QIDI TECH LCD Resin 3D Printer S-Box

First off, I am NOT being paid or given ANYTHING in exchange for this review. I am an experienced maker with more than 30 years in design and manufacturing, 8 of which have been in 3D printing/rapid prototyping. I have used some of the larger commercial FDM (filament) and true SLA (resin) printers from companies like Stratasys and 3D Systems and also many of the hobbyist sized versions most people reading this review have used that use LED/LCD screens. This is my opinion of the product without any influence from QIDI or Amazon to give it a positive review.After using an Anycubic Photon for almost two years, and Elegoo Mars for about 8 months, and like most makers, I have often lamented about being limited to the size and quality of the prints they produced. Mind you, to most people, the quality was WAAAY better than anything printed via FDM. The quality and selection of resin printers versus what is available for FDM printers has been a struggle but have since exploded in the past 6 months to a year. The only issue is that they all have a similar small print areas due to the LED/LCD screens.I found the QIDI tech in a desperate search for a larger scale/screen size resin printer due to both the demands of my start up rapid prototyping/3D modeling business and the need to create larger scale, single print models. After doing ALOT of research and looking around the web at different commercial resin printers, I realized that upscaling a resin printer was going to be an expensive proposition, hence why I had not seen many large scale printers for sale that I wouldn't have to take a second mortgage out to acquire. When I had just about given up hope, I literally stumbled on the QIDI S Box while looking for some resin here on Amazon. After reading the description, I figured there HAD to be a catch to this thing, like it had to be hard to operate or very fickle in its settings. Nope, in fact, it was easy to set up and has been a dream to operate/maintain. It arrived amazingly well packaged compared to other products I have received from China. I had it up and printing with the bed levelled in less that 15 minutes. Most of that time was spent checking out aka ooooohing and aaaaaaahing over the dual Z guide rails and the beefy ball screw, yes an actual ball screw, not a lead screw that will eventually become sloppy with occasional use.I poured my current favorite resin in the HUGE resin tank (you want to make big prints, be prepared for the added resin required to do so!) and proceeded to build a ridiculously large benchy to see how well it would print out of the box. I already own Chitubox slicer software and found the QIDI S Box in the list of printers, used the pre loaded settings and away it went. To my amazement, it printed quite well with only a few settings needing to be adjusted for my resin. I decided to do some tests by printing some small, highly detailed parts I have created for clients and some large random parts I found on Thingiverse. I sliced at .025mm and up to .1mm and was NOT disappointed. This thing is the real deal.I purchased it for $800 and yes that is ALOT of money, but for me, it has paid for itself in just the first couple prints I have made. I was always taught that If you get something for next to nothing, you will surely get what you pay for and in the end mostly be disappointed. Not everyone is going to use it for a business but I can say it is worth every penny I paid as the stability/rigidity of the Z axis drive system alone has made even the simplest print look like it came out of a commercial grade SLA printer. If you have used other smaller printers, this one's operational set up is not very different if at all.In the end, this printer is NOT for everyone as the added cost of filling up the resin tank, not to mention the almost $800 price tag can give you pause. But if you want a reliable and WELL built large scale resin printer, give this one a try, you will not be disappointed.One last thing, yes, there are some features that can be improved but that goes for ANY printer you buy. That does not take away this printers ability to create large scale, high quality prints without the need to glue multiple prints together. Hopefully the manufacturer reads customer reviews and looks to make subtle changes to improve on the features that other reviewers have commented on.I for one, have made this printer my #1 go to printer as it has impressed me and more so, my clients with its quality thus far. Only time will tell and I will surely update this review if things change.

UPDATE: I should have delayed longer. LCDs burn out, if you use these printers you know that. But this machine is, bar none, the most difficult one to work on out of all the models I've used. Additionally, while Qidi customer service is still excellent, the time between asking for/ordering parts is excessive and can take up to a month. That's no good if you are running a small business like I am.I've been delaying writing this review because I wanted to get some prints under my belt. Every time I started to do this, I've been put off for some reason or another (not necessarily because of this machine). But I wanted to tell potential buyers about my experience.FIRST - I have become an accidental print farmer. The Pandemic sent us looking for a home-based opportunity, and I had bought a small 3d printer to use to make things for my history class (I'm an adjunct history prof) - or at least that's what I told my wife when I bought it - I really wanted to print stuff for Dungeons and Dragons. BUT, in March, my wife discovered that you could sell things if you have a certain level of Patreon.... so here we are. We currently are running 16 printers, #17 is on the way, #18 is planned (and #18 is almost certainly an SBox).Second - I am one of those clients that can be a pain. I admit it. I'm ex-military (Army and Navy) and am very demanding. When I purchased the first machine (we have since bought 2), I immediately contacted tech support and peppered them with questions. Qidi tech support was very, very responsive. This is something that goes a long way to this review. A responsive support system for this tech is very much needed. I returned another company's machine because of poor support - I don't think you'll experience that with Qidi.They helped me buy a variety of back up supplies (extra tanks, an extra LCD, FEP, etc.) PRIOR to my even receiving my first machine. In fact, those supplies arrived before SBox 1.I gotta be honest, my first thought upon receiving the SBox was, "dang, it's big...." And it is. It does have a bigger footprint than my other medium format printers. But space isn't really an issue for me. But if it is for you, then it is something to consider.The test print went...exactly as test prints should go. Perfect. Print #2, 3, 4, 5.... less so. o.k. for a while it was touch and go... I was keeping track of that Amazon "return by" date. There IS a learning curve here. I swear this machine will pull things off the supports so fast it isn't even funny. It's Z-axis is massive and it pulls like a truck! For a while there, it was like a needy girlfriend who constantly needed to be told she was pretty in spite of the fact that she can't cook. But I had enough experience to know that it was just a matter of getting the settings right (Default settings are nearly NEVER right - sorry).FORTUNATELY - there was enough success that we were able to justify buying SBox 2 before I had all the bugs worked out.And now that I have the settings dialed in, both these machines are work horses.Oh, ,my general settings - LH 0.04mm, BLC: 7, exposure 11 sec, bottom exposure 60sec, LOD/BLOD: 4 sec, BLD 11mm, LD 9mm all lift speeds 65mm/min, retract 75mm/min (I have slightly different settings for translucent resin - and I used these for Elegooo Standard Resin and 3DRS Resin which are my two main resins).I'm sorry Qidi, that default bottom lift speed of 100mm/min??? That rips things off supports. Which leads to my main criticism - it is slow. I'm talking my brother's kid doing chores slow. Your dog knowing that he'd done something wrong and walking towards you slow. Cold molasses slow. In fact, compared to a similar machine with a similar amount of printer plate real estate - well, the other machine completed a print in 10 hours, this machine took nearly 15. So, there's that. That slowness is the only thing that mars this machine. BUT, I'm a trained project planner...so... we can work around that.THAT SAID it is faster than a certain monochrome printer that we pre-ordered and waited months for and so far has been a huge disappointment since it has to be slowed down to HALF the lift speed of the SBox for it to work. I'd sell that thing right now to fund another SBox.My other, minor criticism - I wish the lid was sturdier. Yeah, yeah, I know, it's a big lid and if it was sturdier, it would be heavier. But it really does feel a bit flimsy and the hinges are iffy at best... Oh, and I'd love a handle on the lid front (I'm going to print one, yes).As to quality of the print. Once you get past your learning curve (and there will almost certainly be a learning curve), this machine produces models that are some of the highest quality I've seen. I've printed everything from huge dragons, to 28mm minifigs, to tiny, tiny, 14mm Nothic Grunts with lots of spikes. It does all with aplomb. I'm about to start two more prints on the machine, and while they won't be finished until tomorrow morning - I know that what I'll pull off the plate will be great!One thing I really wish is that Qidi would explore a monochrome version of this machine, or, even better, a monochrome conversion kit - to speed things up. THAT would go a long ways towards increasing my production and I'd probably buy a conversion kit today!SO - in conclusion - for the price point, you can't go wrong. While, like any piece of tech, it has a few warts, once you get past them, you'll get a strong machine that produces fine quality prints of all sizes, it's quiet, even if it's a little slow. We will buy more SBoxes.

I received my Qidi S-Box Printer back in December 2020, however, due to medical issues, I didn't get to set it up and use it until February 2021. I'm extremely impressed with the solid build quality, especially the ball-screw for the Z-Axis. Everything worked as it should, despite some issues with mixed up resin, until one of the build plate retaining knobs shattered, possibly due to me applying too much force. In any case, I contacted Amy at Qidi support and she provided new knobs via airfreight to AU free of charge! How good is that? That's what I'd call GREAT customer service! Amy also graciously helped me in getting my head around the mixed up resin issue which totally confused me. Thank you Amy for your support and thank you Qidi. Your support and products are legendary!

Purchased this Qidi S Box to 3D print my prototypes and it does that very well. Excellent quality of print easy to operate. It is a heavy machine but that doesn't hold it back from being a great printer. Great customer Service. Would purchase a second unit without hesitation.Pros - Size of the built plate. Strong frame, Ridged mechanical's. Excellent customer service. Software is easy to use. Easy to level.Cons - Needs the On Off switch at the front. Top cover feels a bit light. Would like to see two FEPs with the unit.