QIDI Plus4 - 3D Printer

[XLR8]

...
Some would even advise to do temperature tower, Flow calibration, Pressure advance calibration for each new roll of filament, even if it is same color/brand than the previous one used.

Oh no, not fun. That would be the tipping point for me.
For designs that require the highest strength possible from a printed plastic part, I will send them to an MJF printing service.
My hobby is building RC's not 3d printing.

[silvertriple]

...
Some would even advise to do temperature tower, Flow calibration, Pressure advance calibration for each new roll of filament, even if it is same color/brand than the previous one used.

Oh no, not fun. That would be the tipping point for me.
For designs that require the highest strength possible from a printed plastic part, I will send them to an MJF printing service.
My hobby is building RC's not 3d printing.

That's the principle I follow always... That being said, when small imperfections add up in a chain, at the end, it makes a bigger difference (exactly what I experienced with my current 1/12 project, maybe I should have sticked to my initial design I thought requiring 1mm less in total, because now this milimeter is missing in the MJF print... But nothing than another super easy and quick print can't solve...)...

[GreenBar0n]

The test print look good!
Those belly plates will be easy to model, print and attach. Although the floor assembly print isn't meant to be structural, the plates should add some rigidity making it less brittle.

We can add a full aluminum pan to the top side of the frame assembly to give the bus a proper backbone. Thus, the front and rear frame subassemblies can be attached directly to the aluminum pan and create a rigid structure. The floor assembly print is only meant to accurately replicate the 1:1 bus; it's really not a structural element.

I'm very surprised to learn that PLA strength differs with color. Or, do you think it's the matte finish that's causing the print to be brittle?

It's the Matte Rapido PLA that is softer/more brittle, it's printed at 200°C for the extruder, whereas the regular Rapido PLA is 210°C, something is definitely different. Olive Matte looks great though to me, and will have a purpose in the future.

@XLR8 The new floor print came out stronger and looks nicer too - I leave the 1:10 scale dummy in these pics to provide scale and context.






The neat thing about building this Bus model is, we can borrow pics of the actual sheet metal replacement panels, and hopefully use them to model/scan. Here is the actual center belly pan, the left and right panels are on this same page:
https://www.klassicfab.com/product-category/split-bus/page/7/





Here's the cargo floor sections, for an actual '50-'55 Barndoor Bus, it has the bench seat anchors on it:
https://www.klassicfab.com/product/kf569-cargo-floor-lhd-with-seats-5055/


Hoping these panel replacement parts will help @XLR8



The M2 screws are what the Manx buggy uses. Going to entirely assemble the model, and then see if I want to leave it as a print, and without paint, for the first one.

[XLR8]

That's excellent! Thank you for supplying reference photos for the belly plates and cargo floor.
How thin do you think I can model them and still have useable prints?
I've made the walls for the frame 1mm but could we have made them thinner??

[GreenBar0n]

That's excellent! Thank you for supplying reference photos for the belly plates and cargo floor.
How thin do you think I can model them and still have useable prints?
I've made the walls for the frame 1mm but could we have made them thinner??

Thank you for the excellent model! 1mm might still work for 1:10 scale, but the ladder frame is not very stiff. I wonder if instead of using the channels in the frame rails, rather make them solid, or close the open face and infil the rails. If the ladder were really solid, the rest of the pan/floor should be fine at 1mm, and 1:10, for my best guess.


Getting closer to an assembled Manx.

[Dadio]

...
Some would even advise to do temperature tower, Flow calibration, Pressure advance calibration for each new roll of filament, even if it is same color/brand than the previous one used.

Oh no, not fun. That would be the tipping point for me.
For designs that require the highest strength possible from a printed plastic part, I will send them to an MJF printing service.
My hobby is building RC's not 3d printing.

It used to be RC'S but now it's both

[GreenBar0n]

Been retro computing this past week. A kind person from my work gave me their original one-owner 1984 Commodore SX-64. The luggable Executive Version. These were 007 league back then.


It's being rebuilt currently.


Those cartridge shells in the pic were 3d printed.


But was able to get some things printed in between.




Made the roll bar, dash, and headlights out of Silver PLA also, the rest of the body is gray.


Will start assembling the chassis next. Going to leave this one unpainted.

[GreenBar0n]

Got the 70's mags next to the VW wide-five wheels.


I had to use some shabby printed front arms, broke my good prints, and ran out of Silver. More on the way, will redo the front top arms.






Just need to find a way to secure the rear shocks in order to set the height, and this one will be finished.

[GoMachV]

Listening to some more news, it sounds like Qidi has agreed to take the printers back or send a replacement SSR board. Might be worth getting a hold of them preventatively. https://youtu.be/zpl0qgT0Lk0?t=244

[GreenBar0n]

QIDI sent me an email, asking if I wanted a replacement for my Plus4, or for them to send the replacement board. I'll have them send me the board and do it myself. Apparently it only affects some models, and when printing high-temp filaments, which I'm not doing at the moment. Waiting for their AMS unit to begin on that.

But QIDI proactively sent me an email regarding this issue, and I can contact them more than once a day if necessary. At one point they offered for me to send them a design file that I was having trouble printing, and they would print it in their lab. QIDI support has been really good, for me.

About to make my last payment of $189, of the Paypal 4-pay, no regrets, really happy with this purchase overall.

[GoMachV]

Yeah that's awesome. I didn't realize they were emailing people about it. Great customer service!

[GreenBar0n]

I sent them an email in response to this thread, figuring I should take care of this asap, and let them know I'd like the replacement board, here's the reply:

Dear Shane,

Thank you for contacting QIDI Tech, this is tech support regarding the chamber relay issue, we will help you to solve the issue.

Thank you for your recognition of our machines.

May i please have your order number of printer to record your warranty ? The Amazon order number will also works.

I understand your concerns regarding the chamber relay safety issue.We apologize for the inconvenience.

Regarding the relay issue, in 110V regions, some machines may cause faster wear on the components, but there is no fire hazard. In fact, there has not been a single instance of a fire so far.

We have came out the latest solution for the chamber relay. If any component experiences wear or overheating, please contact us, and we will ship the replacement parts to you within 3 days. The replacement can be completed in just 10 minutes. Additionally, to compensate for any inconvenience caused, we are extending your warranty by one year.

Regarding the version of the relay we are sending this time :

We have upgraded the relays for 110V regions now, which are different from the previous version. We are preparing to send you the new chamber relay, i will record your information and we will send out asap, in an orderly manner,, and please note that it will different from the previous version. All issues have been addressed.

Please confirm the shipping address below.

Recipient's name:
Province/State:
City:
Zip code :
Detail address:
Country:
Phone number:

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you for your understanding and patience during this time.

Best regards,
Evelyn


vipservice
[email protected]

Just sent them everything they asked for. I'll post how long it takes to receive the replacement board, and pics of the process. They really do seem like they care over there.

[GreenBar0n]

WoW! QIDI just sent me an email with a DHL tracking number, that board is on the way here - now.

Also got a .PDF, and a .MP4 on how to replace it.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/126fl_FkGWadBLKRwigB_5-XQWE5j-7Rz

[GreenBar0n]

[GreenBar0n]

Ran into a design problem with the Manx Dune Buggy model. The wheelbase is shorter than a regular SRB, so there are things that are slightly different.

The roll bar doesn't fit the shock mounts, or stock pipe joints.


White roll bar is stock SRB, the gray roll bar on there, is the one that needs to be made to work.


Going to need to come up with something to secure the rear shock to the roll bar.