I have been interested in rapid prototyping technologies for a long time. Seeing your ideas realized into objects presents an immense opportunity for innovation. The rise of affordable rapid prototyping services has unleashed a great wave of creativity. 3D printing represents one such opportunity, drastically reducing time and costs of prototypes, compared with traditional technologies such as machining or molding. While I had used 3D printing services couple of times in the past, my interaction with 3D printing itself was more limited, mainly consisting of submitting ready-made drawings to printing services. With a goal of taking my tinkering to a next level, I decided to acquire a 3D printer.
The Qidi Tech I is a Flashforge Creator Pro clone, coming with the same metal frame and acrylic hood. It even works with the Flashforge slicer (while Qidi provides a slicer of their own as well). The previous owner had not used it much (just 78 hours) and for the price, it was a steal. The nozzles were clogged when I got it, but nothing which a bit of tinkering couldn't fit. Thus with a couple of hours of servicing, I was ready to start 3D printing!
So many choices!
While it was obvious that I wanted a 3D printer, I was absolutely perplexed by the wide variety of choices. Should I go for a kit build or a ready made one? Should I get a new one or a used one? Should I get a compact user friendly machine, marketed at beginners and children, or should I get a more advanced (and complicated) one? The next several weeks were spent glued on to various 3D printing sites, trying to figure out what fits my needs the best. I decided against going with a beginner oriented printer (these are often named mini or jr etc.), since I was comfortable with tinkering with the printer. I also wanted to print a number of filaments (such as ABS, PETG) and not just PLA, while many entry level printers are PLA only. Having decided that I wanted at-least a mid-range printer, the next question was whether to get something new (either assembled or in kit form) or a used one. I kept monitoring Craigslist for the next week or two, but noticed most of the printers are either several generation old or pretty much as expensive as a new model. I think this is natural, given that a 3D printer is quite a niche product, not many people would be selling them. I was trending towards buying a Creality Ender 3 in kit form, until I found a used Qidi Tech I at the price I was looking for. The Qidi came with dual extruders (allowing for multi-color or multi-material prints) and represented a better deal than the Ender 3. It did need some TLC, as the previous owner had given up on it after a clogged extruder and decided to sell it. As I was comfortable with tinkering and repairs, to me this looked like a better deal (with the opportunity to learn more about the machine :-)). Thus I finally bought the Qidi Tech I
My first 3D printer!
First 3D print
Once I had serviced the printer, I was ready to start printing. To test out the dimensional accuracy of the printer, I decided to duplicate a padlock key. Using a pair of calipers, I got all the relevant measurements of the key. To build the CAD, I use Tinkercad, a free online tool from Autodesk. Once the CAD was built, I used the stock QIDI slicer to generate the G-Code for my model. The stock slicer, while works, does have some limitations, and somewhat a clunky interface. I will probably use a better slicer for more advanced prints. The final key came out dimensionally accurate, and I was able to easily operate the lock with it,
Some more prints
For cutting my teeth on some more 3D printing, I decided to print some more parts. I have an old vaccum cleaner, which except for a broken brushroll cap, was otherwise in excellent shape. I spent an afternoon modeling the broken parts, and the vacuum works pretty well with the replacement parts I printed.
Final thoughts
I was willing to get my hands dirty, I got a really good deal on a used printer. After servicing it, it's hard to tell that it was it was ever used. The 3D prints are an excellent quality with great dimensional accuracy. I haven't tried the dual extruder feature yet, but will be experimenting with this in the coming future. Some other upgrades I plan are a glass bed, and possible upgrades to the hotend. Overall, I am very happy with my 3D printer purchase, and plan to tinker a lot with it.
