Qidi Tech 1 - Replicator 1 clone

[JimHs1]

Has anyone used a Kossel delta-style printer?
Just found file from dude that designed the thing with all the parts. I sure would like to try and build one if its a worthwhile printer...they look kinda cool.

There is a full Kossel kit available at: Autotroph.com. I have no experience with them, just posting a link for info.

[chill24]

Hello Guys, I will be receiving my QiDI in a couple of hours today. Noob question (even after reading a lot post) Should I place 3M Painters tape on stock plate and then align it? Or, align the plate and add the 3M painters tape/glue and then see what happens?

Also, how do I know I have enough ABS/PLA to run a big job and does the QIDI pause when it runs out? Giving you a chance to load more...

[Syd_Khaos]

Hello Guys, I will be receiving my QiDI in a couple of hours today. Noob question (even after reading a lot post) Should I place 3M Painters tape on stock plate and then align it? Or, align the plate and add the 3M painters tape/glue and then see what happens?

Also, how do I know I have enough ABS/PLA to run a big job and does the QIDI pause when it runs out? Giving you a chance to load more...

You need to level the plate as its gonna be printed on. If you plan to use painters tape to print on then you need to level the plate with the tape on.

As an estimation 1.75-1.77mm filament has 4grams per meter for ABS and I think 3grams per meter for PLA...could be remebering that backwards though....

[Marcoreds]

Hello guys!

I have become the owner of one of these machines, and decided to share with you my experience, to give back for everything I read here. It's a bit long, so please skip it if not interested.

Just to set the stage, please know I am a noob in this subject; I do not own any other 3d printer, I do not work in cnc or such, I actually sell wine in life :-)

This means, read my comments in that light; I won't be able to make comparisons with other products, and for sure something that satisfies me, would not satisfy a more expert guy.

With this out of the way, it was a while I was curious about 3D printing, and when some Kickstarters came out that offered models for 3D printed sceneries for my hobby (tabletop rpg games), the temptation grew like crazy.

So, I read around, watched tons of videos and read lots of reviews.

What I was looking for, was the best deal I could find for a 3D printer as close to plug-and-play as possible (I would consider no kit). I first found about this printer here: http://3dforged.com/best-3d-printers/

I looked for reviews, read all the Amazon ones, then found this forum, and read all of this thread. In the end, I convinced myself to pull the trigger. I ordered it on Ebay UK (there was an offer for 469 pounds) on Friday 6th May, after some messages with Quidi and confirming with the woman who answered me (ms. Fiona) that it was the newest model with new motherboard, Sailfish 7.8 and the additional fan. It was shipped to me from China, and I received it here (Italy) on Thursday 12th May (with the usual, very high VAT and import taxes additions, but that was expected).

The package was very well done, all was firm. It included everything I thought and some parts I didn't know about, like a spare chip (read on this thread what that is) and the additional fan (not mounted, sigh).

Putting on the extruder was easy, and actually also installing the fan was just as easy (after checking the instructions on the SD).
So, physical first impressions were great, all very solid and arrived intact.

The instructions are indeed very, very scarce, in particular the various options in the LCD menu are not explained anywhere that I found, some of them are self-explanatory, but not all, I am just ignoring what I am not sure about for now (btw thank you to mr. Robert Gillen who put the file together, I can't think what it would have been without even that).

The first thing I wanted to do, after leveling the build plate (which is, in my opinion, very easy, or at least I did not find any problem with that) was to print (on the blue original bed) the Z-Axis shim that some of you linked here (thank you guys), so that I could then go for a mirror surface.

I also bought Simplify3D, after reading quite a few reviews of the program, and seeing that it seems to have, at least from the reviews I watched/read, the interface closest to modern programs, and yield good results. I selected the Flashforge Creator Pro profile, pasted in the suggested start code (thank you again). I added a raft to the file to be sure, if I had problems removing the part, to destroy the raft and not the part. For now, I print with PLA.

The print went perfectly, but here I had some problems. The thing, just did not fit. At all. I thought I had got the wrong file, so I printed a couple more kinds from Thingiverse, but with all, the same problem. In the end, since I think the only aim of that item is to trigger the stop motion lever earlier, I just cut off the wings that go around the poles, and just laid the rest on the back, adding under it a little piece of the thermal pad I had bought, just to keep it a little stable, since that thing is sticky. Crude, but it worked.

(Aside: after reading the last messages, I now understand why it did not fit. I think, even if I do not have a caliber to confirm that, that the z axis are 10 mm instead of 8 mm, so of course a part designed for 8mm did not fit. I include a picture in the end)

So, I then went for my print bed.
I bought (at Leroy Merlin) a pack of four 15x30cm mirrors, some hair spray (unfortunately not possible to find any Acquanet here), and on Amazon the aforementioned thermal pad, like half millimeter high. Cut the pad in 2 strips, put them on the bed as-is, put a heavily sprayed mirror on it, centering it so that a few centimeters extend beyond the bed on each side, and started printing. The main benefit of this way, in my opinion, is that I just go check the bed leveling once every few prints, since removing the plate does not touch the bed itself.

I try and time my prints so that I am at home when one finishes, so that I can immediately start the next (Simplify3D timings are indeed just estimates, in particular for longer times), so the printer has been printing no-stop for a few days now.

I have to say, that I am very satisfied with the prints. They do have some very small stringing problem, but I read the troubleshooting guide on the Simplify3D site, and I think I will try and prevent that with the “Avoid crossing outline for travel movement” option, and/or adjusting the retraction, as suggested there. All in all, not more roughness to clean away with a cutter than with the resin-cast pieces I usually buy.

The noise is more than acceptable. It is not silent, but neither it is more noisy than my office printer when it is printing.

The adherence of the prints is perfect (please remember I never tried ABS until now, only PLA). Removing them was a serious problem at the beginning. But then, I found the mirrors I use as a base are not 100% rigid. After printing the items, I kind of "bend" the mirror (was sure to break them the first time I tried, did not happen), without too much force not to break it, and I hear "creaks" from places where the part detaches from the mirror, I do some more of that, and the parts come away with a snap.

I would like to try the PEI Ultem I am reading very good things about, but can't find it here in EU, and the ones on Amazon US do not ship here.... Will see in the future.

The additional fan does not always start, even if I set that on Simplify, I make sure to check it is on, or otherwise start it manually, at the beginning of every print.

For now, I am having no issue with this printer. If I could go back to the beginning of May, I would tell myself to go for it, and buy it.

Once again though, please note I am not an expert, never went to check the construction details of this machine, did not open parts of it to check what it is made of, no idea if there are parts glued on or anything like that. I hope it keeps working as it is, and that I won't have a reason to go changing parts or similar things.

Now, a few pictures of my z-axis, and a few things I printed for now (sorry but can't upload images directly, will add a link): http://imgur.com/a/UNJD6

Have a nice day everybody!

[DarkAlchemist]

Nice prints and you sure do have the 10mm rods.

Having 10mm smooth rods back there means the two rods, the top plastic plate, the bottom plastic plate, the bearing holders, and the metal bed holder are all changed. These are all of the things people will have to get if they wanted to go to 10mm smooth rods. That is a lot of expense and I doubt Qidi would just offer it even if you were within your rights of the first 30 days to get them. I will say tearing down the printer is no easy task to replace those things.

[chill24]

Yes. If you have "operational" as the status you're connected to the printer. Remember you must use the GPX plugin with this printer.

does this plugin run automatically after i get all updates for the Rasp PI?

[chill24]

Hi Guys,

I have my OctoPi set-up to do "auto" bed levelling. So I just choose the point and it moves to the same exact point every single time. For me, it makes the bed levelling so much easier as I just tap on my phone the points and double check them.

Attachment 9228
If anyone using Octopi wants to do this, let me know I'll post it up.

Also some bad news for me, I received my Maghold platform. The platform and the spring plate were both dented at the top left side. I have emailed their customer support, hopefully they will reply with a agreeable solution.

Yes please post up how you set this up. Also, do you have the other startup gcode pasted in? or is this raw?

[chill24]

Do you have Simplify3d? If not none of that will help you and I only ask because if you had S3D it is right before you when you click the Edit Process Settings button then it is under the Scripts tab.

Thank you, I figured it out prior...I do thank you for responding quickly on this. Just being a little pansy and worried about skrewing up...but I truly thank you guys, and I can't wait for the UPS man to bring me my goodies. LOL

Funny, when I am at work packages come at noon-1pm, and when I am at home waiting, it doesn't come til late or delayed til next day. My luck...LOL

[DarkAlchemist]

Thank you, I figured it out prior...I do thank you for responding quickly on this. Just being a little pansy and worried about skrewing up...but I truly thank you guys, and I can't wait for the UPS man to bring me my goodies. LOL

Funny, when I am at work packages come at noon-1pm, and when I am at home waiting, it doesn't come til late or delayed til next day. My luck...LOL

When my wife was alive I had my all of my packages delivered to her office because businesses get treated first and better. A package to my home always ends up looking like someone played hockey with it but to her work they were always pristine (even a 40 pound big tower PC case).

USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL in that order of "if I get it, or not, or how damaged it will be." I can't get anything here that isn't warped or bent and I have tried numerous times. USPS loves to break my mailbox twice a year on me by stuffing it so the next time I am buying one of those all metal 2 foot by 2 foot ones I purchased for my mother back in the mid 1990's as I am tired of the lazy drivers who refuse to walk 25-30 feet. I have one good old man driver who is only on the route now once a week as he is about to retire but the rest are horrible and extremely lazy.

[nrombold]

Where did you find the printable brace for your lid? is that 1 piece?

That's really funny as I was printing the same thing! I built some filament dry boxes in order to have enough colors ready.




You can have the machine pause at a certain Z-Position using the menu on the machine. I haven't utilized this but it's definitely an interesting thought.

I remember seeing the layer height in the print statistics after "Auto Level Inactive" goes away. It takes a couple seconds to disappear and show the height but it will update as the print keeps going.