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Voron 2.4 vs Qidi Plus 4 - ASA/ABS


frohstwerks

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Hi all,

I'm looking to get back into FDM for functional & cosmetic large ASA & ABS prints. By large I mean 200mm+ in any/all dimensions.

I'm struggling to convince myself between a Qidi Plus 4 or a Voron 2.4, 300mm Formbot kit.

Usage is light business - not running the machines 24/7 as a farm - but being able to hit print twice a month and get a high quality non warped part is expected. (low volume high quality type work)

I expect to get into a 4-6 head tool changer by early 2027 as that opens up a lot of design and production freedom. Assuming business is still moving along, I don't see an issue with this being a second printer.

Being able to step up in heat tolerance of finished parts (so working with PC + others) would be a nice to have.

Key pros/cons I see are:

Voron 2.4

  • + Open community with active development, staying current with innovations
  • + Plentiful spare ecosystem, open CAD means rigging a better fitting subsystem is just a spot of CAD work away
  • + Open software means it is always keeping pace with new klipper and slicer advances
  • + Known pathway to multi tool via stealthchanger, CANbus, & Yavoth tool heads
  • - it is a kit. it is not an appliance.
  • - Lack of chamber environment control means slow to ~60C chamber & unlikely to hold it there.

Qidi plus 4

  • + Chamber heater for quick up to temp & controlled environment for printing.
  • + Should be able to dabble in higher temp filaments.
  • + I expect some level of appliance like performance
  • + use any slicer
  • o Sounds like it is 'normal' klipper?
  • o Would require a future printer for multi tool
  • - reliant on Qidi for spares

 

My question to the community is... am I missing something major between the two? (e.g. the formbots kit isn't really complete & expect to spend another $$$ on blah, hey the second the new hotness is out from QIDI your spare supply is going dry, or you know there's a better printer to look at for folks with your use case)

 

My prior FDM printer experience is owning a MK2S kit and working with/on Lulzbot Taz 5 & 6 & Ultimaker S5. I am not afraid of the voron build (years of work experience with mechanical systems & microcontrollers), and I've modded my MK2S Marlin, board, & tool head to take a thermocouple after a blob of death early in its life.

I have access to friends with a MK3s and a X1C for my printed Voron parts.

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I have several voron machines and find them very good. Kits are normally fairly complete these days and you shouldn't need to buy many extras.

Reading your use case though, I'm not sure they are the right fit. Vorons are for enthusiasts who want the challenge of the build. Like you said they're not really an appliance experience, continuous tinkering and upgrading is the point.

I have no experience with Qidi.

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Hi

 

I have several Vorons and a Qidi Q1 Pro. From the viewpoint of a printer as an appliance, the Qidi is a great printer (no experience with the Q4 though). Qidi still delivers spare parts for my older model (X-Plus) in their store. Based on my experience with the Q1 Pro, it's a reliable workhorse.

That said, in my opinion, a well-tuned Voron beats the Q1 Pro in terms of print quality. Maintenance on the Q1 Pro is minimal (around 800 print hours at the moment).

If you enjoy the experience of building a printer, go with the Voron. However, if you need the printer as a tool to build other projects, the Qidi seems to be a good choice.

 

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First of all, welcome to the forum.

As has been mentioned, the Voron is a hobbyist machine with all that entails. You have to build it yourself, and you are the support for it. That's not usually a great fit for business, but if you're ok with that it is a workhorse once dialed in. The Vorons can run higher temp filaments, but they need additional modifications, mainly insulation and heat-tolerant printed parts. There's a couple projects documented here, and Nero did a series on his YouTube channel converting one of his V1.8 printers for high temps (also spawning the "the front fell off" joke).

Aside from the higher temps, the X1C your friends have might be good option as well. It's heavily borrowing from the Trident design.

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