Creality SpacePi X4
8.3
Pros
- Very affordable
- Independent chambers
- Auto functions
- Presets for all filaments
- True improvement in real life printing quality
- Can be also used as a filament holder
Cons
- No capability to be used as a CFS multi-color addon
- Rated power does not list spikes
- No OTA firmware upgrades (available manually)
Creality SpacePi X4
| Filament Drier | Independent Dual Chamber | 4x Spools |
Creality SpacePi X4, the larger multi-filament drier by Creality.
Probably you know Creality for their 3D FDM printers but the brand offers also other complimentary accessories and machines to expand their ecosystem related to 3D printing.
The Creality SpacePi X4 is part of the SpacePi series of the brand, a section of their catalog dedicated exclusively to filament driers.
The SpacePi X4 is the top-tier model of the series with the SpacePi and SpacePi Plus being their smaller siblings.
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Creality SpacePi X4 Review
Tests & Scores
ScoresCreality SpacePi X4 Scores
- Accessories - 6/106/10
- Design - 8/108/10
- Display Screen - 8/108/10
- Operation & Control - 9/109/10
- Construction & Build - 8/108/10
- Connectivity - 7/107/10
- Versatility - 8/108/10
- Performance - 10/1010/10
- Assembly - 10/1010/10
- Power Consumption - 7.25/107.3/10
- Durability - 8.5/108.5/10
- Features - 8/108/10
- Tech & Specs - 8/108/10
- Value for Money - 10/1010/10
8.3/10
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A
ACCESSORIES & PACKAGING
3/5
The box containing the Creality SpacePi X4 is rugged and holds inside thick, high-density protective foam, in the same level of their flagship printers.
On the other hand, the machine does not include any accessories, addons nor “freebies” beside the power cable.
AS
ASSEMBLY
5/5
This filament drier by Creality does not require any assembly at all as it comes ready to unbox and get to work without even needing a single screw nor nut to be adjusted.
D
DESIGN
4/5
The biggest difference with the cheaper/smaller SpacePi variants is the fact that the SpacePi X4 is the only one capable of holding up to 4 filament spools (4x1kg or 2x1kg + 1x2kg or 2x2kg) – the capacity of each chamber is 200mmx150mm.
Aesthetically, the Creality SpacePi X4 matches seamlessly the color and design of most top-tier and flagship 3D FDM printers from Creality (like the Creality K1C, Creality K1 SE, Creality Ender-3 V3 Plus) and also is a perfect match with the Creality CFS system (like the one included with the Creality Hi Combo)
This is achieved by the use of the same space-grey main housing color and combining it with details in black color and frosted, semi-translucent polymers.
The front of the drier has 1 independent lock per chamber and internally, also, each chamber has a bright LED strip that can be turned on or off at will and allow a better visualization of the inner chamber space.
In order to avoid any slippery issues, the bottom case is equipped with 4 large silicone feet that did an excellent job during our tests keeping the machine in place. In fact, sometimes we even placed the Creality SpacePi X4 sitting on the top lid of a Creality K1C; which fitted a bit precisely but was perfectly usable as a semi-fixed setup.
DS
DISPLAY SCREEN
4/5
On the front panel of the machine you will find a 3.2″ display that is touch sensitive.
The screen offers a friendly UI and simple but not feature-limited settings.
Through it, users have access to settings and information like:
• Temperature
• Humidity
• Drying times
• Auto functions
• Chamber controls
• Presets
• Manual overrides
• Light control
• Filament setting
At the same time, users can see real-time humidity and temperature readings of each chamber, which are measured independently.
OC
OPERATION & CONTROL
4.5/5
The machine is completely controlled through the touch screen, allowing users to access all the parameters and functionalities offered by the SpacePi X4.
A very smart move by the brand and that users will highly appreciate is that fact that you do not need to be a 3D nerd to use the machine correctly nor go through tedious researching to set the machine correctly for your filaments.
This is thanks to the fact that the Creality SpacePi X4 includes presets for all the type of compatible filaments, setting up the machine with the “correct” temperature and runtimes for optimal drying according to each filament type.
Nonetheless, users can set the machine manually in any parameter within the working temperature ranges (from 45 degrees up to 85 degrees) and runtimes from 1 hours up to 48 hours.
Auto functions with active auto monitoring are also available, allowing the SpacePi X4 to maintain, turn on and pause the active drying when the set temperature/humidity are reached.
CB
CONSTRUCTION & BUILD
4/5
The overall build of the Creality SpacePi X4 is centered in 3 materials: ABS, Polyamide and Polycarbonate; which are all different types of polymers.
On top of that, mechanical details such as the internals of the rollers and core are made of metal, while the internals equipped include high-quality components such as 8x PTFE tube connections, moister-sealing gaskets, auto sensors and systems (NTC sensor, 2x 200W PTC heaters, auto-checking fans)
This means that the machine has no metal casing nor main chamber pieces but, also, directly translates in a light but decently rugged machine (the machine weights only 5kg).
As the utilization of the machine does not have a high mechanical demand, we estimate that the non-metal construction will not limit the durability nor lifespan of the SpacePi X4; if any, we could point out the removable grid-lid of the desiccant compartment as a probable piece that could eventually break if you open, remove and re-attach the lid too often (as it is made of plastic).
For the rest, the machine does not show any wobbly nor flimsy sections that could suggest early breakage or unexpected construction-related issues.
CON
CONNECTIVITY
3.5/5
The device does not have any type of connectivity to work with software, neither wired nor wirelessly.
Despite this, the unit accepts firmware upgrades by manually copying the files to a MicroSD card and inserting it in a hidden card reader slot on the bottom section of the device.
V
VERSATILITY
4/5
To allow the connection with 4 machines, the Creality SpacePi X4 has 2 PTFE tube outlets per spool; one on the top lid and one on the rear shell, so it can better adapt to the positioning of each users setup and environment of their 3D printers system.
It is worth noting that the Creality SpacePi X4 can be used as a filament “spooler”/holder to print directly connected to any 3D printer but it cannot be used a replacement for a Creality CFS multi-color device. This means that the SpacePi X4 can use one filament per machine and up to 4 concurrent machines working with each one of the 4 filaments but you cannot use all 4 filaments for a multi-color printing in CFS-compatible machines like the Creality Hi or Creality K2 Plus.
P
PERFORMANCE
5/5
We re-printed a multi-color rocket that we did during the review of the Creality Hi Combo; at the time, old opened filament was used and showed some signs of the filaments with absorbed humidity. This time we did the same print but we used the Creality SpacePi X4 to dry the filaments beforehand, running them through a cycle of 8 hours at 50 degrees.
The results showed instant improvement with all of the filament “issues” seen in the initial print now being completely obliterated after being dried and de-humidified by the Creality SpacePi X4.
It is fair to mention, that unlike some filament driers, the SpacePi X4 does not have “active” rollers, so the spools are not actively rotated by any motor and sit in place statically but, despite this, the machine implements a 360 degree hot air circulation to dry the full filament evenly and efficiently.
A handy design on the SpacePi X4 is the fact that the dual chambers work independently and are isolated from each other; which allows users to decide to use one or two chambers at a time and also enables the drying of different type of filaments independently (independent temp control) but at the same time. This is fundamental for people owning different filament materials as each type of filament requires completely different temperatures to be efficiently dried.
We also welcomed the valve design of the rear fans as it granted no moisture leaking into the chambers when the machine is not in use (thanks to a one-way design), a remarkably low noise while working and the beeping notifications when the drying cycle is completed.
Moreover, thanks to the wide range of temperatures covered, the SpacePi X4 can dry a wide variety of filaments like:
• PLA
• PETG
• TPU
• ABS
• PET
• PC
• ASA
• PA
• PAHT
Being nitpicky we could only say that, since the device has, also, the function to regenerate desiccants, we would had liked to see a dedicated preset for only desiccant regeneration; on top of the presets for each type of filament already available on the menu. Of course, as you can manually set all parameters, you can easily configure the SpacePi X4 to any temperature/humidity and duration (within the working ranges). Nonetheless, the desiccant regeneration is done automatically every time that you use the machine.
PC
POWER CONSUMPTION
3.75/5
The first thing that we noticed when testing the Creality SpacePi X4 was that despite having a declared rated power of 360W, this does not seem to contemplate that the spikes of consumption are way above 360W.
To be more precise, when starting our testings for the review, we connected the SpacePi X4 to an UPS with a power-handling capability of 600W and spikes of 1200W but the SpacePi X4 triggered the over-consumption spikes protective system of the UPS; which suggests that the SpacePi X4 has sustained spikes higher than 600W (or 1200W) on initial heating steps.
For the rest, the power consumption of the Creality SpacePi X4 is remarkably contained and will be directly related to the working conditions, parameters set in the machine (temp, duration, etc) and how many chambers you are using at the same; being the power consumption between 120W, 200W and 360W.
Using only one chamber, completely turns off the consumption of the 2nd chamber, thus resulting in a drastic reduction in the total power consumption.
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Specifications
Creality SpacePi X4 Technical Specifications
Product name:
Creality SpacePi X4
Housing Material:
ABS/PA/PC
Product size:
382*290*270mm
Flame Retardant Grade:
UL 94 V-0
Packaging size:
453X350X330mm
Temperature Range:
45-85℃
Product net weight:
5kg
Drying Time:
1-48h
Rated power:
360W
Input Voltage:
UK/GB/EUR/AUS/BRA/CHL/ARG 220-240V~50/60Hz US/JPN 100-120V~50/60Hz
Applicable Filament:
Spool Diameter ≤ 200mm, width ≤ 150mm, wire diameter:1.75/2.85mm
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