Today I will share my impressions of the QIDI X-Plus printer (https://top3dshop.com/product/qidi-tech-x-plus-3d-printer). This is the senior model in the QIDI line. This model is more of a business class than a consumer model. You will understand this as the review progresses. I would like to remind you that I am not a pro, I am an advanced user (according to my mom’s version). Well, they say that brevity is the sister of talent. On this I will be brief. Ask your questions in the comments.
Mini spoiler – in the review will print including nylon.
So – let’s begin.
By tradition, a photo of the box. Notice the plastic inserts for hands in the box. And the corners are plastic.
Traditional kit for this manufacturer. BUT! Two types of coil mounts. And a second head assembly. But more about that later.
As usual, the side windows on the bottom are magnetically attached.
Packaged in such a way that nothing will move in transit.
On the one hand this is a protective film on the windows and on the other hand this is useful information. When you remove this film you will get transparent windows.
Only thanks to the instructions was it possible to free the printer completely and without consequences from the packaging and interlocks.
In this version, the screen is on top. No need to bow to the printer. And, much to my delight, a separate power button on the front panel.
There are warning labels inside, on each side. The whole construction is made of solid iron.
The table has 4 guides and two motors. To avoid misalignment, there are two limiters at the bottom. And the table is aligned to them before printing.
View from the rear. I would resent the location of the switch, but the button on the front panel solves all problems. I hope you noticed the fuse? And there’s a 110/220V switch on the left and a warning label.
Under the door, on the front, is the USB and ezernet connector. Well if the location of the USB can be justified by the convenience of installation and extraction, but the presence of the network connector on the front is very controversial. And yes, the printer has both WIFI and ezernet. I can only assume that they would use a wired connection if the printer was part of a farm, and that’s not the place for aesthetics. Serviceability comes first.
The printer is traditionally equipped with a large and high-quality flash drive and a glue stick.
The filament is loaded. Ready for action.
You can see the blowing fan with the filter. But that’s not what’s interesting there. On the right you can see the mount for the spool holder, and on the right you can see the filament guide. That is, the coil can be positioned both outside and inside.
A big, thick aluminum table with a bunch of neodymium magnets and a notch for removing the magnet chip.
Everything is so massive! Wires in a flexible cable duct.
Well, next comes the printing. Tired of cubes and benches. I want something big! By the way, people here asked about the size of the letters. Everything is good and easy to read.
Since we have such a large table, we’ll hit the areas. Some 7 hours of printing and… ran out of plastic on the spool. ABS. Speed 100. Nowhere, nothing ripped off, nothing bent. That’s what a fully enclosed case means. The kit came with a glue stick, but it was not needed. Well, and the convenience of separation. Hooked up a finger removable table. A little bend and the part came off.
But we have the second head in the kit and Nylon Premium. Quickly changing the head. There is a video guide on the USB stick. It’s pretty straightforward. The second head is high temperature, up to 300 degrees. There is no model air cooler on it. Nylon is new to me. I’m looking on the Internet, reading about the printing parameters. I do not believe anything. In the manual to the printer says – the second head for high temperature and special plastics such as Nylon, etc.. So began his majesty experiment.
Got this. I went to the community to find out what was wrong.
Turned down the temperature and speed a bit.
It got a little better. Then I went to the plastics dealer’s website and read the recommended settings. Thought for a long time. I put the regular head back in place. I set my favorite temperature, 240, and started printing.
And the Nylon that is so scary, it just printed. No different from any other plastic.
No. I lied, of course. Plastic shrinkage is huge. You have to print with a border or a raft.
Nylon is a very specific and highly specialized plastic. I tried to print a large bearing. It did not come off the table (high adhesion), but it bent in a circle and everything stuck together inside. The gaps in the model are very small, not for this plastic. Or I’m crooked. In general, the printer can print nylon, but I have not yet learned.
About the quality of printing. Actually the mechanics is the same as for other models of this line, so the quality is not worse. I did not print cubes and Benchy. Printed the city in the moon.
Printed ABS plastic. Base speed 80.
Slicer here is a custom Kura.
Actually all the functionality of the Kura plus the printer’s features, such as network printing and turning on the case fan.
Some pics of the printer interface. Took some pics from the manual.
All reads fine, unlike the model in the previous review. Although I only used the menu to turn off the backlight and turn the printer off when I finished printing.
Yes, this printer can turn itself off after printing!
Conclusions and thoughts.
By tradition (and natural laziness) you can look at the specs of the printer on the website of the seller – Lider-3D. A copy of the flash drive is here.
Who do I see as the quality of buyer of this printer? A person who wants everything at once and does not want to understand anything and is not burdened with money. To the company as a versatile network device for a wide range of tasks. And I think this printer would be a good fit for a farm.
Pros:
- large print area
- fully enclosed housing
- 2 spool mounting options
- 2 network interfaces
- built-in backlight
- printer can be turned off after printing
- magnetic table with good adhesion and easy part removal
Cons:
- price
What do I lack in this printer to call it perfect, in terms of usability? A quieter driver and double-sided part blowing.
As you know, you get used to a good thing in a short time. So I’m sitting here thinking, how will I print on my favorite Ender now? Apparently the upgrade will never end.
Maybe I missed something or didn’t notice. Feel free to write in the comments. I’ll do my best to answer.
Below is the video addition
