Review: Qidi Tech X-Maker

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Qidi Tech X-Maker – The Best Beginner-Friendly 3D Printer?

Qidi Tech X-Maker

Dylan Miller @io3dprint

Easy to Setup
Easy to Use
Print Quality
Value For Money
Features

Summary

The Qidi Tech X-Maker is an excellent beginner-friendly printer. What sets it apart is its ability to offer a great variety of premium-grade features at a very affordable price. Combined with Qidi’s excellent reputation for customer service, for beginners, the X-Maker is a no-brainer purchase!

4.2

There is a massive variety of 3D printers in the market right now, each with its own set of pros and cons. However, if you are looking for a beginner-friendly model, then the Qidi Tech X-Maker is a great place to start. The unit comes already pre-assembled and features a compact design that won’t take too much space.

It is also one of the more affordable printers in the market right now. Well, in case you are still not sure whether the Qidi Tech X-Maker is for you, no need to worry. In this review, I’ll be giving you all the info you need about the 3D printer, including its technical specs, pros and cons, features, and everything else you might need to know.

The ultimate goal is to make sure that you make an informed choice when you finally decide to buy.

Specifications

  • Printer Technology: FDM
  • Build Volume: 170 mm x 150 mm x 150 mm
  • Filament diameter: 1.75 mm
  • Filament type: ABS, PLA, TPU
  • Layer height: 100-400 microns
  • Feeder System: Direct
  • Nozzle Size: 0.4 mm
  • Bed Leveling – fully automatic
  • Connectivity: USB and Wi-Fi
  • Display: 3.5-inch touch screen
  • Slicing Software: QIDI Print
  • Operating system: Windows and Mac
  • Weight: 21.9 Kilograms
  • Maximum Bed temperature: 120 Degrees Celsius

Features

The Qidi Tech X-Maker has several innovative features designed to give you an excellent printing experience. Here are some of the most notable ones:

  • Webcam – The X-Maker comes with a built-in camera that tracks the progress of the printing and relays the feed to your mobile phone via WI-Fi. This gives you enough flexibility to track your printing from anywhere you are.
  • Enclosed Design – The printer also has a fully enclosed design. This prevents environmental factors like local room temperature from interfering with the printing. It also helps to maintain consistent temperature levels from start to finish. This goes a long way in enhancing overall print quality and allows you to print tricky materials like ABS and ASA.
  • Filament Compatibility – The Qidi Tech X-Maker is compatible with a wide variety of filament. The printer can accommodate ABS, PLA, TPU, HIPS, PETG, and other types of filament.
  • Versatile – The unit is built for research and development purposes. It is an ideal 3D printer for educational institutions, but its versatility makes it a great choice even for an average creator.
  • Quiet Operation – Thanks to the enclosed design and quality fans, it is also quiet compared to other brands in this category.
  • Touchscreen – This printer features an interactive 3.5-inch touch screen display. The display looks easy to use and has all the controls needed to operate the printer in one single location.
  • Filament Detection – The Qidi Tech X-Maker also comes with a filament detection feature that alerts you when you are running out of filament. The alert is displayed on the touch screen.
  • Removable Build Plate – The printer also has a flexible and removable build plate.  The plate can easily bend without breaking. This makes it easier to remove the printouts once they are done. This feature also allows you to remove the plate and let it cool first before removing the object from the bed. This enhances safety and ease of use significantly.
  • Excellent Customer Service – The Qidi Tech X-Maker is also backed by one-on-one technical support from Qidi Tech. There is a team standing by to offer support services within 24 hours. The manufacturer is also offering customers a one-year product warranty as well.

Pros

  • The printer comes already preassembled so set up, and use is straightforward
  • Relatively quiet compared to other 3D printers in its category
  • It comes with a fully enclosed design that protects the object on the print bed from environmental factors and allows you to print ABS and ASA.
  • The enclosed design also adds to the safety of this product
  • Compact design that can fit even in small spaces
  • Offers great value for money
  • Qidi has an excellent reputation for customer service

Cons

  • The build volume is not one of the largest out there
  • Some users have also had issues finding replacement parts and accessories in the market
  • A relatively small community of owners

Unboxing and Box Contents

The Qidi Tech X-Maker is shipped in durable, high-quality packaging. Interestingly enough, based on some Amazon reviews, it seems the manufacturer also offers an unboxing tutorial video to make sure you get it right.

This is a very innovative support feature that you won’t get in many other 3D printers at this price point and is typical of Qidi Tech going the extra mile for their customers.

The box also has a few other accessories in there that you will need to operate your printer fully.

First, you will get one spool of PLA filament as part of the deal. Qidi Tech also includes an Ethernet cable, one spool holder, a user manual to help you with setting up, one power cord, and a 16 GB USB storage device. We also noted that there is a tool kit in there too that can be used to set up the printer.

Set-Up

The Qidi Tech X-Maker is a very beginner-friendly printer, so setting it up should be very easy.

The printer is fully preassembled. This makes it so easy to set up. No need to waste too much time calibrating the bed; the job has already been done for you!

Loading the filament is, however, relatively challenging the first time as you get used to how much force to use and the right angle to insert the filament it gets much easier the second time.

Software

The Qidi Tech X-Maker uses Qidi Print, a proprietary slicing software from the manufacturer.  The unit is also compatible with other slicing software options in the market, such as Cura.

Qidi Print also works on Windows 7 and above or on Mac operating systems. The slicing software is easy to use, and relatively fast, user comments are positive.

In Use

The Qidi Tech X-Maker is an excellent printer to use. First, the noise levels are low in fact, the unit is relatively quieter compared to other entry-level 3D printers in the market.

This makes it an ideal choice for educational institutions or bedrooms, where noise might be an issue.

I also noted that removing the object from the bed once it’s printed is so easy. The Qidi Tech X-Maker comes with a removable and flexible print bed that can bend easily without breaking.

It is, therefore, possible to detach the bed from the printer and let it cool under room temperature before removing the object.

The flexibility of the bed then comes handy in the next part. Since it can be bent flexibly like a piece of plastic without breaking, it makes it easier to remove the object from the bed in no time.

The print quality also looks great.  So far, most users who have given the Qidi Tech X-Maker a try have returned zero low-quality final printouts. Although the product is new and the experiences of users may change in the future, so far it seems like a solid start, especially as far as print quality is concerned.

Customer Service

Regular readers will know I keep banging on about Qidi’s technical support, but it really is one of the best 3D printer companies in terms of how well they treat their customers.

The Qidi Tech X-Maker is backed by one-on-one tech support from QIDI Tech. According to the description provided by the manufacturer, there is a dedicated technical support team standing by to address any printer related queries within 24 hours. We have seen some reviews from users corroborating these claims.

One user in particular who had issues setting up the inbuilt camera was able to get one-on-one guidance from QIDI Tech agents within 24 hours.

Besides, QIDI TECH has a perfect history of excellent technical support for most of its previous printers. We don’t expect anything has changed so far with the Qidi Tech X-Maker.

Conclusion

The Qidi Tech X-Maker is an excellent beginner-friendly printer. What sets it apart is its ability to offer a great variety of premium-grade features at a very affordable price.

The unit is already preassembled from the factory. Even a beginner, who is new to 3D printing, can be able to set up this unit with the simple-to-follow manual provided in the box. QIDI TECH has also done well to make the printer relatively quiet compared to other 3D printers on the market.

We also loved that the printer design looks sleeker. The print quality is overall a cut above standard quality levels in the market too.

The Qidi Tech X-Maker also has a few issues as well, but they are not a deal-breaker to be fair.

The biggest complaint you could level at the X-Maker is that there isn’t much scope for upgrading. However, there isn’t much you would want to change about it anyway. If you ever were to reach its limits, then perhaps an upgrade to one of Qidi’s larger models would be a good idea.

Overall, the Qidi Tech X-Maker is yet another solid 3D printer from the brand. It offers high-quality printing without hassle, but most of all, it gives you great value for money. It’s highly recommended for both novice creators and those looking to upgrade.

-Dylan

Last update on 2024-03-17 at 20:08

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