about the advantages of the full enclosure by reading this article. 

Aside from being fully enclosed, the Flashforge Creator 3 is supplied in a fully assembled state, removing any play that could’ve been caused by improper self-assembly. Besides, it features an automatic calibration system, letting you proceed to the actual printing process as soon as possible.

Another advantage of the Creator 3 is that it can create stunningly precise and neatly-looking prints by printing at a minimum layer height of just 50 microns. This lets you create accurate industry-grade three-dimensional parts with incredibly smooth surface finish. Moreover, this printer is easy to operate since it offers several connectivity options as well as an easy-to-use touch screen for effortless standalone operation. Read on to find out what else this device has to offer.

 

Design

The Flashforge Creator 3 is a neatly-designed 3D printer that offers a refined and sleek outlook. Its frame is made in classic gray with stylish black trims. The printer’s transparent see-through doors will let you stay on top of things and watch the printing process. The filament spools can be mounted on both sides of the printer.

Its outer dimensions of 627 x 485 x 615 mm (24.6 x 19 x 24 inches) and weight of 40 kg (88 lbs) make it a medium-sized machine that would be a perfect fit for almost any kind of workspace. 

 

Applications

Printing at a minimum layer thickness of 50 microns, the Flashforge Creator 3 can create precise and dimensionally accurate outputs superior to those produced by semi-professional printers.

Credit: sculpt03d / Instagram

Its build volume of 300 x 250 x 200 mm lets you print a single large model or simultaneously produce a few smaller ones in one go. Thanks to being equipped with two independent extruders that can be heated up to 300°C and a detachable steel heated bed, it can reliably print with PLA and high-temperature plastics including ABS, HIPS, PETG, PA, CF, PC, ASA, GF, and other similar materials. The printer can also work with third-party materials.

All in all, the Flashforge Creator 3 is a perfect device to produce fully functional prototypes, durable end-use parts, tabletop miniatures, souvenirs, props, cosplay accessories, and much more. 

 

Features Explained

Enclosed build chamber

The Flashforge Creator 3 is a reliable, completely enclosed 3D printer that provides you with a safe and convenient workflow when it comes to printing high-temperature and engineering plastics. 

Its complete enclosure not only provides additional safety but also lets you work with engineering plastics with high shrinkage. Besides, it contributes to fighting delamination by providing uniform heat dissipation, not to mention additional noise, dust, and odor protection.

Independent dual extruder system

The Flashforge Creator 3 is equipped with two wear-resistant extruders and a powerful ventilation system that provide optimal thermal conductibility and heat dissipation during printing. Besides, the nozzles feature filament sensors that will pause the printing process automatically in case of running out of material or due to filament breakage. After the material is supplied anew, the printing will continue precisely from where it left off. This particular feature is extremely important in case you want to print big and don’t want to reprint a large model from scratch if some of such filament-related errors had occurred.

Both nozzles can be heated up to 300°C which makes the printer suitable for both entry-level and professional applications. This high-end kit delivers a streamlined printing experience and pushes out the filament through its 0.4 mm nozzles in a smooth and precise fashion. Besides, the printer features four different multi-printing modes, letting you pick the one that would be best for your application.

As we have already mentioned, the printer is equipped with a powerful cooling system that consists of four built-in ventilation fans that help keep the optimal temperature in the print chamber. 

The cooling system is represented by high-end HEPA H13 air filters with built-in activated carbon and cotton filters that account for a filtration efficiency of 95%.

Detachable heated bed

Credit: kerby664 / Instagram

The Flashforge Creator 3 features a removable magnetic steel-based print bed that can quickly heat up to 120°C, providing incredible first layer adhesion and facilitating print removal.  

Credit: minitec3d / Instagram

The bed is pretty easy to remove and put back on again. Nevertheless, it is a particularly firm part made of durable spring steel that was designed with longevity and reliability in mind. 

Ready to print right out of the box

The Flashforge Creator 3 is supplied in a fully assembled state, meaning that you won’t have to assemble the printer from scratch. This is a very important feature since it not only lets you save precious time by proceeding to the production process right away but also because lets you avoid the issues caused by improper self-assembly.

Moreover, the Creator 3 offers a fully automatic bed calibration system that lets you complete the bed leveling in less than 5 minutes. All you have to do is select the corresponding icons on the machine’s touchscreen and perform a set of simple interactions with the printer. Make sure to run a couple of test prints after everything is done to check if the models are of the desired quality.

A plethora of connectivity options and effortless standalone operation

Credit: Richard Lee / YouTube

Featuring a 4.5-inch built-in touchscreen with understandable UI, USB, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet connectivity, this printer is a really accessible one just as expected from a professional, industry-grade device. 

Source: polar3d.com

Besides, the Creator 3 can be controlled via a cloud-based application, letting you adjust the printing process even by using your smartphone or tablet. The application displays all the necessary printing information in real-time by means of a high-definition camera installed into the print chamber, making for an indispensable tool for streamlined remote operation. Besides, it provides you with complete control over the printing process and helps adjust all the important settings on the fly. 

 

Specifications

 

What’s in the Box?

• Flashforge Creator 3 3D Printer
• Spool holder
• Filament spools (PLA, 2 kg total)
• USB drive
• Power cord
• Scraper
• Waste box (2 pcs)
• PTFE tube (2 pcs)
• Grease
• Glue stick
• Toolbox
• User manual
• Warranty card

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

 

Setting Up the Printer

The Flashforge Creator 3 is supplied in an assembled state yet it still has to be automatically calibrated. Thankfully, the procedure is really easy and can be completed in less than five minutes. 

After unboxing, install the filament spools and connect the device to the power source. Next, begin the calibration procedure by choosing related options on the touchscreen.

Credit: Richard Lee / YouTube

Rotate the leveling nut counterclockwise when needed. 

Credit: Richard Lee / YouTube

After completing the calibration, make sure to make a couple of test prints like 3DBenchy before printing something complex and big.

 

Slicing Software

The printer is recommended to be used with FlashPrint, the company’s proprietary slicing software solution. It works with 3mf/stl/obj/fpp/bmp/png/jpg/jpeg file formats. The software runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. 

The FlashPrint is a powerful software suite that lets you rotate, edit, one-click print your models, build supports, and tinker with other print settings like mirror printing mode that will come in handy when working with this double extruder 3D printer. 

 

Use Cases

Below are some of the models 3D printed with the Flashforge Creator 3 for you to see what to expect from the printer.

First up is a set of end-use parts 3D printed with PA-CF filament. 

Another neatly-looking end-use part 3D printed with ASA (Acrylonitrile styrene acrylate):

Lastly, check out this PLA-based model printed in dual-color mode.

As you can see, the Creator 3 can produce dimensionally accurate and hard-to-break models with quite a smooth surface finish in a hassle-free and elegant way. 

 

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Wide material compatibility
• An easily removable heated bed
• Automatic leveling and complete enclosure
• Independent dual extruder system
• Built-in camera and filament runout sensor
• A plethora of connectivity options

Cons

• In some cases, filament guide tubes might scratch the top cover (can be solved by re-adjusting the tubing)
• Pretty heavy and large 
• Challenging to print circular and spherical models (common for Cartesian systems)

 

Bottom Line

The Flashforge Creator 3 is a professional yet priced-to-please FDM 3D printer that offers a fairly large build volume and lets you create neatly-looking hard-to-break prints in a swift and reliable fashion. Thanks to its enclosure, dual extruder system, and detachable heat bed made from steel spring, it can reliably print with engineering plastics and can be used in both professional and household applications. This is an incredibly accessible and easy-to-use machine that will be a perfect choice for professionals and experienced makers as well as for newcomers since it features automatic bed leveling and works just like a plug-and-play device. The printer’s features make it a perfect device to produce fully functional prototypes, durable end-use parts, tabletop miniatures, props, cosplay accessories, souvenirs, and much more.

You can purchase the Flashforge Creator 3 from Top 3D Shop. This professional 3D printer comes with the manufacturer’s warranty. Besides, our team will make sure to provide the best service possible, just like we always do.