3D Printing InfoPrinter comparison
FlashForge Creator 5 vs Stratasys F170
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore FlashForge Creator 5 comparisonsMore Stratasys F170 comparisons
| Property | FlashForge Creator 5TOOLCHANGER | Stratasys F170INDUSTRIAL |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | FlashForge | Stratasys |
| Class | TOOLCHANGER | INDUSTRIAL |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | Flashforge Creator 5, sold as "Creator 5 4-Toolheads Multi-Color 3D Printer"[1][2] | Stratasys F170, part of the Stratasys F123 Series[3] |
| Release date (announcement and actual shipping) | Announced with a $10 deposit programme; shipping to deposit backers by 19 May 2026. One secondary source puts general release in early May 2026[4][5] | The F123 series spec sheet carried is revision 0721a (July 2021). Stratasys does not print a launch date on it[3] |
| Launch MSRP (USD) | $649 early-bird (deposit price, open until 20 June 2026); $799 standard MSRP[4][5] | Not documented |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | $799.00 on flashforge.com, in stock, with $100 auto-applied in cart, checked Aug 2026[1][2] | Not documented |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | Paired with the Creator 5 Pro at $949, which adds a sealed enclosure, 65 °C active chamber heating and HEPA13 + carbon filtration. Motion system, 256 mm build volume, four toolheads, 600 mm/s and 30,000 mm/s2 are the same on both, so enclosure and chamber are the only reliable discriminators[1][6][4][5][2] | Shares its 254 mm cube with the F120 but is a different machine: full-size cabinet, 2 internal material spool bays (1 model, 1 support) in a front drawer, and five model materials. The F270 and F370 have 4 spool bays[3] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 256 x 256 x 256 mm[4][5][7] | 254 x 254 x 254 mm (10 x 10 x 10 in)[3] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | Not documented | 1,626 x 864 x 711 mm (64 x 34 x 28 in)[3] |
| Net weight (kg) | Not documented | 124 kg (F120) or 227 kg with consumables (F170, F270, F370)[3] |
| Frame construction & material | CoreXY frame; FlashForge does not publish a frame-material breakdown and no dimensions or weight have been published for this model[4][5] | Fully enclosed office/classroom-grade cabinet, factory assembled[3] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Open frame. No enclosure, no chamber heating and no filtration[4][5][7] | Enclosed build chamber[3] |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | CoreXY with four independent toolheads on a FlashSwap changer. FlashForge claims a physical head swap in about 7 seconds[4][5][7] | Not documented |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max print speed (claimed, mm/s) | 600 mm/s maximum, reported by both secondary sources as a travel-speed figure (manufacturer claim)[4][5] | Not documented |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | 30,000 mm/s2 maximum (manufacturer claim)[4][5] | Not documented |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Stock nozzle material (brass / hardened steel / plated copper / composite tip) | Hardened steel nozzles as standard[4][5] | Not documented |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | 120 °C maximum (manufacturer claim)[4][5] | Not documented |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | Fully automatic calibration and levelling; FlashForge does not name the probe technology[1] | Not documented |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade path | Four independent toolheads swapped physically rather than shared through one nozzle, which FlashForge markets as zero purge waste and up to 500% faster multi-colour printing[1][4] | Not documented |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto) | Not documented | 100-132 V / 15 A or 200-240 V / 7 A, 50/60 Hz[3] |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | Not named by FlashForge. Supported slicers are Flash Studio, Orca-Flashforge and OrcaSlicer[5] | Proprietary Stratasys firmware; print preparation is GrabCAD Print. The F370 additionally carries an Insight software licence and DoD STIG compliance powered by Red Hat Enterprise Linux[3] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | Dual-band Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz, LAN, USB[4][5] | Wired TCP/IP at 100 Mbps minimum, 100base-T Ethernet, RJ45. Wireless-ready IEEE 802.11 n/g/b with WPA2-PSK or 802.1x EAP, CCMP/TKIP encryption[3] |
| Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps) | 1080p camera at 30 fps. A camera module is also sold separately at $29.90, so verify whether a given SKU ships with it[4][5][2] | Not documented |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | Not documented | PLA, ABS-M30, ASA, FDM TPU 92A, ABS-CF10, with QSR soluble support. PLA uses breakaway PLA support rather than soluble[3] |
| Safety | ||
| Certifications (UL/ETL/CE/FCC — verify, don't assume) | Not documented | CE (low-voltage and EMC directives), FCC, EAC, cTUVus, KC, RoHS, WEEE, REACH, RCM[3] |
| Noise & Power Consumption | ||
| Noise: claimed dB and independently measured dB (distance/method) | Not documented | 46 dB maximum during build, 35 dB idle — manufacturer specification, no distance or method stated, and not an independent measurement[3] |
| Independently Measured Performance | ||
| Dimensional accuracy measurements (third-party, with numbers) | Not documented | Parts produced within +/-0.200 mm or +/-0.002 mm/mm, whichever is greater. Manufacturer figure derived from statistical data at 95% dimensional yield; Z accuracy carries an extra -0.000/+slice-height tolerance[3] |
Manufacturer claims, independent measurements, packages and test conditions retain their source wording. FDM linear speed and resin vertical speed use different units and are not directly comparable. Unknown values are marked “Not documented”. Prices and source dates remain historical snapshots; check the linked guide for product details. Differences highlight text, not a universal winner.
Sources for this comparison
- Flashforge Creator 5 4-Toolheads product page flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge store search results for Creator 5 (live prices) flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Stratasys F123 Series product specification sheet (PSS_FDM_F123Series_0721a, PDF) stratasys.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Flashforge Creator 5 and Creator 5 Pro launch report 3dprinting.com · 2026-08 · review
- Flashforge Creator 5 and 5 Pro breakdown antonmansson.com · 2026-08 · review
- Flashforge Creator 5 Pro 4-Toolheads product page flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge printer buyer's guide, 5M to Creator 5 eolasprints.com · 2026-08 · review