This will detail how to unbox and setup the K2 Plus 3D printer
The K2 Plus printer is not a lightweight printer. The gross weight with the CFS combo is
112 lbs. (51kg). I would recommend a second person when available to help move the printer around and have plenty of space available for unboxing the printer.
Unboxing
Place the K2 Plus shipping box on a workspace with plenty of room to put the discarded cardboard and other shipping materials. Also to have room to work on both the front and back of the printer without having to rotate the printer.
The top of the shipping box details the instructions on how to remove the K2 Plus, other contents and the CFS from the shipping box.
There are eight plastic fasteners that hold the top section of the box to the bottom section.
To remove the fasteners from the box, pinch the middle two tabs together and pull outward as shown. The top section can be removed once all eight have been removed.
With the top section of the shipping box removed. First remove the angled cardboard, next the foam inserts, then the printer can then be lifted out of the bottom section of cardboard. Once the printer has been removed, the plastic bag can also be removed.
Unpacking
The unpacking will go over the steps to remove the accessories, CFS, top glass pane, and the filament from the interior of the printer.
On the left side of the printer, the cardboard sleeve can be removed from the printer and set aside for later.
As you peel the tape away from the printer, you will want to hold onto the cardboard sleeve to make sure that it does not fall. The glass pane for the top of the printer is inside the sleeve.
Start by removing the foam insert from the top of the printer.
This foam insert contains:
- CFS Buffer
- K2 Plus Tool Kit
- External Spool Holder
- Quick Installation Guide
- Filament Swatches
- PTFE Tubes
- Screen and Screen base
- Power Cable
- Extra Nozzle
- Bonus Accessories
Under the first foam insert are two sealed bags of sample filament.
Remove CFS
Now we will start the removal of the CFS from the interior of the printer. Use the included 2.5mm hex wrench or a 2.5mm bit to remove these screws.
Once the CFS retention brackets screws have been removed, the bottom brackets can be removed.
Remove the Retainer
This next section will cover the removal of the threaded lead screw retainers.
To remove the retainer, place a finger on the c-clamp holding it onto the shaft and pull outward.
Unsecure the Print Bed
With the retainers removed, the bed securing screws can now be removed.
First, the screws that secure the bed to the base of the printer need to be removed. The location is noted by the four yellow arrows on the bed as shown below. Use the included 2.5mm hex wrench or a 2.5mm bit to remove these screws.
Screen Installation
This section covers the installation of the screen.
First, locate the bag labelled screen base.
You will also need the static shielding bag with the screen in it.
The location for the screen base is on the front top right.
The screen base location is keyed for installation. There is a small protrusion on the screen base that mates with the key.
Remove the clear tape and carefully pass the cable through the slot in the case. While the cables can bend, still be careful not to crease the cable.
Pass the cable through the slot.
Creality’s provided instruction for installing the screen.
The connector is keyed to mate with the screen one way.
Make sure that the connector is fully seated into the screen.
Note the notches on the screen are orientated to the left.
To secure the screen, slide the screen to the left to lock the notches from the screen onto the mount.
Peel the labels then secure the covers for the filters.
The top glass piece can now be removed from the cardboard sleeve and placed on top of the K2 Plus with the handle facing the front.
The front right side houses the camera, remove the protective cover to be able to use the camera from either Creality Print or the mobile application.
Creality Print Software Download
Connecting the CFS
Materials needed for connecting the CFS to the K2 Plus:
- CFS Buffer and screws
- Short PTFE Tube
- Long PTFE Tube
- 45cm 485 Cable
- 100cm 485 Cable
Using the two screws from the buffer screw bag, attach the buffer to the rear of the printer. The mounting point is just above the waste chute on the rear of the printer, as noted by the red box
Orient the buffer with the 6 position connector facing up.
Connecting the 485 Cables
First place the CFS on top of the K2 Plus and connect the straight end of the 45cm 485 Cable to one of the connections on the back of the CFS. The right angle connector is connected to the CFS buffer.
Next connect one end of the 100cm 485 cable into the remaining port on the CFS.
Then connect the remaining end of the 100cm 485 Cable to K2. This is located at the bottom of the printer on the left side.
Connecting the PTFE tubes
First connect the long PTFE tube to the back of the CFS.
Next connect the other end of the long PTFE tube to one of the four inlets on the buffer.
Using the short PTFE tube connect the buffer to the inlet on the printer. If you are having difficulty connecting the tube to the buffer, pull the extruding tab on the buffer toward the outlet and then connect the tube.
Prepare the CFS
Remove the desiccant covers inside the CFS.
Then remove the desiccant from the clear sealed bags and then put the pouches back into the holders.
First Print
If the printer needs to be moved to a permanent location, now is the time to do so. Remember to ask for assistance to help move the printer. When moving the printer, first disconnect the two 485 cables and then the PTFE tube from the CFS. The PTFE tube is removed after the outer black ring is pushed in to disengage the spring steel.
For our use, the CFS is on a shelf above the K2 Plus. When the printer is in its new location, reconnect the 485 cables and the PTFE tube to the CFS.
With the printer in place, insert the power cable into the rear of the K2 Plus and the other end into a wall outlet. Make sure that the CFS has been reconnected and then flip the power switch above the power inlet. At this time, an ethernet cable can be connected to the printer if you don’t want to use the built-in Wi-Fi on the printer.
The printer will take some time to boot up. During this time the firmware update notice can be removed from the screen.
Then follow the on screen instructions for setup and connecting the printer to your Creality account. An account isn’t needed to send files to the printer if it is on the same network as your PC. When the printer starts for the first time it will check for an update and then perform a calibration. The calibration will take about 15 minutes and make sure the printer is left alone during this time with the door closed.
Loading the Filament
The K2 Plus combo comes with 4 partial spools of filament in sealed moisture bags.
Remove the spools from the bags and place them into the CFS one at a time. Insert the filament into the CFS inlets in the front until is grabs the filament. The CFS will feed the filament to the printer nozzle and then retract. During this time it reads the RFID tags that are included on each spool. The printer will update which filament (material and color) are in each slot.
Note: that the RFID only works with Creality’s own filament spools that have the tags.
Additional Accessories Included
The 3D printer comes with a tool box, bonus accessory box, stickers, spare PTFE tubes, spare 0.4mm nozzle, dust removal squeezer, filament color swatches and installation guides.
In the tool box is a flash drive, hex wrenches, lubrication grease, glue stick, side cutters, bed scrapper, tool bits, wrench attachments, wrench and bit tool, and a declogging tool.
Setup Finished
With the printer now setup, it can be connected to either the Creality Print desktop application or the Creality Print mobile application. The apps can be used to check the active print with the built in camera, set the filaments that are in the CFS, cancel parts on the print bed, and export timelapse videos if enabled.