The QIDI Max 4 is a 3D printer able to multi-color printing, outfitted with heating and cooling parts and a large construct quantity. It is a severe 3D printer for individuals who want it.
I take into account myself knowledgeable newbie 3D printing hobbyist. The Anet A8 was my starter printer about 5 years in the past. Between then and now, I’ve picked up and messed with a Creality Ender 3 and an Anycubic Photon collection resin printer.
Extra lately, I’ve even tried my hand at constructing my very own HyperCube Evolution. Earlier than I might end it, my steam for the interest ran out.
Whereas not actively collaborating, I’ve nonetheless saved a watch on subreddits in regards to the subject. I’ve seen the rise in reputation and accessibility of the big construct quantity Core XY printers, like Bambu Labs and Creality are actually providing.
After I was requested to check out the QIDI Max 4 (pronounced “Chee-dee”), I figured it was a great alternative to see how far we have come.
What as soon as was out of attain for the typical client has develop into much less so, and the price of entry into the ecosystem is way more cheap.
QIDI Max 4 3D Printer Evaluation: Design
I used to be shipped the combo of the QIDI Max 4 printer, the QIDI Field (multi-filament administration system), and the QIDI Polar Cooler.
Unboxing and setup have been easy sufficient with thorough directions by way of a number of sources. Booklets contained QR codes to movies, and the Max 4’s on-screen prompts made preliminary setup and calibration of the printer a breeze.
QIDI Max 4 3D Printer Evaluation: Unboxing the big printer
Getting it out of the field and finding it within the room was extra of a trouble. At 21.96 inches by 22.75 inches and 24 inches tall, it is a pretty imposing field for anybody’s dwelling area or workshop.
The construct space is comparatively freed from obstruction and fairly giant. This makes it simple to scrub out the enclosure and to provide entry to element areas for no matter upkeep could also be wanted.
However regardless of its dimension, I nonetheless wanted some extra peak, particularly for the glass high. With the Polar Cooler put in, an extra hose is snaked alongside the wiring chain to the extruder for energetic cooling.
The equipment embody a Velcro cable tie to wrap across the highest finish of the tube, in order that it rubs towards the highest glass to be able to cut back put on.
The quantity of slack I needed to give the tube was an issue, because it nonetheless has to remain hooked up when the printer head is at its furthest place away. Any time the pinnacle is within the middle or rear of the construct space, the tube would crimp on itself.
A lot in order that after solely 4 to six hours of operation, I used to be seeing stress markings within the rubber.
QIDI Max 4 3D Printer Evaluation: Preliminary setup calibration.
Somebody in a single on-line neighborhood had already solved this drawback with the modeling of a vented riser. In order that was my first giant challenge for the Max 4.
To be clear, with out the hose for the Polar Cooler, there could be no want for the riser. Given sufficient fiddling, it’d even be attainable to resolve this drawback with out the riser.
However since QIDI features a hyperlink to a riser mannequin on its Wiki, this was the trail of least resistance.
QIDI Max 4 3D Printer Evaluation: Options and specs
Cosplayers can rejoice on the 390 by 390 by 340 mm (15 by 15 by 13 inches) construct quantity. That could be a capability that may match a large challenge with ease.
The new-end of the extruder can attain a movement charge of 40mm3 per second, and attain a most temp of 370C.
QIDI ships the printer with a 0.4mm nozzle, with non-compulsory 0.2, 0.6, and 0.8 mm nozzles additionally obtainable.
That software head can attain a max velocity of 800mm/s when printing, with an acceleration of 30,000 mm/s. Whereas that’s fast, there’s a deliberate high-flow nozzle that can help even quicker printing speeds.
As an apart, bear in mind that high quality will usually drop because the print velocity will increase. Slower speeds are usually higher for 3D prints, particularly once you search excessive ranges of accuracy and minimal errors.
QIDI Max 4 3D Printer Evaluation: Printing Benchy
Preparing for the print normally includes a leveling course of the place you be sure the mattress is flat and degree. QIDI contains automated mattress leveling with the sensor constructed into the nozzle, which helpfully speeds all the things up.
The warmth mattress has a versatile dual-sided textured PEI plate, which might attain a most temperature of 120C. It additionally magnetically attaches to the platform for simple removing of prints and mattress alternative.
Because the hot-end, warmth mattress, and energetic heating chamber all can handle a temperature of 65C, customers can benefit from printing with engineering-grade supplies.
The Polar Cooler creates an energetic cooling system for the nozzle and filament. It’s promoted as decreasing clogging by 90%, in addition to decreasing warping and offering smoother print surfaces when used with chamber heating.
As for what supplies you should use, there are printable filaments obtainable, together with PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, PA, PC, PPS-CF, and different carbon/glass fiber supplies. The vary of supported supplies is nice in case you have a wide range of totally different printing wants on your tasks.
The chamber digicam can file at as much as 1080p for time-lapses. Handily, it additionally has AI detection to verify when a print has failed mid-run. I had my spaghetti detection set to excessive, and had just one occasion of the digicam not detecting a failed print.
To connect with the printer, there are 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi bands supported in addition to Ethernet and USB for bodily connectivity.
QIDI Max 4 3D Printer Evaluation: Mid-print.
The QIDI Field sits on high or close to to the printer, and is used to retailer spools. It connects to the printer, offering a feed of filament with out you needing to manually deal with the spool.
Utilizing the field for storage can also be helpful, because it reduces the quantity of filament-killing moisture within the surrounding air. It additionally permits for drying and heating the filament whereas printing, which will help when utilizing spools which are temperamental with temperature.
The QIDI Field helps 4 spools, permitting multi-color printing and filament runout choices. This will enable a print to proceed if a spool empties and there may be one other spool of the identical model, sort, and coloration loaded, since it may possibly change provides mid-run.
It’s also possible to chain 4 QIDI Packing containers collectively for a complete of 16 spools. That may be one very giant provide of 1 filament, or extra virtually, permitting as much as 16 supplies and colours for use in a single print.
QIDI Max 4 3D Printer Evaluation: Person Interface
The five-inch show provides you entry to many printer features, together with QIDI Field loading and unloading and drying settings. There’s additionally the same old printing choices like velocity, temps, and Z-Offset which you could handle.
There have been a couple of instances after I wanted to tweak a setting mid-print, however they have been outliers as I used to be printing stress assessments that usually require a great little bit of tweaking.
On this case, having the on-screen choices was very useful.
A lot of these choices may be accessed by the QIDI Studio software, or you’ll be able to entry practically all the things through the use of the Fluidd internet interface.
QIDI Max 4 3D Printer Evaluation: QIDI Maker on iPhone
The QIDI Maker iOS app may provoke prints for fashions which are saved in onboard reminiscence, or in case you have a thumb drive hooked up. However aside from that, I did not use the app all that a lot outdoors of checking in on a print away from dwelling.
The frames per second of the digicam feed on the app is fairly low, but it surely’s serviceable sufficient to verify for spaghetti.
My workflow from preparation to print was fairly easy. I used QIQI Studio to slice the mannequin and to configure printer settings for it, then despatched to the printer over WAN, and monitored it by way of Fluidd.
The Max 4 runs on Klipper firmware. In case you’re not a fan of QIDI’s personal slicer, third-party choices like OrcaSlicer can be found.
QIDI Studio contains a wide range of high quality and filament default profiles, in addition to the flexibility to tune any setting you would need. It can save you and identify these profiles for future use, saving you from re-entering particulars every time.
In my case, I wanted to extend the temperatures on the default PETG profile, which I saved for later use.
This can be a good reminder that every one filaments usually are not equal. Not simply between manufacturers, as this contains spools from the identical firm.
QIDI Max 4 3D Printer Evaluation: What all of it comes right down to
The QIDI Max 4 took all the things I threw at it. On the time of this writing, my Max 4 has 200 hours of printing and over a kilometer of filament used.
For essentially the most half, this was the usual PLA, but in addition some PETG.
The default profiles have been additionally fairly good. The one prints after I did not use the default profiles for printer and filament settings was the stress take a look at.
To get a “profitable” print in these cases, I needed to sluggish the print speeds significantly.
I used to be amazed by how clean the partitions of a few of my prints have been. Particularly those that used QIDI’s PLA Rapido Matte filament.
QIDI Max 4 3D Printer Evaluation: The roof of the field can slide open.
The partitions for the glass high riser and the vents I printed have been so clean, you needed to go in search of the layer traces.
I used to be additionally happy with the preliminary setup. It was very simple to get to your first Benchy after opening the field.
Make no mistake, this printer is huge and heavy, and it’ll require a few individuals to unbox and get arrange on a platform.
However as soon as it is there, the assorted guides and calibrations get you able to print with out complication.
I discovered the QIDI neighborhood on Reddit and Discord to be fairly energetic and useful with questions, solutions, and troubleshooting. Whereas the consumer base for the Max 4 does not appear to be all that prime because it’s new to the market, there may be a number of overlap within the ecosystem.
Being primarily based on the Kipper firmware presents one other degree of useful overlap. Particularly should you’re one to essentially get into the bones of a factor and customise it to your personal taste.
With out the Polar Cooler, operation is comparatively quiet and unobtrusive because of the comparatively sound-insulating enclosure.
With the cooler on, nevertheless, I would not need the printer working in the identical room I work or spend a number of time in. Lively noise canceling helps, however even my AirPods Professional 2 had bother getting all of it out.
It is like having an offended Roomba within the room with you.
QIDI Max 4 3D Printer Evaluation: Print head and printed
That is, by far, the nicest printer I’ve ever used, with a wide range of options that I could probably by no means make the most of as knowledgeable newbie 3D printing hobbyist. These options add as much as an objectively hefty price ticket.
For individuals new to 3D printing, the MSRP of the Max 4 would most likely push them to purchase one thing smaller or much less feature-rich. Something over $1,000 might be an excessive amount of for anybody to get began with 3D printing.
In case you’re the sort of one who says, “If I am going to do that, I am REALLY going to do it,” you then’ll get your cash’s value. Whenever you ultimately learn to do most issues in 3D printing, you may have a printer that may do all of it, too.
Present print farms in search of a large-volume printer will even discover this to be a great addition. Particularly with the velocity and the standard of the ultimate prints.
QIDI Max 4 evaluate: professionals
- Guided setup/configuration
- Lively Heating/Cooling for a wide range of filament choices
- Clean floor prints
- QIDI Field auto-reload for filament runout
QIDI Max 4 evaluate: cons
- Excessive price of entry for brand spanking new to the interest makers
- Optionally available Polar Cooler makes for a loud operation
- Cellular App not particularly helpful
Ranking: 4.5 out of 5
The place to purchase the QIDI Max 4 3D Printer
You’ll be able to presently pre-order the QIDI Max 4 from the QIDI web site for $1,049 marked down from $1,149. This pre-order contains an early chicken present of the Polar Cooler at no further price.
The QIDI Max 4 Printer/QIDI Field combo is presently $1,199, down from $1,299, and likewise contains the Polar Cooler.
It is usually obtainable from Amazon for $1,499.
