Creality launches new 3D printer that swaps between four nozzles in five seconds

Creality has launched the K3, a multicolor 3D printer with four independent filament channels and four nozzles. Pre-sales are now open in China at an introductory price of ¥4,599 (about $680). Internationally, Creality has said the printer will cost less than $900.

The printer is designed to produce multicolour and multi-material parts in a single run. Instead of flushing filament through one shared nozzle at every color change, it moves to a dedicated nozzle for each filament using Creality’s KliTek nozzle-changing system. Creality says a switch takes about five seconds and claims the approach cuts print times by 80% and filament waste by roughly 85% compared with conventional single-nozzle multicolor printers.

Nozzles of different diameters can work together on the same print, with 0.2mm, 0.4mm, 0.6mm and 0.8mm sizes supported. Creality has optimised the K3 for TPU, allowing flexible filaments of different hardness to be combined in one object. The printer also supports CMYK full-color printing, relying on the filament's translucency to blend colors physically as layers build up.

The machine uses a high-rigidity aluminum frame and a pin-style mechanical coupling that locates each nozzle along the X, Y, and Z axes. According to Creality, the changer held repeat positioning accuracy within 25 micrometers after more than 600,000 high-speed swaps in testing. It includes 37 high-precision sensors, 12 of which are dedicated solely to monitoring nozzle changes.

Root access comes enabled out of the box. Creality says the open design lets users extend the printer with their own hardware and software customizations.

Creality describes the K3 as its next-generation flagship. The printer is listed on JD.com at ¥4,589.15, while the company’s K2 series went on sale in China in August 2025 with prices starting at ¥3,199. The K3 made its public debut at IFA Berlin in September, where Creality showed it alongside four other new printers. The company had first revealed its KliTek system in late May, naming the K3 as the first machine to use it.

The standard package includes four 0.4mm brass-tipped nozzles, according to Creality, which plans to sell a multi-nozzle kit with one of each size separately after launch. The printer handles 95A TPU as standard, while softer 90A and 85A grades require an optional multi-material kit. Four spool slots are built in, and an additional CFS Hub allows the K3 to connect to Creality’s CFS filament system for more colors.

Creality Print 7.0 and later versions support the K3, including its multi-nozzle features, and the printer also works with OrcaSlicer. Creality says it will release the printer’s Klipper-based firmware in phases.