Comgrow T500, the only fast Klipper firmware 3D printer with a 500mm cube print volume, linear rails
Summary
TLDRThe Aurora Tech Channel reviews the Congo t500, a large-scale 3D printer by Comgrow, a known reseller of Creality printers. With a 500mmΒ³ print volume and modular linear rails for motion, the t500 offers a rigid frame and fast printing speeds up to 180mm/s. Despite minor prototype quality issues, the printer demonstrates good print quality and potential, retailing around $900 with a 7-inch Clipper pad and 600W PSU. The review also highlights the printer's motion system, print speed, and quality, while noting areas for improvement.
Takeaways
- π The Congo t500 is a large 3D printer by Comgrow, a reseller known for selling Creality printers on Amazon.
- ποΈ The t500 has a massive print volume of 500 millimeters cube, making it larger than any other reviewed printer.
- π οΈ The printer features a modular linear rail motion system, dual Y and dual Z axes, and a solid aluminum gantry for enhanced rigidity.
- π The print surface is a spring steel sticker sheet, heated by a 600-watt PSU, and the machine runs on Clipper with a 7-inch touchscreen.
- π» The 32-bit motherboard connects stepper motors and limit switches, with processing handled by the 7-inch pad, likely a Megabase 7 inch pad with a quad-core Cortex A53 processor.
- π§ The extruder is a 6.5:1 ratio dual gear direct extruder, with a non-volcano style nozzle and three extra hardened steel nozzles.
- π¦ The machine comes in a large box, weighing nearly 90 pounds, with all parts well protected and a simple assembly process.
- π The print speed is fairly fast, with the ability to print at 180 millimeters per second and good print quality for a large bed printer.
- π‘οΈ The print bed heats up quickly with a 600-watt power supply, and the temperature difference across the bed is acceptable for its size.
- π Some issues were noted with the print surface sticking too well to PLA, requiring glue to improve adhesion, and the cooling system could be improved for better overhangs with larger nozzles.
Q & A
What is the Congo T500?
-The Congo T500 is a large 3D printer that is a final prototype from ComGrow. It features a 500 millimeter cube print volume, making it larger than any other printer previously reviewed by the channel.
Who is ComGrow and what is their relationship with Creality?
-ComGrow is one of Creality's resellers, known for selling thousands of Creality printers on Amazon. They have previously been reviewed for their laser engraver, the Z1, and the mini desktop CNC, with the T500 being their first 3D printer.
What are the key features of the Congo T500's motion system?
-The motion system of the Congo T500 uses modular linear rails on the X, dual Y, and dual Z axes. It also includes two solid aluminum brackets at the back to enhance the rigidity of the tall gantry.
What is the print surface of the Congo T500?
-The print surface of the Congo T500 is a spring steel sticker sheet, which is heated by a 600-watt PSU.
What software and hardware components does the Congo T500 use?
-The Congo T500 runs Clipper and uses a 7-inch touch pad similar to a Sonic PAD as its touchscreen. The Linux OS and Clipper are installed on the pad, and a 32-bit motherboard is used to connect the stepper motors, limit switches, and the print head.
What are the specifications of the extruder on the Congo T500?
-The extruder on the Congo T500 has a 6.5:1 ratio dual gear direct drive system. It comes with three extra hardened steel nozzles sized at 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 millimeters.
What is the price range of the Congo T500?
-The Congo T500 is priced at around $900.
What is Voxel PLA and how is it related to this review?
-Voxel PLA is a brand created by a print farm in Southern California. It is a modified version of PLA that provides higher impact strength and supports high-speed printing. The brand sponsored today's video and is mentioned for its quality and reliability.
What are the assembly steps for the Congo T500?
-The assembly involves placing the gantry on the base, reinforcing the gantry with brackets, mounting the spool holder on top, and attaching the screen bracket on the right side. The machine also requires connecting some cables and adjusting the local voltage with the power supply.
What are some of the pros and cons of the Congo T500 as mentioned in the review?
-Pros include an excellent motion system, a super rigid frame, good print speed and quality, and a large heated print bed. Cons include issues with the print surface sticking too well to PLA, insufficient cooling when using a 0.8 millimeter nozzle, and some quality control issues with the prototype.
Outlines
π€ Introduction to the Congo T500 3D Printer
The video begins with an introduction to the Congo T500 3D printer, a final prototype from Comgrow, a reseller of Creality printers. The T500 is Comgrow's first 3D printer and features a 500mm print volume, modular linear rails, and a 600-watt PSU. The machine runs on Clipper with a 7-inch touchpad and comes with various hardware components. Priced at around $900, it's positioned as a high-performance printer with a large build volume.
βοΈ Setting Up the Congo T500
The setup process of the T500 involves assembling the base, gantry, and print head, followed by attaching the 7-inch Clipper pad and other accessories. The video highlights the ease of assembly with top-mounted screws and the functionality of the Clipper interface. After setup, the auto-home and leveling processes are demonstrated, ensuring all components are functioning correctly. The printer is then tested with a simple Benchy print, which completes in 43 minutes, displaying decent quality with minimal stringing.
π¨οΈ Performance Tests and Print Quality
Various performance tests are conducted on the T500, including printing a number slider and a honeycomb box to assess clearance and retraction capabilities. The printer shows good results, though some stringing is noted. A comparison with other new-generation machines reveals that the T500 offers competitive print quality, especially at higher speeds. Further tests include printing a large lampshade with a 0.8mm nozzle, a PETG kitchen towel hanger, a TPU wallet, and a nylon carbon fiber part, all demonstrating the printer's versatility and capability.
π Pros and Cons of the Congo T500
The pros of the T500 include its excellent motion system, rigid frame, dual Z-axis support, fast print speeds, decent print quality, use of open-source Clipper firmware, and effective bed heating. However, cons include issues with the print surface adhering too well, limited maximum bed temperature, cooling inadequacies with larger nozzles, inconvenient filament sensor placement, and quality control issues in the prototype. Despite these issues, the printer is noted for its potential and good overall value.
π Final Thoughts and Recommendations
The final section discusses the T500's potential for future recommendations, noting that Comgrow has addressed reported quality issues for large-scale production. While the prototype has some flaws, the T500's hardware and performance are promising. The video concludes with a cautious recommendation and a link to the product, inviting viewers to consider the T500 while acknowledging that further testing of production models is needed before a full endorsement.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Congo t500
π‘Comgrow
π‘3D Printer
π‘Print Volume
π‘Linear Rails
π‘Clipper
π‘Touch Pad
π‘Extruder
π‘Print Speed
π‘Voxel PLA
π‘Auto Bed Leveling
π‘Quality Control
Highlights
The Congo T500 is a 3D printer prototype with a large print volume of 500mm cube.
Comgrow, primarily known as a Creality reseller, is entering the 3D printer market with the T500.
The T500 features modular linear rails on the x, dual y, and dual z axes for enhanced stability.
The printer uses a 600-watt Meanwell power supply to heat the large bed effectively.
Clipper firmware is utilized, with a 7-inch touchscreen pad handling processing tasks.
A 32-bit motherboard connects stepper motors, limit switches, and the print head.
The T500 includes a six-and-a-half-to-one ratio dual gear direct extruder and comes with three hardened steel nozzles.
The printer is priced around $900, offering significant hardware features for the cost.
Voxel PLA sponsors the review, providing high-quality and affordable PLA Pro filament.
The T500 setup involves attaching the gantry to the base, reinforcing it with brackets, and connecting cables.
Auto-home, Z calibrate, Z tilt, and bed mesh functions ensure proper setup and leveling.
The printer achieves a print speed of 180 mm/s with reasonable print quality.
The print bed heats up within acceptable timeframes, with a slight temperature variance from center to edges.
The review identifies an issue with the print surface adhesion and recommends using glue to facilitate print removal.
The printer successfully handles various filament types, including PLA, PETG, TPU, and nylon carbon fiber, with some minor cooling issues noted.
The review concludes with a positive overall assessment, highlighting the T500's potential and value despite some quality control issues in the prototype.
Transcripts
welcome back to Aurora Tech Channel
today I will be reviewing a huge machine
the Congo t500
this is a final prototype from com girl
and the retail version may have some
minor changes but I will just base my
review on my personal first-hand
experience with the machine that I
received
many of you may not have heard of
comgrow they are one of creality's
resellers who have been selling
thousands of creality printers on Amazon
for many years
previously I reviewed their laser
engraver the Z1 and the mini desktop CNC
the t500 is their first 3D printer and
it's an interesting choice to start with
something at this size but let's take a
look at what you can get from the t500
as the same suggests the printed volume
of this large bed Slinger is a 500
millimeter Cube which is bigger than
anything I have reviewed before
the total way of the machine is over 80
pounds
the motion system uses modular linear
rails on the x dual Y and dual Z axes
there are two brackets made of solid
aluminum at the back to enhance the
rigidity of the tall gantry
the print surface is a spring steel
sticker sheet and a meanwhile 600 watt
PSU is used to heat up the huge bed
the machine runs Clipper and it uses a 7
inch touch pad that's pretty similar to
a Sonic PAD as its touch screen
the Linux OS and Clipper are actually
installed on the pad
the 32-bit motherboard is used to
connect the stepper Motors limit
switches and the print head while all
the processing is handled by the 7-inch
pad
the hardware of the pad isn't specified
on their product page but as it's from
maker base I believe it's a megabase 7
inch pad that runs on a quad core cortex
a53 processor with one gigabyte RAM and
8 gigabytes emmc which is pretty
standard configuration for a Clipper pad
there is a six and a half to one ratio
dual gear direct extruder and although
the heater block is a volcano style one
it's using a non-volcano style nozzle
it comes with three extra hardened steel
nozzles sized at 0.4 0.6 and 0.8
millimeters for other small details the
belt tension can be adjusted using a hex
wrench on every linear module and the
filament roller is all metal with an
adjustable screw to control the
smoothness of the bearing inside
with all these Hardware components this
machine is priced at around 900 I would
like to thank Conger for sending us this
machine to review but before we get
started I would also like to thank voxel
pla for sponsoring today's video
voxel pla is a brand created by a print
Farm in Southern California where they
exclusively use their own filament with
over 150 3D printers that are operated
24 7 non-stop this extensive testing
leads to high quality and reliability in
their filaments
voxel pla Pro is a modified version of
pla that provides higher impact strength
and supports high-speed printing of up
to 500 millimeters per second while
maintaining a flow rate of up to 25
millimeters Cube per second at a regular
printing temperature of 210 degrees
Celsius
voxel pla Pro is also affordable at just
16.99 for a one kilogram roll ordering
three rolls comes with free shipping and
bulk discounts are available starting
from six rolls
they have recently launched new filament
colors as well as the vision enclosure
kit that includes all the necessary
parts to fully enclose your bamboo lab
p1p for more information please visit
voxelpla.com
the machine comes with a large box that
weighs almost 90 pounds
all the parts are well protected by
laser cut foam and even though the
machine is huge the components are
pretty simple
it's a typical bed Slinger but
everything is just bigger
we have a fully assembled base with dual
y-axis modular linear rails the Gantry
with the Dual z-axis the x-axis and the
print head
there are also two brackets to reinforce
the Gantry a 7 inch Clipper pad the
screen Mount filament holder power cord
a tool box user manual and a roll of
sample filament
like all other bad singers you just put
the Gantry on the base
the good thing is the screws were
tightened from the top so you don't have
to flip this heavy printer and tighten
them from the bottom
put the brackets at the back to
reinforce the Gantry Mount the spool
holder on top and not the screen bracket
on the right side
when I compare the screen to a regular
4.3 inch touchscreen it looks huge but
it doesn't seem all that big on this
t500
there's also ribbon cable with a cable
chain so we just need to put it on top
of the Gantry and connect some cables
including the print head x-axis motor
and limit switch the Dual C access
Motors and two cables for the screen
finally flip to your local voltage with
the power supply at the back
let's turn on the machine
I'm happy to see this standard Clipper
screen personally I prefer this more
than any self-developed UI by different
manufacturers
I will start with auto home to make sure
the stepper Motors limit switches and
the inductive bet Leveling Sensor all
working
then go to the leveling menu Z calibrate
means the offset and Clipper Z tilt
means Gantry leveling and bed mesh Means
Auto leveling
I will start by setting the Z offset
with a paper test
as there is no leveling knob underneath
the bed and we don't have to adjust the
bed corners
next I will let it level the gantry
finally I will do a round of Auto bed
leveling it's going to probe 49 points
on the bed
okay the setup is now done
let's start with a simple benchy the USB
drive comes with a skin Cura I would
just add the Congo t500 and there are
two of them I'm not sure which is which
so I will just randomly pick one
let's take a look at the print profile
the default layer height is 0.2
millimeters the print speed is set to
180 millimeters per second the walls are
being printed from 140 to 160
millimeters per second the top and
bottom are 100 the first layer is 40 and
the acceleration is set to 3000 and 1000
for the first layer
let's take a look at the extruder the
retraction distance is 0.5 and the speed
is 40 millimeters per second
so everything seems pretty reasonable
let's slice a benchy the estimated time
is 33 minutes I think there's no way
that printing at 180 milbers per second
will finish a bench in 33 minutes but
let's connect the Moonraker plug-in and
send the print job to the machine
type in the machine's IP address check
the ultimaker format thumbnail and we
can upload it to the printer and start
the print
thank you
let's do a sound test I place the meter
a few inches away from the machine it
stays in the low 60s in decibels and
occasionally jumps to the mid 60s
I will let it finish and then see the
time and print quality
the print finishes in 43 minutes which
is 10 minutes longer than the estimated
time and is more in line with my
expectations from a 180 print speed
the quality is pretty decent for a fast
machine with good Cooling and just a bit
of stringing
however I had issues with removing the
print from the bed and accidentally
damaged it
I talked to Congo about this and I will
discuss this more later
but for now I would just apply some glue
to the bed to work as a release agent to
continue my testing
I will then print a number slider to
test the clearance as you can see I've
applied some glue to the bed to avoid
causing further damage to the print
surface
[Music]
foreign
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the print finishes in 3 hours and 17
minutes which is almost an hour over the
estimated time there is some stringing
and using this clear color for the
number slider the numbers are hard to
see however the clearance is good so the
slider is very smooth
then I will test the retraction of the
extruder by printing my honeycomb box
which is Tiny patterns on all sides
foreign
[Music]
[Music]
than I would prefer but all of the
patterns were printed successfully
let's do a comparison to other New
Generation machines it's not the best or
the worst I would say it's a pretty
average print compared to all other
machines
next I will print the robot alpaca from
perusa and compare its print quality
with other machines
[Music]
foreign
[Music]
[Music]
it took 5 hours and 48 minutes which is
way longer than the estimated time from
the slicer let's do a comparison to
other New Generation machines
When comparing it to the ender3v3se
which also printed this model at 180
millimeters per second the print speeds
are pretty much the same but the print
quality on this t500 is better
compared to the fastest machine that has
printed this model so far which is that
any cubic Cobra 2 the Cobra 2 offers
better quality and print speed in
comparison to the creality K1 the print
quality is similar but the K1 is faster
in comparison to the bamboo lab p1p the
p1p provides better print quality and
faster speed
lastly when compared to the Anchor make
m5c the print quality of the anchor make
is slightly better but the t500 is
faster
I will then switch to a 0.8 millimeter
nozzle to print a large lampshade
the height of the lampshade reaches the
machine's maximum at 500 millimeters
since the maximum flow rate of this hot
end is approximately 30 millimeters Cube
per second when converted to a 0.8
millimeter nozzle it reaches about 58
and a half millimeters per second
so I will set the print speed to 50
millimeters per second and the first
layer is now printing at 25 millimeters
per second
the print starts at 25 millimeters per
second for the first layer and it has no
issues
once it starts to print the wall it
speeds up to 50 millimeters per second
which also looks fine
however I can see some overhanging at
the lower half of these squares having a
minor cooling issue
the top half of these squares print
better than the lower half
I will try to slow it down to 50 of the
speed at 25 millimeters per second and
see if there is any difference
the clarity of the filament does look
better when printing slower but it seems
the top half is still better than the
lower half and slowing it down doesn't
make a huge difference
anyways I do like the clarity when
printing at a slower speed and it would
also be better as a lampshade
so I will just print at a slower speed
and let it finish
okay it appears that both the extruder
and hot end can maintain a 50
milliliters per second speed as I didn't
see any under Extrusion issues on a
print speed of either 25 or 50 movements
per second
but the bottom half of the squares still
shows some minor cooling issues on the
overhanging part
the print took 12 and a half hours to
finish which is way longer than the
estimated time since I slowed it down to
25 millimeters per second
despite some cooling issues on the
bottom half of the squares the lampshade
still looks cool and I'm quite happy
with this print
then I will print a kitchen towel hanger
using petg since the maximum temperature
of this machine only reaches up to 80
degrees Celsius
[Music]
[Music]
okay
[Music]
people
[Music]
the print finished in one hour and 35
minutes displaying typical petg
characteristics with minimal stringing
it is fully functional and I have no
complaints
next I will print a TPU wallet I will
set the print speed to 50 millimeters
per second for everything including the
first layer and walls
foreign
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
this six and a half to one dual gear
direct extruder also handled it very
well and the Extrusion was perfect
finally I will print with some nylon
carbon fiber I had stored a few rolls of
nylon and nylon combination filaments in
the new sunloo S4 filament dryer in
storage mode before using them I also
heated them at 70 degrees Celsius for
another hour to ensure that the pacf was
in good condition
[Music]
thank you
[Music]
the result is very nice the layers look
good and the print is fully functional
so for nylon carbon fiber if the
filament is dry enough you really don't
need anything fancy
any machine with a hardened steel nozzle
at 260 to 270 degrees Celsius works just
fine
let's talk about the pros and cons of
this printer starting with the pros
one the motion system is excellent it
uses module linear rails on the X do a y
and dual Z axis making it almost as good
as a 3000 snapmaker Artisan in terms of
the motion system
two the frame is super rigid there are
no issues even with this huge 500 by 500
print bed swinging back and forth and
the 500 millimeter tall guarantee is
also sturdy
three the z-axis is supported by dual Z
modules with two independent stepper
drivers so Clipper can use the inductive
fat Leveling Sensor to level the gantry
there are two manual knobs at the top
when the machine is off you can still
manually move the Gantry up and down for
nozzle changing or other maintenance
4. the print speed is fairly Fast
Printing at 180 millimeters per second
with a 3 000 millimeters per second
squared acceleration at a 0.2 millimeter
layer height
printing a standard quality 0.2
millimeter layer height Banshee in 43
minutes is reasonable considering this
large bed Slinger can't move as fast as
a small printer
five the print quality is decent it
passes all the tests including clearance
and retraction
for decorative prints like the robo
alpaca the result is in line with other
latest generation machines
six
the firmware uses open source Clipper
and the screen is a standard Clipper
screen
you can have SSH and root access using
the default makerbase Pi login and
password
for the web interface it also uses
standard fluid
this decision is actually smarter than
what some other manufacturers choose by
trying to modify Clipper firmware or
create their own touchscreen UI and
framing it as their own self-developed
system this often ends up with buggy
firmware a bad UI and it overall ruins
the user experience
7. the print bed is big but it can still
heat up within a reasonable time frame
the machine comes with a 600 watt
meanwhile power supply
heating from room temperature of about
25 degrees Celsius to 50 degrees Celsius
requires around four and a half minutes
heating to 60 degrees Celsius requires 7
Minutes 70 degrees Celsius requires 10
minutes and 80 degrees Celsius requires
16 minutes
the temperature difference from the
center to the edges is around 7 to 13
degrees which is acceptable for a bed of
this size
8. the filament holder has a bearing and
a screw for adjusting smoothness it can
feed the filament smoothly without
causing it to roll back and create
filament tangles
now for the cons one the main issue I've
encountered with this printer is related
to the print surface it sticks too well
to PLA and the adhesive used to attach
the print surface of the steel sheet is
pretty weak as a result the print
surface attaches from the steel sheet
and tears or peels off when a print is
being removed however after glue is
applied the printer works perfectly fine
two the nozzle's maximum temperature is
300 degrees Celsius but the maximum bed
temperature is 80 degrees Celsius you
won't be able to print ABS ASA or
polycarbonate as these materials
typically require a heated by
temperature of 100 degrees Celsius or
higher
three the cooling is sufficient when
printing with a 0.4 millimeter nozzle
but when using a 0.8 millimeter nozzle
the extruder is pushing out much more
filament
printing at 50 Motors per second with a
0.88 millimeter line width and a 0.64
millimeter layer height results in a
flow rate of close to the hot end limit
of 30 millimeters Q per second both the
hotend and extruder can keep up but the
overhanging on the bottom half of the
square is not as good as the top half
this is mainly due to insufficient
Cooling and this was confirmed when I
slowed down the print to 50 of the
original speed and still saw no
improvement
4. the location of the filament sensor
could be improved it would be better if
it were integrated into the print head
currently it's positioned one to two
inches above the print head which can be
kind of obstructive when feeding in
filament
5. the input shaper was pre-calibrated
in the factory and I didn't recalibrate
it as my FL Sun V 400 machine has also
been using pre-calibrated values for a
year and hasn't encountered any issues
it seems that this t500 is a similar
case but when you need to attach an
accelerometer you still need to use
screws and attach it to the print head
using can bus with one single cable and
integrating the accelerometer into print
head like many other New Generation
machines would be a better option
six
since the machine I received is still a
prototype there are some quality control
issues for example two of the screw
threads were defective and the heat
cartridge cable was disconnected when
the machine arrived so at first the
nozzle couldn't heat up
when I open the printhead cover for
inspection I found that the heat
cartridge cable had come loose even
though hot glue had been applied
this issue was mainly caused by the
cable being too short and the zip tie
being too tight causing it to pull on
the cable and detach the connector
in conclusion the harbor of this printer
is solid it uses modular linear rails on
all axes and it's very uncommon to see
this kind of motion system on a 3D
printer
I've only encountered a similar motion
system on another three thousand dollar
Machinery reviewed the snapmaker Artisan
while the small details on the snapmaker
are better the actual cost of living
your modules for both machines are
similar
considering that the t500 is priced at
around 900 with this motion system seven
inch Clipper pad and 600 watt meanwhile
power supply the hardware itself is well
worth the price the print speed and
print quality are satisfactory and the
print volume is enormous so I would say
this machine has a lot of potential and
the overall value is also pretty good
quality issues I saw were reported to
comgrow and they assured me that they
have addressed them and will conduct
detailed inspections during large scale
production regarding the print surface
they explained that the one on my
testing machine was manually glued and
attached but for large scale production
all of them will be processed by
machines producing more consistent
results
as I haven't had the chance to evaluate
a final large batch production version
of the t500 I can't confidently place
this machine on my recommendation list
just yet
currently only seven out of 100 machines
I've tested have made it to my list of
recommendations on auroratechannel.com
if I find that their large batch
production has addressed all the quality
issues I will definitely consider adding
it to my list in any case I've put a
link to the Concord t500 in the video
description
that's it for today's video if you found
it useful please hit the like button and
consider subscribing to our Channel
thank you for watching and I will see
you next time
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