A while ago, we reviewed the QIDI X Max 3D printer on our blog. Today, we have the QIDI X Plus 3 3D printer. And as you can tell from the name, this printer definitely has some features and characteristics of the X Max.
We’ve just had the QIDI 3 Plus 3D printer for about a month and can write something about our experience with the machine. But for you to know the verdict, you’ll have to read the review (video review coming soon our channel).
If you have read or watched other makers’ reviews of the QIDI 3 Plus, you know that the printer seemed to have some issues. The issues were there in the first version of the printer. In fact, from the discussions on Youtube, it seems QIDI pulled the first version of the printer off the market. And at 3DT Labs, we are fortunate to have the improved version.
As usual, when we get a printer to our lab, we push it to the limits to find out whether it holds up to what the manufacturers claim. And this is what we did with the QIDI 3 Plus 3D Printer. The result is this review you are about to read.
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QiDi X Plus 3 Review
The QIDI X-Plus 3 3D printer is the latest addition to QIDI’s range of enclosed 3D printers. The printer has a heated chamber, a high-temperature extruder, CoreXY mechanics, and is pre-installed Klipper firmware.
The QIDI Tech X Plus 3 is a fast Core XY 3D printer that, in our opinion, is a direct competitor of the Bambu Lab. The main feature that makes this unit stand out is the printing speed. According to the manufacturer, the machine has a printing speed of 600 mm/s, and an acceleration of over 20,000 mm/s2.
The machines doesn’t have a webcam. However, if you wish, you can install one of your own by plugging it into the external USB port and turning it on the web user interface. The printer comes pre-installed with a a copper alloy nozzle. However, there is an extra hardened steel nozzle that can heat up to 350℃. You’ll want to install this nozzle when you need to print abrasive materials.
Changing the copper nozzle is just a matter of unscrewing it from the assembly and attaching the steel one in its place.
QIDI X Plus 3 Specs
| 3D Printer | QIDI X-Plus 3 |
| Technology | FDM（Fused Deposition Modeling） |
| Build Volume | 280 x 280 x 270mm |
| Dimensions | 511 x 527 x 529mm |
| Z Axis | Double Z axis |
| X axis | Hardened Wear-resistant hollow steel rods |
| Firmware | Klipper |
| Max Speed of Tool Head | 600mm/s |
| Printing Acceleration | 20000mm/s² |
| Max Extruder Flow | 35mm³/s |
| Printing Accuracy | ± 0.1 mm |
| Extruder Temp | ≤350℃ |
| Filament diameter | 1.75mm |
| Bed Leveling | Automatic Leveling |
| Extruder transmission ratio | 9.5:1 |
| Hot end | Ceramic Heating Core |
| Extruder | High-flow Direct Drive Extruder |
| Nozzle material | Copper alloy nozzle Hardened steel nozzle |
| Nozzle diameter | 0.4mm (0.2,0.6,0.8mm Optional) |
| Hot bed temperature | ≤120℃ |
| Printing Plate | Double-Sided Flexible Magnetic HF Plate |
| Auxiliary Part Cooling Fan | Yes |
| Chamber Temperature Control | 65°C Independent Chamber Heating |
| Chamber Circulation Fan With Activated carbon air filter | No |
| Screen | 5.0 inch 800*480 touch screen |
| Seal print | Dryer Box + Desiccant |
| Connection Options | Wi-Fi/USB Flash Drive/Ethernet Cable |
| Filament Detection | Yes |
| Resonance Compensation | Yes |
| Voltage | 100-240VAC, 50/60Hz |
| Rated Power | 800W |
| Main Processer | Cortex-A53,64-bit Preocessor 1.5Ghz,8G-EMMC,1G DDR3 |
| Operating System | Windows, MacOS, Linux |
| Recommended Filament | PAHT-CF,PET-CF,PA12-CF |
| Compatible filament | PLA, ABS, ASA, PETG, TPU, PET-CF, PA12-CF, PC, UltraPA, Nylon, etc. |
| Assembly | Assembled and First Print within 10 minutes |
What’s in the Box?
The QIDI X Plus 3 comes well packaged in a box. The package is quite heavy (about 25kg), so you may need an extra hand to help you remove it from the box.
Inside the box, we have the usual 3D printer accessories you’d expect. Most of them are packed inside the printer.
The complete package includes:
- QIDI X-Plus 3 3D printer
- Dryer box
- 500g of UltraABS-GF25 filament
- Filament spool holder
- Power cord
- Ethernet cable
- Print bed scraper
- Various tools
- USB flash drive
- Glue stick
- Spare parts kit
- Extra hot end
Setup Process
Setting up the QIDI X-Plus 3 is a breeze. The initial setup takes about 10 minutes (apart from leveling the bed). The unit comes almost fully assembled. You only need to cut off some supporting zip ties and install the print head to start your first project.
The unit is shipped about 95% pre-assembled. So, the only thing you’ll be doing is cutting the zip tie wraps and removing some screws that hold the Z-axis components.
Inside the box, there is an instructions manual. The instructions are also there when you start up the machine.
We started the machine and followed the on-screen steps for setup. There is also instructions on bed leveling and setting up the Input Shaper setup.
We removed the window stickers. In case there is any sticky residue, use a paper towel with oil (e.g. olive oil). Do not use acetone or alcohol or else the acrylic display surface will be damaged.
Overall, the setup process of the X-Plus 3 is easy, even for beginners. And even better, the printer is covered with stickers all over that provide tips or indicate what should or shouldn’t be done when operating the printer. For example, at the backside, there are stickers that show you how to install the filament spool.
There are also stickers that indicate what screws should be removed and what parts should be taken out before you start operating the printer. In a nutshell, while we consider this an advanced printer given the materials it can handle, QIDI has also made it friendly for beginners to get started with it. So, do not be intimidated if you are looking to an addition unit for your workshop or are just getting started with 3D printing.
The QIDI 3 Plus has a flexible 280 x 280mm magnetic build plate that is heated up by DC (direct current). The bed is a little larger than what you get with Bambu Lab machines.
QIDI X Plus Features
Let’s look at the main features of the QIDI X Plus 3D printer.
Touchscreen
The X-Plus 3 has a 5-inch touch screen that is placed at the top. However, it is not as sensitive as smartphone touchscreens. Therefore, you have to press it firmly for it to register a click.
The user interface is simple, well-structured and has an intuitive layout. All the functions of different settings are easy to understand.
Build Volume
The X-Plus 3 has a generous 280 x 280 x 270 mm print area. So far, this is the largest build volume we have come across for an enclosed 3D printer..
Of course, the large print volume and the enclosure makes the printer quite big. So, make sure your 3D printer workbench is spacious enough for the unit. Also, keep in mind the area required in front to open the front panel door, space at the rear for changing spools, and even overhead clearance to remove the top lid.
Heated Chamber
The QIDI X-Plus 3 3D printer boasts a heated chamber that ensure uniform internal temperature. The chamber helps to prevent warping and delamination of high-temp materials such as nylon and ABS.
The maximum temperature limit in the chamber is 65 °C. The temperature can be adjusted based on the print material you are working with.
Inside the chamber is a heating element and a fan that warm and circulate the air. The fan is a little noisy but not in a bad way. An additional cooling fan is on the side of the chamber for fast drying of filaments like PLA.
NOTE: When printing low-temperature filaments like PLA, do not use the heated chamber. Otherwise, you will have to deal with issues such as sagging or elephant’s foot.
The heated chamber is powered by the additional 400W power supply that comes with the printer. At full blast, the chamber alone draws around 350W!
Consider your electricity bill, though this applies to most 3D printers with heated chambers. It’s the trade-off for flawless high-temperature material printing.
In terms of warm-up, the chamber reaches 50 °C in under 2 minutes. Reaching the max 65 °C takes about 3 minutes.
These times are for the fully enclosed X-Plus 3 with only the chamber heater active. If you also engage the heated bed and hot end, the chamber heats up faster.
Heating Process
The QIDI 3 X Plus takes some time to heat up when the enclosure is open. The unit reaches 60 °C in 2 minutes and 30 seconds. To reach, 100 °C, the unit takes about 5 minutes with the enclosure open.
Of course, the time would drastically reduce when the unit is close.
Sealing the top of the QIDI X-Plus 3 and activating the heated chamber would trim down these warm-up times.
For a quicker bed heating, an AC (alternating current) bed heating system, rather than DC, would have been favorable.
Automatic Bed Leveling
Like other 3D printers in its price range, the QIDI X-Plus 3 has an automatic bed leveling sensor. This feature enables the firmware to compensate for any unevenness on the print bed. However, you do still have to set the bed ( Z offset) manually.
The sensor is a capacitive probe that detects the metal print surface effectively. However, it won’t work with a glass bed replacement.
If you want your 3D prints to have a smooth under surface, this limitation might be a concern. But if not, it shouldn’t pose a major issue.
The sensor evaluates 36 points on the bed and hence the leveling process takes some time. However, after leveling, it stays pretty consistent. You won’t need to level the bed before every print, it’s not overly inconvenient.
The leveling instructions are well explained in the instructions manual. Alternatively, you can access them from the startup menu on the display screen.
Steel Rods
The QIDI X-Plus 3 has hollow steel rods, which must be cleaned with normal lubricating oil before you start printing. Otherwise, the roads will get scratched. Do not clean the rods with isophrophyl alcohol as they can get damaged by the corrosive nature of the compound.
The hollow steel rods weigh less than traditional stainless steel and are also stronger. These two attributes give the printer higher print speeds while preventing issues like ringing.
The rods have a diameter of 10 mm and are fixed on the Y-axis carriages using epoxy.
Print Quality
After the 10 minute setup and a few minutes of leveling, it was time to finally start our test prints. The QIDI X Plus uses a the newer version QIDI Slicer that is based on Prusa Slicer
The modified slicer, as well as the Klipper software and configuration files and the printer firmware are open source. The code is in a public GitHub repository.
The slicer comes with a lot of presets that will give you great results on the first try. For example, to start our test, we printed the pre-slice Benchy file that comes with the machine using black PLA. The print came out nice and took about 7 minutes.
By the way, in case you find the machine is taking longer a longer time to print, make sure you are using the latest firmware and slicer. Here are the links to where you can download the latest slicer and firmware updates:
All the overhangs printed nicely and there was almost no stringing. The details come out clean.
Next, we printed the XYZ calibration cube using Sunlu orange PLA. The printer is quite accurate in terms of dimensions as you can see from the image below.
The printer has both Wi-Fi and wired Ethernet. You can send jobs to it directly from the slicer over the network, and you can monitor progress and control the printer through the Clipper Web UI.
Final Verdict: Is the QIDI X-Plus 3 Worth Buying?
If you’re seeking dependable 3D printer that can handles a wide range of materials, from PLA to advanced engineering plastics like PC and Nylon, the QIDI X-Plus 3 3D printer definitely fits the bill.
It’s spacious build area, and an array of features makes the machine a budget workhorse for anyone wanting to do more than PLA and ABS printing.
Other features we loved are the fast printing speed and cooling. For a 3D printer that is under $1000, this enclosed unit is offers excellent value to performance ratio.
Our recommendation stands firm for any enthusiast in search of a reliable 3D printing companion for home or workshop tasks.
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