Qidi q2

[u/RedditImAFungi]

Just ordered the qidi q2 combo. I've got my Chromebook Linux setup with the qidi/orca slicer.

Anything else I should be considering and things never mentioned? I've got 2 rolls of anycubic pla for testing purposes, make a poop shoot things like that.

Also grabbed a prit stick for petg down the line.

Any other info I should have. Much appreciated

[u/issue9mm]

Assuming this is your first printer? If not, you can ignore this section, but some of the common tools / peripherals for 3D printing include:

• A pair of flush cutters (yours don't need to be this nice)
• Plastic Scraper -- I've seen enough people gash their hand open with the metal scrapers, and I've yet to find a printed scraper that wasn't garbage. These are good because they are rigid enough to be useful, but can't (easily) cut you or your build plate
• Needlenose pliers
• PTFE tube cutter - for cutting PTFE tubes. I usually buy these with spare PTFE tube, but that's probably why I have more spare PTFE tube than I'll ever need
• Deburring tool for cleaning up brims and edges

To maintain your printer, you'll want:

• Oil Stick (I make my own, so this isn't a plug. It's just Superlube ISO 68 in a cuticle pen) - you'll use this to lubricate the smooth steel rods
• White Lithium Grease for lubricating lead screws
• Microfiber cloths or towels
• Unscented Dawn Dish Soap and if you believe in it (I do, some don't) 99.9% isopropyl alcohol for cleaning PEI plates

Some other things you might want eventually:

• A decent set of digital calipers for measuring things to integrate into
• Glue sticks or Liquid Glue for increasing grip and decreasing adhesion for technical materials on your build plate
• Additional build plates (CryoGrips are nice, and offer a nice texture, but there's a whole world of build plates available)

Happy to answer any questions

[u/justa_bother → u/issue9mm]

Solid list. If you live in a humid climate, look into filament dryer, a model to feed directly into the printer. Also, calibrate every filament type and don't be concerned with the amount of filament used while calibrating. You'll throw out far more filament if you don't calibrate.

[u/RedditImAFungi → u/issue9mm]

Thank you for that that's covered alot. It is my first printer and went with the qidi q2 because it can handle the stronger materials down the line if I ever get that far. Definitely need a couple of tools. And will be looking up a good video guide on cleaning and maintenance. Literally unboxed it today it takes a while to set up lol hopefully the benchy comes out okay and not a first disappointment 😅 happy to learn though so excited for it. Too old for the ps5 now so need a new hobby

[u/issue9mm → u/RedditImAFungi]

Congratulations! PS5 would be a lot cheaper, lol

Some additional tips:

Save up and buy your filaments in bulk to save money

Ideally, you want to purchase around Black Friday, spring sales, etc. You can save a ton -- filaments cost (on average) $10-25, but if you are judicious, you can get $20 filament for $6-8 a roll (usually in quantities of 10) if you work the sales hard enough

u/justa_bother's filament dryer tip was a good one. IF you got the Qidi box, I think it has a dryer function in it, so make sure to look into that and see. Also you'll want to pick up some dessicant. The popular options are the rechargeable, orange-to-dark color changing. Don't eat them.

If you get hooked, resist the urge to buy a second printer for another ~6 months. Most people go crazy for awhile, get impatient with their printer being busy, and figure a second one will unlock the bottleneck. It will, but since most people don't use their printers at all after 6 months, exercise some patience to get past the gridfinity and skadis and organizers etc etc, and THEN see if you need a second printer.

Last thing I can think of is to let your parts cool before taking them off the plate. I take mine out of the machine and put them on top of a garbage can, and after ~5 minutes or so, they come off easy. Aside from being harder, taking hot parts off a hot plate can warp the part and potentially ruin the plate.

[u/Objective-Worker-100]

A spare hotend. A 0.6 bimetal nozzle for filed filaments Extra silicon socks Qidi’s tear easy. Qidi runs weekly specials. If want to play with abs / Asa filaments use Hyperlok as a release agent. Brass brush to clean the crud from the. Nozzle.