The power of makers: Let the Qidi Max3 3D printer unleash its capabilities
As professionals in rapid prototyping at GreatLight, we’re constantly evaluating tools that push the boundaries of accessible manufacturing. While our core expertise lies in industrial-grade selective laser melting (SLM) for high-precision metal parts, desktop FDM printers like the Qidi Max3 play a vital role in prototyping workflows, proof-of-concept and functional testing. We’ve spent a lot of time lately pushing the Qidi Max3 to its limits. Here’s our in-depth review.
Unboxing and first impressions: signs of refinement
Right out of the box, the Qidi Max3 feels solid. Qidi went beyond the typical cardboard mess and carefully packaged the printer with plenty of foam casing. The assembly process is extremely simple and consists mainly of attaching the touch screen and spool holder. The build quality is immediately noticeable: a sturdy metal frame, clean cable management for internal routing, and doors that close securely with sturdy latches. There’s a sense that this isn’t just another hobbyist’s machine; It is designed for continuous use.
Core Advantages: The Advantages of Max3
- Excellent print yield: Max3 has a spacious 270x220x230mm build chamber that can easily handle large prototypes and functional parts. This is invaluable for manufacturers or engineers who need to print larger components without taking them apart.
- Dual Extruders Done Well: The twin-gear direct-drive extruder (capable of handling flexible filaments) is a highlight. Switching between materials is very intuitive. Independent cooling zones above each nozzle effectively prevent leakage and stringing, resulting in significantly cleaner multi-material prints than many competitors. It excels at:
- Soluble Supports: Using HIPS or PVA supports to create complex geometries becomes more feasible with minimal cleanup scarring.
- Multicolor printing: Although slower than the IDEX system, the quality of two-color printing is impressive.
- Composite printing: Combining rigid and flexible materials in a single print opens up design possibilities.
- Real heating chamber: Unlike printers that only have closed sides, the Max3 features active heating (approximately 60°C) of the entire chamber. This is a game changer for engineering thermoplastics:
- ABS, ASA, PC: Printing becomes easier, warping and cracking are greatly reduced, and industrial environment control is approached.
- Nylon (PA): Achieve layer adhesion and surface quality that are often difficult or impossible to achieve on open or passively enclosed printers.
- Impressive print quality and speed: Max3 delivers consistently clean prints on PLA, PETG, ABS and even PC. The direct drive extruder ensures precise filament control, resulting in crisp details and excellent drape. Combined with carefully tuned kinematics (including CoreXY movement in the X and Y axes), printing is smooth and very fast without sacrificing quality – speeds significantly exceeding 150 mm/sec without noticeable degradation.
- User-friendly features: A responsive touchscreen, filament detection sensor, automatic bed leveling (very reliable), Wi-Fi connectivity, and built-in camera (for remote monitoring) create a smooth user experience. Changing nozzles is quick and requires no tools.
Areas to consider
- Chamber cooling after printing: While active heating is great, actively cooling the chamber quickly after printing naturally takes some time. You need to wait patiently before opening high-temperature materials.
- Work space footprint: Its sturdy construction means it requires a lot of desk or work space. There needs to be enough clearance in front of the door to fully open.
- Learning curve for dual setup: Optimizing dual-material printing (retraction, wiping procedures) requires some experimentation beyond the basic profile – something inherent to any dual-extruder setup.
- Power consumption: Heating and maintaining a large print chamber uses more power than a small or open-frame printer, a trade-off for material performance.
Performance benchmark
We conducted rigorous testing on Max3:
- High temperature materials:
- 0.2mm layer ABS Benchy: virtually no deformation, excellent surface finish, minimal stringing. The chamber is maintained at a stable 55°C.
- Large PC parts (functional installation): Excellent dimensional accuracy (<0.1mm deviation), excellent inter-layer adhesion under stress testing, no warping. A 60°C chamber is critical to success.
- Dual material (ABS/support material): The complex lattice structure is printed with dissolvable HIPS supports. The interface scar is minimal and can be removed cleanly. The base quality is significantly better than the single extruder holder.
- High speed printing: Large PLA features at 150mm/s: the finest surface details are slightly reduced, but are structurally sound and dimensionally accurate – perfectly acceptable for prototyping iterations.
- Flexible filament (TPU 95A): Direct drive extruders can handle it effortlessly, printing complex flexible mechanisms without clogging or over-drawing.
GreatLight Perspective: Combining Desktop and Industry
The Max3’s performance in engineering-grade materials such as ABS, ASA, PC and Nylon is a perfect fit for what we do every day at GreatLight. It bridges a critical gap. While industrial SLM machines produce metal prototypes that require extreme precision and strength, Max3 enables engineers and designers to quickly iterate on complex geometries in tough functional thermoplastics forward Commitment is expensive
