Hi guys, Mike here, from Durham 3D Printing!
I started this blog to have a chance to speak from a personal perspective, and highlight different aspects, news, and happenings in the 3D Printing & Micromanufacturing world.
For my first post, I thought I'd talk about one of the 3D Printers I run: The
Qidi Tech I Dual Extruder 3D Printer:
Of the six machines I own, this guy serves as my workhorse for ABS, Nylon, & other problematic print materials that need an enclosed space to prevent/minimize warping. (Mind you, I had to upgrade the hotend to handle high-temp materials like Nylon).
After having it for over a year, and it running pretty much non-stop (I run an online 3D Print shop), it's still holding up reasonably well. Most of the issues I had with it were towards the beginning of it's lifespan; which is normal when you're buying on the lower end of the price spectrum.
Now, obviously, this printer is almost a direct clone of the FlashForge Creator Pro, but over $200 cheaper. After running it for a while, if you're willing to deal with the occasional problem, I'd say it's most definitely worth it.
So, what problems have I had with it?
The first issue, a month after I bought it, was that the X axis motor crapped out on me. Just stopped moving in X all together. After going back and forth with Qidi customer support, we determined that it was the wire itself that connects the X axis motor to the control board, which apparently gets frequently damaged while the unit is in transit. The replacement wire was sent to me for free, and all I had to do was install it! A bit time consuming (lots of screws to remove), but fairly straightforward, and I was up and running again.
Other than that, I found myself frequently having to replace the print bed sheet; a total of 4 times over the past year. Recently I gave up and have just been printing straight to the aluminum print bed with ABS slurry (ABS dissolved in acetone).
The unit uses two standard Mk.10 extruders, and it's worth it almost each and every time to upgrade to a Micro Swiss all-metal hotend with a steel nozzle. A ~$50 upgrade that lets you work with print temperatures approaching 300C and all sorts of abrasive materials (wood, metal, carbon fiber, etc) without worrying about wrecking your nozzle too quickly.
I find the bed a bit too wobbly; if the printer is not stable while it's printing, I feel like the lack of a solidly stable print bed will amplify any imperfections introduced into the print through vibrations and movement, so you'll have to be careful there.
For software, I find myself using ReplicatorG. Outdated and a bit buggy at times, but it works for what I need it. The only thing I find myself griping about on this front is the lack of brim, which would be VERY useful for Nylon and Polycarbonate prints. It can use X3G files to make use of acceleration and eliminate jerky print moves.
The printer was also good to go out of the box--I didn't find myself having to fiddle around with flow settings or tweak much to get good prints.
Overall, the biggest overarching headache with the printer is the bed levelling. I find that the bed frequently goes out of level and I have to readjust frequently if I don't spin the nuts underneath the levelling sprints to fix the print bed in place, which can be mildly annoying to do. Could definitely use some improvement there.
My final rating is that this printer is a great all-around printer for those on a budget that don't want to deal with kits; though it is finnicky and not recommended for beginners who aren't ready to mount the 3D Printing learning curve with gusto.
If you're interested, you can check them out
here!
They don't know what to look for, and they want something that's capable of printing pretty much right out of the box.
