3D Printing InfoPrinter comparison
Formlabs Form 4 vs QIDI i-Fast
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Formlabs Form 4 comparisonsMore QIDI i-Fast comparisons
| Property | Formlabs Form 4RESIN | QIDI i-FastIDEX |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | Formlabs | QIDI |
| Class | RESIN | IDEX |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | Formlabs Form 4 3D Printer[1][2] | QIDI Tech i-Fast, also written iFast and "I-Fast"[3][4] |
| Release date (announcement and actual shipping) | Not documented | Not published on the listings checked (Aug 2026)[3][4] |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | Starting at $2,625.00 at GoEngineer, in stock, checked Aug 2026. Formlabs sells the printer as part of packages (Form 4 Complete Package etc.), so package prices are much higher than the printer-only figure[2] | $1,899.00 at Top 3D Shop, listed as discontinued with a 5-10 business-day lead time, checked Aug 2026. 3DJake no longer sells it[4][3] |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | Three machines share this platform and are constantly conflated. Form 4: 200 x 125 x 210 mm, 50 um pixels, 18.3 kg, 480 W, one resin cartridge, NOT biocompatible. Form 4B: identical hardware but validated for 38 Formlabs materials including 15 biocompatible. Form 4L: 353 x 196 x 350 mm, 46 um pixels, 58.5 kg, 900 W, two cartridges[1] | Ships with two interchangeable dual-extruder assemblies — a standard dual head and a high-temperature dual head rated to 350 °C. Specifications quoted for one head do not apply to the other. Not to be confused with QIDI's i-Mate or the X-CF Pro[4][3] |
| Market position: superseded? successor announced? | Not documented | Discontinued; QIDI's current line is the Q, Plus and Max series[4][5] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 200 x 125 x 210 mm (Formlabs quotes 5.25 litres)[1][2] | 330 x 250 x 320 mm advertised[3][4] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | 398 x 367 x 554 mm[1][2] | 710 x 510 x 670 mm[4] |
| Net weight (kg) | 18.3 kg[1][2] | 33 kg net[4] |
| Frame construction & material | Not documented | Fully assembled enclosed metal-frame machine[3] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Enclosed cabinet with a hinged UV-blocking cover. Operating temperature 18-28 C[1] | Fully enclosed with a heated chamber[3][4] |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | Masked stereolithography (MSLA). Formlabs brands the engine Low Force Display; straight-lift peel[1][2] | Dual independent extruders in an enclosed Cartesian gantry[3][4] |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max print speed (claimed, mm/s) | Not documented | 30-150 mm/s print speed range (manufacturer figure — a working range, not a peak marketing number)[4] |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Not documented | Direct-drive, two extruders. MK10-style nozzle[3][4] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | Not documented | 350 °C on the high-temperature extruder assembly[3][4] |
| Stock nozzle size & sizes included in box | Not documented | 0.4 mm nozzle diameter[4] |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto) | 100-240 VAC, 4.8 A, 50/60 Hz, 480 W[1] | 110-220 V[4] |
| Total rated power draw | 480 W[1] | 700 W rated[4] |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | Proprietary. Print preparation is PreForm; fleet management is Formlabs Dashboard[2] | Not documented |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 7-inch interactive touchscreen, 1280 x 800 (control panel — not the masking LCD, see W1)[1] | Not documented |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | Dual-band Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet (1000 Mbit), USB-C 2.0[1][2] | Wi-Fi, LAN, USB flash drive[3][4] |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | Formlabs resins across rigid, tough, general purpose, flame retardant, silicone, elastic, ceramic and castable families. Biocompatible resins require the Form 4B, not the Form 4[1] | Carbon fibre, nylon, PETG, TPU, PC, ABS, PLA[4] |
| Independently Measured Performance | ||
| Dimensional accuracy measurements (third-party, with numbers) | XY dimensional tolerance +/-0.15% — a manufacturer specification, not an independent measurement[1][2] | Not documented |
| Resin & MSLA | ||
| Masking LCD | Low Force Display masking LCD with a 50 um pixel size and pre-tuned anti-aliasing. Formlabs does not publish the screen diagonal or pixel count[1][2] | Not documented |
| Light source | Backlight unit with 60 uniform-wavelength high-power LEDs behind collimating lenses, with integrated cooling[1][2] | Not documented |
| Vertical print speedmm/h | Maximum 100 mm/h; average 40 mm/h at a 100 um layer height (manufacturer figures — GoEngineer publishes both, which is unusually explicit about the basis). Formlabs separately claims most prints finish in under 2 hours[2][1] | Not documented |
| Layer height range | 25-200 um per Formlabs' own tech-spec page; GoEngineer's listing for the same machine says 25-300 um. Unresolved[1][2] | Not documented |
| Resin vat & feeding | Single next-generation resin cartridge; Formlabs claims 5-10x faster filling and 63% less waste. Resin tank rated for 75,000+ layers with any Formlabs material. No vat capacity published[1][2] | Not documented |
Manufacturer claims, independent measurements, packages and test conditions retain their source wording. FDM linear speed and resin vertical speed use different units and are not directly comparable. Unknown values are marked “Not documented”. Prices and source dates remain historical snapshots; check the linked guide for product details. Differences highlight text, not a universal winner.
Sources for this comparison
- Formlabs resin printer technical specifications (Form 4 / 4B / 4L) formlabs.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Formlabs Form 4 3D printer listing store.goengineer.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Tech i-Fast technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Tech i-Fast Dual Extruder FDM 3D Printer listing top3dshop.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI US store full product collection us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor