Qidi Tech 1 - Replicator 1 clone

[svt04cobra]

What do you use it for at work? You designing something?

[KludgeGuru]

What do you use it for at work? You designing something?

The goal at work is to have a printer that can print exotic materials such as Tungsten and Bismuth loaded filament.. We already have 3 Stratasys uPrint SE Plus printers which are our work horses but material wise they don't have many options. We have a Makerbot Replicator 2X at work but it is just a piece of junk, I've spent 3 weeks trying to get it to print correctly and I'm still having problems. So I've given up on the Makebot and going to try the Qidi which I've been very happy with at home.

On a side note we have many Mechanical engineers at work that utilize the Stratasys printers, but I'm very proud of having the record for the longest printing project. I designed some test boxes which took 2 printers 5 weeks to complete with near constant printing. My project was the reason we purchased the 3rd printer.

[DarkAlchemist]

The goal at work is to have a printer that can print exotic materials such as Tungsten and Bismuth loaded filament.. We already have 3 Stratasys uPrint SE Plus printers which are our work horses but material wise they don't have many options. We have a Makerbot Replicator 2X at work but it is just a piece of junk, I've spent 3 weeks trying to get it to print correctly and I'm still having problems. So I've given up on the Makebot and going to try the Qidi which I've been very happy with at home.

On a side note we have many Mechanical engineers at work that utilize the Stratasys printers, but I'm very proud of having the record for the longest printing project. I designed some test boxes which took 2 printers 5 weeks to complete with near constant printing. My project was the reason we purchased the 3rd printer.

That Bismuth printing intrigues me.

[svt04cobra]

That is awesome man! I have to ask you though, did you get the QIDI before you got the makerbot replicator 2X or after? Reason I ask is if the Makerbot is junk, the QIDI was an exact copy, why would you risk it? I did a lot of research before I purchased. I was on the fence before I saw this and the price point I just couldn't pass up! Have you done any upgrades to your printer? What software are you using for design? I've been experimenting with Fusion 360, SketchUp 2016, and Blender. I need easy for novice. I want to learn design. My problem now is, i'm able to muddle my way to make something, then when I check it, there is always a problem like Self intersection surfaces or Non Manifold edges. I don't know what I'm doing wrong when I make my designs. They are very simple shapes with push pull and holes but always issues???

The goal at work is to have a printer that can print exotic materials such as Tungsten and Bismuth loaded filament.. We already have 3 Stratasys uPrint SE Plus printers which are our work horses but material wise they don't have many options. We have a Makerbot Replicator 2X at work but it is just a piece of junk, I've spent 3 weeks trying to get it to print correctly and I'm still having problems. So I've given up on the Makebot and going to try the Qidi which I've been very happy with at home.

On a side note we have many Mechanical engineers at work that utilize the Stratasys printers, but I'm very proud of having the record for the longest printing project. I designed some test boxes which took 2 printers 5 weeks to complete with near constant printing. My project was the reason we purchased the 3rd printer.

[Syd_Khaos]

That is awesome man! I have to ask you though, did you get the QIDI before you got the makerbot replicator 2X or after? Reason I ask is if the Makerbot is junk, the QIDI was an exact copy, why would you risk it? I did a lot of research before I purchased. I was on the fence before I saw this and the price point I just couldn't pass up! Have you done any upgrades to your printer? What software are you using for design? I've been experimenting with Fusion 360, SketchUp 2016, and Blender. I need easy for novice. I want to learn design. My problem now is, i'm able to muddle my way to make something, then when I check it, there is always a problem like Self intersection surfaces or Non Manifold edges. I don't know what I'm doing wrong when I make my designs. They are very simple shapes with push pull and holes but always issues???

I would suggest Blender.
i have used ALOT of different CAD/rendering software....SketchUp, 3DMax, Maya, just about everything made by Autodesk...
Blender is by far the MOST bang for your buck...since its FREE! Not only that but its an easy(ish) to use software suite. There are a HUGE number of online tutorial type resources, and a near endless number of plugins to extend its functionality.
It also has the simplest most streamlined UV wrap/unwrap workflow of any software I have ever used. This is not directly helpful for 3D printing, but is VERY important if you ever decide to couple a vinyl cutter with your printer.

As for learning the software check out Blender Cookie, its huge online tutorial depository.

edit:
By the way, just ordered some of that new FDA food safe and dishwasher safe PLA from MakerGeeks, should be here today or tomorrow if anyone is curious about it.

[jfkansas]

Ug Blender? lol Powerful tool, horrid interface.

If you want to do any real CAD you have to get away from Blender or Maya type programs.

Fusion 360 is really good and their sculpting tools are awesome as well. Onshape would have been good, but their pricing model isn't as competitive as Fusion.

I would suggest Blender.
i have used ALOT of different CAD/rendering software....SketchUp, 3DMax, Maya, just about everything made by Autodesk...
Blender is by far the MOST bang for your buck...since its FREE! Not only that but its an easy(ish) to use software suite. There are a HUGE number of online tutorial type resources, and a near endless number of plugins to extend its functionality.
It also has the simplest most streamlined UV wrap/unwrap workflow of any software I have ever used. This is not directly helpful for 3D printing, but is VERY important if you ever decide to couple a vinyl cutter with your printer.

As for learning the software check out Blender Cookie, its huge online tutorial depository.

edit:
By the way, just ordered some of that new FDA food safe and dishwasher safe PLA from MakerGeeks, should be here today or tomorrow if anyone is curious about it.

[svt04cobra]

That's the thing with Blender. I'm just learning. The interface sucks for 3D printing. I am not looking for free. I'm looking for ease of use / learning. It seems Fusion 360 is more user friendly but lacks beginner training. So I can make a hole in a round object easier with Fusion 360 but when its time to check the file for print it has a bunch of issues I can't resole because I don't know enough or why its even happening.

Ug Blender? lol Powerful tool, horrid interface.

If you want to do any real CAD you have to get away from Blender or Maya type programs.

Fusion 360 is really good and their sculpting tools are awesome as well. Onshape would have been good, but their pricing model isn't as competitive as Fusion.

[DarkAlchemist]

That's the thing with Blender. I'm just learning. The interface sucks for 3D printing. I am not looking for free. I'm looking for ease of use / learning. It seems Fusion 360 is more user friendly but lacks beginner training. So I can make a hole in a round object easier with Fusion 360 but when its time to check the file for print it has a bunch of issues I can't resole because I don't know enough or why its even happening.

I deleted F360 and I posted on their forums why and people agreed with me. Autodesk is a nasty company to start with and they have this philosophy that you will do it their way in their UI or you can get lost while most other systems allow you to configure the input to your style. At least I wasn't alone in why I deleted it but Autodesk never once replied but many others did. That arrogance I can do without as this is the 21st century and the operator shouldn't have to mold to the program but instead the program should be easily configurable and F360 is not.

Solidworks is a nice program and very flexible except for one thing and that is X/Y/Z is hard coded and they refuse to change it. So, you make a model that looks right on the screen then the last thing you should do is add a new coordinate system with the way 3d printers work in orientation and be sure to use that coordinate system when you save off your stl (or whatever format). Doing that makes the screen happy and your model is right for printing. I do this all of the time when I save stuff for Thingiverse.

[KludgeGuru]

That is awesome man! I have to ask you though, did you get the QIDI before you got the makerbot replicator 2X or after? Reason I ask is if the Makerbot is junk, the QIDI was an exact copy, why would you risk it? I did a lot of research before I purchased. I was on the fence before I saw this and the price point I just couldn't pass up!

Some other engineer purchased the Makerbot a year or so ago, he was never successful in getting it to work. I got my Qidi at home a couple months ago and it mostly just works. I've had a few problems but they have been easy to overcome. I then tried to get the Makerbot at work up and running. I definitely made more progress than the last guy but I was spending too much time on it and it still wasn't working right. From my experience at home I told the managers that we should just buy a Qidi and bag the Makerbot... and we did. I just got the Qidi at work up and running this morning and so far the first print is looking good.

Have you done any upgrades to your printer?

I've done the basic upgrades; cable chain, filament alignment bracket, Maghold build platform with glass plate. I've also upgraded my Z-Axis rods to 12mm, still working to get the design right. I've attached a Raspberry Pi 2 and run Astroprint so I can start and stop prints remotely so I don't have to keep moving around the SD card.

What software are you using for design? I've been experimenting with Fusion 360, SketchUp 2016, and Blender. I need easy for novice. I want to learn design. My problem now is, i'm able to muddle my way to make something, then when I check it, there is always a problem like Self intersection surfaces or Non Manifold edges. I don't know what I'm doing wrong when I make my designs. They are very simple shapes with push pull and holes but always issues???

I use Solidworks 2016. Since I use Solidworks at work I have access to a Home Use License which is great. I've messed around with Sketchup and don't like it much. I installed Blender last night and my first impression is that the interface is way too complicated, I can usually muddle around and figure out some of the basics when I try new software but with Blender I was completely lost. If I didn't have access to Solidworks I would probably use Fusion 360. I've heard good things about it but never tried it.

[jfkansas]

That's exactly what I was referring to about Blender. It's interface is so fragmented with little stuff here and little stuff there. A lot of people like blender but they always say if they are away from it for a while that it takes time to get back into it.


Fusion 360 is no Solidworks, but it also costs 20x less. I can also use my license on a work Mac, 2 laptops at home, and probably more as long as I am logged into my account.


Some of what holds Fusion back is companies that work with NDAs generally cant store files on a Shared cloud system. This might change over time as this type of storage gets used more and more. Personally I love the cloud system and how it auto versions everything. I can roll back to a version several iterations ago with no extra file management. I no longer have to think "hmm should I save these changes?" I just save and move on.

Some other engineer purchased the Makerbot a year or so ago, he was never successful in getting it to work. I got my Qidi at home a couple months ago and it mostly just works. I've had a few problems but they have been easy to overcome. I then tried to get the Makerbot at work up and running. I definitely made more progress than the last guy but I was spending too much time on it and it still wasn't working right. From my experience at home I told the managers that we should just buy a Qidi and bag the Makerbot... and we did. I just got the Qidi at work up and running this morning and so far the first print is looking good.



I've done the basic upgrades; cable chain, filament alignment bracket, Maghold build platform with glass plate. I've also upgraded my Z-Axis rods to 12mm, still working to get the design right.



I use Solidworks 2016. Since I use Solidworks at work I have access to a Home Use License which is great. I've messed around with Sketchup and don't like it much. I installed Blender last night and my first impression is that the interface is way too complicated, I can usually muddle around and figure out some of the basics when I try new software but with Blender I was completely lost. If I didn't have access to Solidworks I would probably use Fusion 360. I've heard good things about it but never tried it.