Gadget

At the end of 2021, few people can be surprised by a 3D printer. Progress does not stand still, and every self-respecting manufacturer regularly upgrades its devices by adding various goodies. One of these goodies is the print area of ​​the device. The larger this size, the larger model we can print. In today’s review, we will talk about a new product from Longer, the Longer LK5 Pro printer.

Specifications Longer LK5 Pro

Packing and scope of delivery

The Longer LK5 Pro 3D printer comes in a relatively large recycled cardboard box with a sticker containing information about the manufacturer and model of the device.

The organization of the internal space inside the box is thought out quite carefully. Rose-red polyethylene foam is used as fixatives and seals. There is a sufficient number of trays in polyethylene, thanks to which all elements of the delivery set are securely fixed inside the box and do not hang out during transportation.

In addition to the Longer LK5 Pro, in a disassembled state, the package included a brief assembly instruction, an 8 GB microSD memory card, a card reader, plastic for printing (short length), a power cord, a set of hex wrenches, a spatula, screws and other parts of the printer, such as the touch screen unit, printing table, glass with a coating that improves the adhesion of plastic during printing, the Z-axis screw, etc.

We can say that the device has a very good package, especially if you take into account its cost.

Device Assembly

The assembly process does not take much time. Initially, the device is almost completely assembled, according to the manufacturer, the device is already 90% assembled out of the box. There is no need to set up a table, an extruder, or pull filament tubes. The manufacturer took care of the user and did it himself. In fact, it all comes down to the fact that the user needs to connect the base of the 3D printer and the portal, on which the guide for the X axis is pre-installed.

Next, the Z-axis motor, screw and limit switch are installed.

The next step is to install the display and filament spool. To do this, each of the elements is screwed to the body with two screws.

At the final stage, metal ties are installed, thanks to which you can align the geometry of the device case along the axes, after which all the necessary connectors are connected (I would like to pay attention that there are special markers on the connectors).

This whole process is described in the paper version of the instructions, however, for me personally, it was somewhat difficult to figure it out. It turned out to be much more convenient to use the video instructions for assembling the printer, which was recorded on the supplied memory card.

At the end of the assembly process, it is necessary to check the perpendicularity of the location of the portal and the base, check the position of the pulleys, the tension of the belts, and, if necessary, adjust the carriages (this is done using eccentrics).

Here I would like to note the ease of assembly and adjustment of the Longer LK5 Pro 3D printer. The body of the printer is made of a metal machine profile, and the front surface of this profile is flat. In general, absolutely all fasteners in the Longer LK5 Pro are made of metal and are very reliable.

Appearance

Longer LK5 Pro is a 3D printer with a portal design with a print area of ​​300x300x400 mm. The overall dimensions of the device are 580x540x663 mm, which means that after assembling the device, you will have to take care of finding a place to install the device.

When looking at the front surface of the device, we see a movable table, a portal, and a little to the left there is a rather large, 4.3-inch, vertical display framed in a metal frame. It is not necessary to say that the display is capable of displaying a large amount of information. It is specifically designed to display basic print settings, select a file to print, and that’s it. At the same time, we can say that the information displayed on the display is conveniently readable, the menu is intuitive.

Viewing angles are a little disappointing, but given the purpose of the device, we can say that this parameter does not affect anything.

On the right surface there is one of the metal ties, thanks to which you can easily display the geometry of the printer case, forming a right triangle.

On the left side there is also one of the metal ties, there is also a slot for microSD memory cards, a USB port. There is also a 24V power supply and a filament spool mount. Also on the left side is a motor with a clutch and wine on the Z axis.

On the back surface there is a toggle switch for turning the device on / off, a connector for connecting a network wire, and a Y-axis drive.

On the portal there is a cross beam, on which, in turn, a carriage with OpenBuilds wheels and an X-axis drive is installed.

Also on it is a fairly simple model of the feeder feeder mechanism, on which the filament end sensor is located.

Of course, the print head is equipped with a fan, blower and MK9 heating block and a silicone sock on the heating block, so that it has a great protection against pollution.

Among other things, the manufacturer decided to use a modern Teflon tube that guides the filament to the nozzle. According to the manufacturer, this tube has high temperature operating conditions (up to 280 degrees), so that during operation the nozzle is less prone to clogging and provides more reliable print quality.

The movable table Longer LK5 Pro is quite good, it warms up evenly, however, due to the absence of any heat-insulating material on the bottom surface of the table, this process is quite lengthy. A glass base for printing is placed on top of the table, on which a special ceramic coating is applied to improve the adhesive properties of the surface. The table itself is made of aluminum alloy and is mounted on a base using sufficiently strong springs. To ensure ease of adjustment of the table, convenient, large lambs are provided.

Almost all wiring is clad in nylon braid, so that the likelihood of damage during the movement of mechanisms is much lower.

The open source Longer 3D motherboard (LGT_KIT_V1.0) is responsible for the operation of the device, on which silent TMC2208 stepper motor drivers are installed on the X / Y / Z axes, and the A4988 driver on the extruder. The basement of the printer is assembled quite well. All wires are crimped and insulated.

Here I would also like to note that the eight-bit processor used in this device copes well with simple tasks, and the touch screen is equipped with its own processor and does not load the motherboard during operation.

Testing

Of course, before the first start, after all the preliminary settings have been made, the belts have been tightened, all the nuts have been tightened and the body geometry has been set, it is necessary to calibrate the printing table. This procedure is performed on the device when the temperature of the table has reached the operating temperature, usually 60 degrees. The calibration procedure is extremely simple and does not take much time. First you need to select the appropriate menu item and start the procedure. The print head moves alternately from corner to corner. After the head is set to a certain position, it is necessary to set the gap between the surface of the table and the nozzle, this is done using the winglets located on the back surface of the table. The lambs themselves are large, spinning comfortably. Interestingly, there are four lambs on the table, and the adjustment is carried out at five points.

In order to start printing, it is enough to insert a memory card into the card reader, select the appropriate menu section, using the touch screen, then select a file from the list. The device has support for the most common formats such as: STL, G-Code, OBJ. I would like to immediately draw attention to the lack of a preview, so it is not possible to view the image of the file before printing, and, as a result, with a large amount of information on the memory card, certain difficulties may arise with this. In this case, the method of printing via a USB port looks much more profitable, because before printing, the user has the opportunity to get acquainted with the object that is sent to work.

The manufacturer’s website contains information that the device is capable of working with PLA, ABS, wood, copper consumables (unfortunately, I don’t know what it is, so I ask you to tell me in the comments).

During testing of the Longer LK5 Pro, several test models were printed. Black PETG was used as plastic. All settings were set as default. No additional manipulations with the printer were carried out, everything is as it is.

The following were chosen as test models: a cube, a boat, a snake, a tree frog and a vase.

What I want to say about the quality of printing — everything is quite good. Of course, the filling pattern is visible on the side surfaces, there is a slight echo, but in general the layers are laid evenly.

During testing, the operation of the filament end sensor was also checked. For these purposes, the plastic was bitten off with the help of wire cutters. At the moment when the device detected the absence of a bar, printing paused, the head was laid aside, and on the touch screen, you need to press the appropriate button confirming that you have installed a new filament in the device.

What can I say about the stock airflow. It works relatively well, and copes with its work, at the same time, in order to achieve better results during the operation of the device, it is necessary to print a modified blower housing.

We can say that the heating of the table is relatively uniform, although there are poorly heated zones. The table warms up relatively evenly.

However, the lack of a thermal insulating pad on the back surface greatly increases the time required to complete this procedure.

Observations and future upgrades

First of all, you should prepare and print a mount that will fix the connector and part of the wire at the point of connection to the table. This is necessary so that over time the soldering does not loosen and does not fall off. There are several ready-made solutions on the network, the fixation of which occurs with the help of plastic ties.

After understanding how the device works, you can experiment with custom firmware, which offer much more functionality, for example, allow you to adjust the degree of pressure of the nozzle by 16 points.

For more comfortable work, you should also install a BLTouch sensor. On the manufacturer’s website you can find detailed installation instructions and firmware for working with it.

Advantages

• Ease of assembly and configuration;
• High-quality component base (profile, carriages, stepper motors);
• Stylish, modern design;
• Sufficiently large print area (300x300x400 mm);
• Good, relatively uniform heating of the table;
• High-quality, stable printing;
• Adequate cost;
• Good, thoughtful blowing with the possibility of modernization;
• Possibility of self-installation of a sensor for automatic adjustment of the level of the table;
• Print speed up to 120m/s;
• Regular software updates;
• Availability of custom firmware;
• Function of automatic resumption of printing in case of a sudden power outage.

disadvantages

• Quite noisy
• Difficulties may arise when tensioning the belts;
• The movement of the table is carried out on one rail;
• No rubber feet.

When buying a device in the official online store. you can use the coupon T75L99844941, which will provide a discount of $90, after which the price of this printer becomes really attractive, however, please note that the coupon period began on 12/13/2021 and will end on 12/31/2021.

Conclusion

What can be said about the Longer LK5 Pro? Perhaps this is one of the most optimal solutions, which has a large print area, a high-quality frame, very average technical characteristics and a good price. Of course, the device is not without flaws, but almost all of them are minor flaws that a novice user will not pay attention to. I was somewhat surprised why the movement of the table, which has a fairly large size, is carried out only along one rail, but in general, for an ordinary user, this factor will not play too much importance, because. the company’s engineers compensated for this shortcoming by using six wheels.