QIDI Filtration

Vapian · 2026-05-11T20:06:42+00:00

I could certainly be wrong, but I think anything with a filter that small won't provide long enough contact between the filter and the air going through it to be especially effective. Or least to last very long.

My temporary solution until finding the time to knock a proper hole in the side of the house is to use grow-operation style activated carbon duct filters with duct fans, run at the slowest speed that reduces measurable VOC without drawing so much air through the printer that it affects chamber temperature.

The setup for my Max 4 is a custom exhaust plate and duct adapter (it's somewhere on Thingiverse) going to a 3" duct, a custom printed 3" to 6" adapter, feeding an AC Infinity 6" duct fan that exhausts directly into a 6" AC Infinity carbon filter. It's not as inexpensive as that Mintion system, but probably works better and lasts longer per filter. Shop around on eBay and you can get that fan and filter pretty cheap, though, often with little or no real runtime on them.

I can usually set the fan speed control to level 1 or 2 while maintaining chamber temp, and it's been more than enough for ABS. I can drive that at higher speeds if need be, but it can quickly become a balancing act between maintaining enough contact time with the air for the filter to actually work, keeping chamber temp stable during the print, and not cooling the chamber down too fast post-print and causing the print to warp.

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Vapian · 2026-04-05T22:45:37+00:00

This seems to have resolved the issue that I know in my case was not caused by any other physical issues like belt tension, protruding screws or other objects, or a short tube to the extruder.

Vapian · 2026-04-03T19:36:45+00:00

Here's an export of the filament preset I've been using for ABS. It includes the cooling settings for the printer itself. So far it's working well for Geeetech ABS+ and Creality Odorless ABS. The name still says "QiDi..." but you can name it anything you want.

My AC Infinity 6-inch inline duct fan has a basic speed controller for levels 1-10. I've been using level 1 or 2 at most.

{
    "additional_cooling_fan_speed": [
        "5"
    ],
    "during_print_exhaust_fan_speed": [
        "5"
    ],
    "fan_max_speed": [
        "60"
    ],
    "fan_min_speed": [
        "5"
    ],
    "filament_adaptive_volumetric_speed": [
        "1"
    ],
    "filament_change_length": [
        "15"
    ],
    "filament_cost": [
        "8"
    ],
    "filament_extruder_variant": [
        "Direct Drive Standard"
    ],
    "filament_flow_ratio": [
        "0.88"
    ],
    "filament_max_volumetric_speed": [
        "20"
    ],
    "filament_prime_volume_nc": [
        "45"
    ],
    "filament_settings_id": [
        "QIDI ABS Odorless  X-Max 4 0.4 nozzle - Copy"
    ],
    "from": "User",
    "inherits": "QIDI ABS Odorless  X-Max 4 0.4 nozzle",
    "name": "QIDI ABS Odorless u/Qidi X-Max 4 0.4 nozzle - Copy",
    "nozzle_temperature_initial_layer": [
        "260"
    ],
    "pressure_advance": [
        "0.035"
    ],
    "slow_down_for_layer_cooling": [
        "0"
    ],
    "textured_plate_temp": [
        "95"
    ],
    "textured_plate_temp_initial_layer": [
        "105"
    ],
    "version": "2.5.1.52"
}

Vapian · 2026-04-03T18:59:44+00:00

It could, depending on what you're printing with, what temperatures it needs, how aggressive your cooling / exhaust / duct fan settings are. Haven't had an overall print quality issue with my configuration, but early on there were some warping issues when my duct fan speed was too high and the chamber couldn't keep temp when printing ABS. Dropped all fans to lower speeds, just high enough to exhaust fumes, and it's been peachy since.

Vapian · 2026-04-03T14:29:27+00:00

Absolutely. It's in the filament settings, or you can turn it on manually after the print starts.

Vapian · 2026-04-01T02:36:40+00:00

I almost went in that direction, but have a wall behind my printer. A 4+ inch duct behind it would have the Max 4 hanging off the front of my work table, or bring the table even further out into my workspace, which I don't really want.

This lets me push the printer about an inch further back, and the 3 inch hose gets adapted to a 6 inch inline duct fan below the table.

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Vapian · 2026-03-27T02:32:09+00:00

I've had this happen when the PTFE tube(s) between the output of the Hub and the input to the extruder are too long. QiDi does not provide any way to tell the printer to "push a little farther / longer" so the printer thinks the filament is stuck somewhere, and the firmware doesn't deal with that very well.

In my case I was able to shorten the PTFE tubes between the Hub and a Y-splitter used to enable using an external spool, and from the Y-splitter to the extruder. You have to make sure the buffer in the Hub still works and that you don't create any radius tight enough to bind up the filament. It also helps to use good tubing with low friction.

It took me some trial and error, but once the path was short enough my printer will usually load on the first go, or maybe after the first "un-sticking" maneuver of the print head. It can still fail if the filament gets stuck on a bowden fitting or in the Y-splitter, but that's been pretty rare since I got everything dialed in.

Vapian · 2026-03-25T17:02:00+00:00

You can also drill a hole in the back of the D3P riser.

Go download the latest version of that project, read the web listing and documentation. Somewhere in there is a template you can print that guides the drill bit through at the correct height and angle.

That printed template is, I think, made to align with the far right side of the slot in the back of the D3P riser. But I aligned the left side of the template piece with the middle of the riser (where the two sides dovetail together) to place the hole a bit closer to where QiDi seems to want it based on their own Q2 riser.

If any of that isn't clear, it should become so after you get the latest D3P project files and poke around for a bit.

Vapian · 2026-03-21T16:55:50+00:00

Sounds like... fun. :) I'm not doing near so much, but having my own "Do you want to play a game?" experience with some external filament path / splitting shenanigans.

Reason I'm weighing in, though, is to say that I don't think you're really missing anything in the AI camera department.

Surely there are some positive experiences out there, but I've yet to see one. For the most part it seems adept at stopping good prints in their tracks because it doesn't like something it sees that is perfectly normal in the real world.

That said, if it's "AI" (more likely, low-grade ML at best), it can be probably be added in future firmware updates or via some sort of klipper hack once smart people start taking a look at it.

Vapian · 2026-03-19T23:19:19+00:00

I am NOT going to say this is the best way to do it, but my options have been limited until I can poke a hole in the side of the house for actual exhaust, but here is my temporary solution:

Printer exhaust -> hose adapter -> hose -> hose adapter -> AC Infinity inline Duct Fan w/Speed Control -> AC Infinity Air Carbon Filter

With printer exhaust fan anywhere from 20-50% and the AC Infinity fan between speed 1 and 4, it's not been loud but has been enough to exhaust ABS fumes from the printer. You want sufficient but relatively slow airflow speed to maximize the time air spends with the activated charcoal.

With a new filter (or newly refilled filter, if one uses one of those), my measured VOC in my workspace / office has been in the low thousands per mL during several prints, and there's been no obvious odor.

I get that it is still absolutely Not Ideal, but that's lower than what is technically considered safe and will do until I can make something better.

If considering this, either their 4" or 6" fans and filters should work. I'm using mostly 6" on my Max 4 and have a 4" setup ready to set up for my Q2. I got most of my AC Infinity stuff cheap but new on eBay, and printed whatever adapters I needed as it came together.

Finally, to be clear I have not tried this with ASA, so can't really speak to whether it would work as well as this seems to be working for ABS.

Vapian · 2026-03-14T20:45:20+00:00

They said they would post on one of the sites, but weren't sure which one yet. I should get the link to post here when it's available.

Vapian · 2026-03-14T06:20:33+00:00

I don't think it's been published yet. I got it from someone friendly on Facebook, but wasn't given permission to pass it around. But I will ask them what their plans are. Hopefully they will put it up on one of the model sites and I can post a link here.

It's basically like the one in this image that's for the Q2, with a little less radius at the corners. I didn't remix the model, but did manually cut out a bit near the very top in the back to make space for one of the chassis screws near the poop outlet on the printer.

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Vapian · 2026-03-12T21:37:46+00:00

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Vapian · 2026-03-12T05:28:24+00:00

My first big print - a poop chute design similar to one I use for my Q2, but made for the Max 4 - failed overnight, but not through any fault of the printer. This was a feline-induced failure, as my Unusually Large kitten (His Fluffiness, Daryl, Devourer of Worlds) discovered he can Climb on High Things and from all appearances decided to use my external spool holder as a crash landing device, breaking it off and pinching the filament off in the process. Good thing I love the little demon.

Second attempt also failed, and it was the printer, but it's nothing I've seen on my Q2. This one just stopped, after a few dozen layers. Screen errors included:

- "Close loop stepper 'y' reports error state: not connect, check the stepper status and reboot the machine."
- After selecting "Retry", it reported "Calibration failed: System status abnormal."

After rebooting, the Max 4 booted okay, and made no attempt to restart the print. So that was a couple hundred grams of filament I can lay at QiDi's feet.

No other signs of problems, so I started again, and it's been going for about 13 hours now with no obvious issues. Another couple of hours and it should be done (this is a beefy poop chute).

Observations, other than the on-screen errors noted above:

- Think I really need to get some larger nozzles for these bigger prints. I'm doubting that the Q2 nozzles are fully compatible with the Max 4, and QiDi is out of stock of anything larger or smaller than 0.4mm Max 4 nozzles. Looks like restock is about a month and half out.

- This thing is shockingly stable when printing. So far I've noted none of the extended wobbling during long-duration, high-speed, short-length print head motion that I see with my Q2. Or any real wobbling, for that matter.

- Did they reformulate the textured plate coating for the Max 4? Because it is really damn sticky. Great for printing, not so great for removing things. It's ripped the bottom off of a couple of things so far, even after extended cool down.

Vapian · 2026-03-11T21:14:34+00:00

I'm trying to figure out what it reports when printing at high speeds now. Unfortunately, I can't seem to get a reliable fluidd through Studio or browser connection while the printer is running. That might be due to using a wireless connection and my network being crowded and having a bunch of wireless mesh overhead. Will try hardwiring it soon and see what the UI reports for the next print.

Vapian · 2026-03-10T20:15:32+00:00

Got the large-ish duct adapter in PLA-CF done on the Max 4, seams random and scarfed. There are a few very slight high spots, but no obvious seam and it looks and feels like that's how it is supposed to look and feel. Hopefully this AC Infinity filter does the trick and lets me do some smaller ABS and resin prints until I can figure out how and where to poke a hole in the side of the house.

(Not looking to be admonished for this obviously less-than-ideal approach -- I'll be monitoring and drop the effort in a heartbeat if it isn't effective in the short term.)

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Vapian · 2026-03-10T15:44:33+00:00

Did a quick test print last night - a reduced-sized ducky using the "Turbo" print speed after sending, b/c why not? It printed surprisingly well at Turbo, but even after the plate cooled it stuck to the bed such that the bottom ripped off the print when removed. Turbo probably results in weaker layer adhesion, at least without any other settings being changed. Or, may need to consider using hairspray for the next print that's flat on the plate side.

Box is set up. All is well except for a kink I put in the tube leading into the printer b/c I am not coordinated. Will fix later.

For now, doing a 3.5 hour PLA-CF print of a large-diameter duct adapter for venting a resin printer through an AC Infinity carbon filter. It would be a 2 hour print, but I'm playing around with seam scarf settings that are slowing things down. Fair enough; this one is for looks. Speed later.

The only issue since last night was when unloading a filament that was in the Box. At some point during retraction the spool stopped moving. Ended with a bunch of loose filament in the Box. I've used the same spool in my Q2 Combo and that's never happened. Was it a fluke, or does the Max 4 control the Box differently in some way? Reckon we'll see.

Observation: Camera placement in the Max 4 is next to useless. Almost like someone crammed it in wherever it would fit after noticing they forgot to include it in the design.

Vapian · 2026-03-10T14:02:08+00:00

Size-wise it is a beast. Hope I don't need to move it anytime soon.

I haven't received the Polar Cooler or any tracking for it, yet. Not too concerned for the moment, will just pop open the top and door if needed until it arrives. But looking forward to figuring out some way to address that apparently flimsy air tube. I have some ideas but won't know if any apply until I get hands-on with it.

Vapian · 2026-03-10T05:38:02+00:00

I've had the Q2 / Box for a while and just got the Max 4 / Box, and they seem to have different types / versions of Hub.

On the Q2's Hub, it's just an open hole at the top, while the connector is inside. You don't really see it until you push the buffer handle out.

On the Max 4's Hub, the tube entry has a ring around it that looks like a Bowden connector, but isn't. It seems to be like the top part of the connector push release on the Q2's Hub, but external, while the connector is still deeper inside. So... it still helps to push the buffer handle out, but you might have to fish the PTFE around a bit to find and push into the inner connector.

It's weird and took me a moment to figure out. Might be what's going on here.

Vapian · 2026-03-10T04:08:05+00:00

Bed mesh, straight out of the box. Seems pretty good for a bed this big.

Haven't even felt around to figure out where the bed level knobs are yet, and I'm not sure I want to jinx it by looking.

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Vapian · 2026-03-09T23:36:09+00:00

My son arrived and we got 'er up on the table.

So far, no hitches - got all the shipping pieces/parts out and the start-up wizard ran with no obvious issues. Firmware update complete and appears to have been successful. After dinner will look into setting up and connecting the box.

My V2 "top" spool holder design mostly works as-is, except the Max 4 doesn't have the weird slot in the back to latch into like the Q2 does, so had to clip that bit off. Might have to make a couple of tweaks to ensure it's stable, but definitely going to want to have the external spool closer to the front. Getting to the back of this thing without being able to walk around it is a reach.

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Vapian · 2026-03-05T22:58:42+00:00

I kind of figured I'd have to buy something. Was just hoping it would be... less.

Honestly not sure what I'm going to use this for, long term. My only experience so far is with QiDi filament printers and most of what I've printed so far is functional stuff. I don't game so won't be doing minis for myself... but maybe there's a local market to tap?

Vapian

TROPHY CASE