Qidi Tech 1 - Replicator 1 clone

[wermy]

the machine darn near caught fire and if I hadn't been here watching it it probably would have

Yikes, could you elaborate on this? If in the end I wind up with a decent printer after replacing the rod, I'm ok with that. But not if it is actually a safety hazard.

Is this a recent trend with their quality control or something? It has such good reviews on amazon and most folks in here seem pretty happy...

[DarkAlchemist]

Yikes, could you elaborate on this? If in the end I wind up with a decent printer after replacing the rod, I'm ok with that. But not if it is actually a safety hazard.

Is this a recent trend with their quality control or something? It has such good reviews on amazon and most folks in here seem pretty happy...

Very possibly.

What happened is the nozzle heated up to the point of smoking the ptfe tube inside it. The thermocoupler should have registered over heating but it kept heating and heating and I had to yank the power cord after I saw smoke. That was enough for me because I leave my prints unattended (who wouldn't at 17+ hours per print) and I don't need my house burned down due to whatever the problem was. This tells me Sailfish doesn't have the same overheating protection in it as Marlin does (latest versions) or maybe this Qidi version doesn't.

I tried to find 7.8 on the official Sailfish website so I could look at it but I only could find 7.7 so possibly 7.8 is a Qidi version. Regardless I had enough and considering the QC issues for the mechanical problems I can only imagine what the software (firmware) they mangled must look like. My family's safety means more to me than a 630 dollar printer.

[cncartist]

Dark, did you receive a refund for the printer and get to keep the machine?

[DarkAlchemist]

Dark, did you receive a refund for the printer and get to keep the machine?

I did on both accounts but I offered, numerous times, to send this boat weight back to them at their expense (please issue me a call tag for return I kept telling them) but they declined.

I am not sure why they would decline except the cost factor because I priced the cost from me to them and it was 1100 dollars for the cheapest route (60 pounds and the box is oversized) and I freaked out about that especially after all of the nonsense with them with the bent/bowed rod, the glued in belts (and endstop), the hotend/thermocoupler/mightyboard/sailfish (I am unsure what was the cause), and seeing the price if I had to pay shipping back to them that I immediately called eBay.

It was eBay who initiated the process after I explained everything to them and without hesitation they started it and told me, over the phone, that they had. Apparently I am not the first one who had issues with Qidi via eBay.

[wermy]

I did on both accounts but I offered, numerous times, to send this boat weight back to them at their expense (please issue me a call tag for return I kept telling them) but they declined.

I am not sure why they would decline except the cost factor because I priced the cost from me to them and it was 1100 dollars for the cheapest route (60 pounds and the box is oversized) and I freaked out about that especially after all of the nonsense with them with the bent/bowed rod, the glued in belts (and endstop), the hotend/thermocoupler/mightyboard/sailfish (I am unsure what was the cause), and seeing the price if I had to pay shipping back to them that I immediately called eBay.

It was eBay who initiated the process after I explained everything to them and without hesitation they started it and told me, over the phone, that they had. Apparently I am not the first one who had issues with Qidi via eBay.

Well, I just printed my amazon return shipping label. It's a shame, so many seem really happy with it. I'm not willing to give up a weekend to fix something (that bent rod) on a brand new printer though.

[Syd_Khaos]

Can anyone please explain to me the fundamental difference between a cartesian printer (like the Qidi) and a delta printer (like a Kossel)?
I totally understand the mechanical differences....I'm asking about the end results. When it comes to the finished product (read: print) how do they vary.

I am asking here first before I start to much research, I have come to value yall opinions and technical input. But my end-game here is to develop a printer myself. I have already said several times I want to build a printer, figured I would personally have alot more fun developing a clone than building a kit.
Kits are no fun, that's not making, its like model car.....meh.

So here are my 2 ideas..just cant decide what to go with...

First idea is a double sized Kossel. This would be easy as the original design is open source. I have noticed that all the kossel kits for sale online are about the size of original design, or mini versions...no one has upsized it seems. If i go this route I want to shoot for kossel with 280+mm round plate and 400(ish)mm on z axis.

The second ides...I found an interesting take on a I3 clone the other night
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tarantula-i3...3D131644168616
If I go for a cartesian machine its gonna be something like this...layed out a little better though.

I just don't know enough about delta printers to make the desicion between the 2.

[KludgeGuru]

So get this...

Awhile back I got some material from MakerGeeks, it included a spool of ABS called 'It's a Beaut' Brown'...a very wonderful chocolate shade of brown. I have since used the entire spool..but during its use I came across 2 sections with some discoloration. These were small runs, each about 4 meters or so (totaling maybe 10grams all together) that were a much lighter shade of brown.

I didn't care to much, I was printing prototypes during both segments of discoloration, so no big deal ya.
However I did take pictures and contacted MakerGeeks. This was done more to call it to their attention, and make sure it was a manufacturing mistake and not something I did to damage the material. I explained I was still more than happy with the purchase, and just wanting them to be aware of it.

They have INSISTED on sending me a full spool of material to replace the brown. Not only that but gave me choice of color.

If you live in the US and your not getting your material from MakerGeeks you may wanna give them a second look.

Interesting enough my latest print has the same problem that you described. The plastic is from Orb Polymer and it is their Snow Leopard PLA. Before now the spool has been a nice white color but near the end of my last 15 hour print the white has turned to a light pink. I have contacted them and am waiting for a response. We will see how they respond and if their service is as good as MakerGeeks.

I can get about the same in-print viscosity out of MakerGeeks ABS as I was out of the PLA that came with the machine.
My second fav so far is Orb Polymer. Its a little more expensive than MG, but the material is almost as good and they have some cool colors.

I have been really happy with Orb Polymer and for me it prints really well. I haven't tried MakerGeeks plastic yet, not sure why you say Orb is more expensive as I see on the MakerGeeks website that the spools are $24.55 and at Orb they are $19.47... if you buy 3 then you get free shipping in the US.

[DarkAlchemist]

Well, I just printed my amazon return shipping label. It's a shame, so many seem really happy with it. I'm not willing to give up a weekend to fix something (that bent rod) on a brand new printer though.

It took me about that but it took Qidi longer to tell me how to do it than it did for me to do it. They finally sent me pictures of what to do (had to be done special for me by their "Engineer") and I did it exactly like they showed so not hard but damn is it time consuming

What first ticked me off is that I kept telling them that no reputable company would make a customer, with a brand new 6 hour old printer, tear it completely down like this and instead would have immediately sent out a replacement. What was Emily's response? We will replace the parts that break and we don't normally have our customers replace this. I had to ask her that since you are NOT replacing the machine and not refunding me then what choice do I have? I then asked her if that replacing of the parts is for life as they will eventually break over and over due to that rod. She finally sent me the rod via 3 day DHL and two nozzles as a gift. The nozzles were never in the box and when I showed her the pictures of how the box arrived she just said she sent them and had no idea how the box got like that. I just passed that off since it was a gift but I was getting madder and madder.

The replacement rod was inside a plastic plumbing pipe with cotton batting around it and clear tape over it so the rod made it intact.

Here is how the rod arrived to me (sorry about the quality):

[DarkAlchemist]

Can anyone please explain to me the fundamental difference between a cartesian printer (like the Qidi) and a delta printer (like a Kossel)?
I totally understand the mechanical differences....I'm asking about the end results. When it comes to the finished product (read: print) how do they vary.

I am asking here first before I start to much research, I have come to value yall opinions and technical input. But my end-game here is to develop a printer myself. I have already said several times I want to build a printer, figured I would personally have alot more fun developing a clone than building a kit.
Kits are no fun, that's not making, its like model car.....meh.

So here are my 2 ideas..just cant decide what to go with...

First idea is a double sized Kossel. This would be easy as the original design is open source. I have noticed that all the kossel kits for sale online are about the size of original design, or mini versions...no one has upsized it seems. If i go this route I want to shoot for kossel with 280+mm round plate and 400(ish)mm on z axis.

The second ides...I found an interesting take on a I3 clone the other night
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tarantula-i3...3D131644168616
If I go for a cartesian machine its gonna be something like this...layed out a little better though.

I just don't know enough about delta printers to make the desicion between the 2.

I am a member of the Tarantula Facebook group and it has issues but nothing you can't overcome and for the price is nice. The free filament can be good, to great, or the stuff they picked up off the floor.

As far as a delta I know it is mesmerizing to watch it print BUT for straight walls you can easily pick up if it was a Cartesian printer or not that printed it. Since 99% of most every day things in the real world is straight I never went to a Delta and stuck with Cartesian printers THOUGH I was eyeing the arm style bots but that was just fascination since I always loved them as a kid watching them make cars in Detroit. For a 3d printer the cost of doing it right would be too high so all I heard was very negative about SCARA type printers (the cord to make them move gets weaker over time so you have to constantly retweak was the largest complaint I read and was told).

[KludgeGuru]

Interesting enough my latest print has the same problem that you described. The plastic is from Orb Polymer and it is their Snow Leopard PLA. Before now the spool has been a nice white color but near the end of my last 15 hour print the white has turned to a light pink. I have contacted them and am waiting for a response. We will see how they respond and if their service is as good as MakerGeeks.

Wow, fast response even at 8pm. Didn't offer a 2nd spool but that's OK.

Orb Polymer will replace the reel ASAP, shipment will go out Wednesday, FEDEX tracking will be sent.
Sorry for the issue. Can you take a picture and send it to us.
Orb Polymer has strict quality control specifications and the reel should never leave the plant.