CR-10 SMART Hot End Stabilizer

prusaprinters

The CR-10 SMART (the original one, not the Pro) utilizes a capacitive probe bed leveling system that uses the nozzle as the probe tip. The issue with the design lies in the fact that the mounting plate for the hot end must be able to “flex” UP during the leveling process when the nozzle first touches the bed. This movement is not an issue during the leveling, but this “flex” allows the nozzle to be moved DOWN towards the bed during extrusion, due to the force of the extruder pushing the filament into the hot end. The amount of DOWN movement, towards the bed, that the nozzle experiences depend on the print speeds and the retraction/detraction speeds of the extruder. This movement leads to erratic first layer issues, as well as inconsistent layers depending on the type of filament that is used in the printer.This fan shroud fits the original Creality fan and uses the same mounting hardware. The legs of the shroud extend over the edge of the capacitive leveling probe plate which allows the nozzle to flex UP during leveling but is not allowed to be forced DOWN by the force of the filament from the extruder during printing.The movement of the nozzle BEFORE the modification can be observed both visually during normal operation, as well as by watching for a blue light to flash within the Creality breakout board housing located behind the X Stepper motor and underneath the Filament Run-Out Sensor during each retraction. The flash indicates that the capacitive probe has been triggered. With the addition of the fan shroud stabilizer, the probe is not triggered anymore during each retraction and there is no visual indication that the nozzle is moving down.Disclaimer - The dimensions of this shroud fit my CR-10 SMART, although I am not sure how much deviation there is between different CR-10 SMART printers. You may have to slightly modify the gap underneath the support legs if the nozzle still has some flex during extrusion, or if the gap is too small and it actually forces the nozzle UP triggering the capacitive probe immediately.