Creality’s New ‘Hi’ 3D Printer is a Bed Slinger with CFS Compatibility
At the outset, the Hi – or Hi Combo when packaged with Creality’s CFS – looks similar to Bambu Lab’s A1 3D printer, with a user-friendly focus, some attractive QOL features, and more.
Creality has unveiled a new bed slinger 3D printer, dubbed simply the “Hi” – or, when packaged with the Creality Filament System (CFS) multi-material system, the Hi Combo.
The 260 x 260 x 300 mm Creality Hi is compatible with up to four CFS units – meaning users could print with up to 16 materials – although the Combo comes with a single CFS.
The Hi also boasts “step-servo motors with FOC algorithms” that marketing suggests work to reduce print noise, make movement smoother, and hit print speeds of up to 500 mm/s and acceleration of 12,000 mm/s².
An integrated extruder with features like a filament cutter, filament runout detection, a bed leveling sensor, and a quick-swap nozzle work to reduce clogs and simplify printer maintenance, while QOL features like a foldaway touchscreen, a built-in camera, and a built-in buzzer for alerts provide some nice (and sometimes literal, in the buzzer’s case) bells and whistles. Another nice feature is a built-in sensor on the side of the printer that allows users to scan an RFID filament to get additional information about the material.
All told, the Hi seems comparable to the Bambu Lab A1 in terms of positioning, features, build, print speeds, and CFS compatibility (AMS Lite in the A1’s case). Here, though, it’s important to note the CFS is enclosed and can be chained together, while the AMS Lite is not and cannot.
A Creality product’s resemblance to Bambu Lab isn’t new or especially surprising, especially considering that Creality Print 5.1 – Creality’s “completely rebuilt” slicer highlighted in the Hi’s marketing materials – received a facelift last year that made it look more like Bambu Studio.
It’s unclear when the Hi and Hi Combo will be available for purchase, although Creality’s website shows the machine will retail for $299 and $469, respectively.