3D Printing InfoPrinter comparison
Formlabs Form 4 vs QIDI X-Plus 3
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 X-Plus 3 comparisons
| Property | Formlabs Form 4RESIN | QIDI X-Plus 3COREXY |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | Formlabs | QIDI |
| Class | RESIN | COREXY |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | Formlabs Form 4 3D Printer[1][2] | QIDI X-Plus 3, listed in QIDI navigation as X-Plus3[3][4] |
| Release date (announcement and actual shipping) | Not documented | Not published by QIDI on the pages 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] | $699 on QIDI's official US page, which routes purchases to its AliExpress and Amazon stores; checked Aug 2026. 3DJake lists the model as sold out[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] | Two headline-speed figures circulate for this model: QIDI's own US page says 600 mm/s and 35 mm3/s, 3DJake's spec table says <=500 mm/s and 30 mm3/s. This is exactly the kind of sibling contamination the 3-series suffers (X-Max 3 is 600 mm/s / 35 mm3/s). Siblings: X-Max 3 (325x325x315, 900 W) and X-Smart 3 (175x180x170, no chamber heat, 300 °C)[3][4][5][6] |
| 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] | 280 x 280 x 270 mm advertised[3][4] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | 398 x 367 x 554 mm[1][2] | 511 x 527 x 529 mm[3] |
| Net weight (kg) | 18.3 kg[1][2] | 24.3 kg net[3] |
| Frame construction & material | Not documented | All-metal frame per QIDI's US page; no further breakdown published[4] |
| 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] |
| Passive chamber temperature reached (if enclosed; measured values preferred) | Not documented | 65 °C, independent chamber heating (manufacturer claim)[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] | CoreXY[3] |
| X-axis guide type (rods / linear rails / V-wheels; size) | Not documented | Linear optical axis of high-strength steel[3] |
| Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlash | Not documented | Double Z axis[3] |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max print speed (claimed, mm/s) | Not documented | Conflicting manufacturer claims: QIDI's US page says 600 mm/s, 3DJake's spec table says <=500 mm/s. The lower, more conservative figure is used as the sortable value[3][4] |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | Not documented | 20,000 mm/s2 (manufacturer claim)[4] |
| Max volumetric flow claimed (mm³/s) | Not documented | Conflicting: 30 mm3/s (3DJake) vs 35 mm3/s (QIDI US page). Lower figure used[3][4] |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Not documented | High-flow direct-drive extruder, 1.75 mm filament[3][4] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?) | Not documented | Ceramic heating core. Copper-alloy nozzle head for normal materials, hardened-steel nozzle head for abrasives. 0.4 mm stock, 0.2/0.6/0.8 mm optional[3] |
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | Not documented | <=350 °C claimed[3][4] |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | Not documented | <=120 °C claimed[3][4] |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | Not documented | Double-sided flexible magnetic RF plate[3] |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | Not documented | Automatic bed levelling; probe technology not named[4] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Not documented | Filament detection fitted; type and location not published[3] |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Host computer (SoC, RAM, storage) if firmware runs on embedded Linux | Not documented | Cortex-A53 64-bit at 1.5 GHz, 1 GB DDR3, 8 GB eMMC[3][4] |
| Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto) | 100-240 VAC, 4.8 A, 50/60 Hz, 480 W[1] | 100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz[3] |
| Total rated power draw | 480 W[1] | 800 W rated[3] |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | Proprietary. Print preparation is PreForm; fleet management is Formlabs Dashboard[2] | Klipper[4] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 7-inch interactive touchscreen, 1280 x 800 (control panel — not the masking LCD, see W1)[1] | 5-inch touchscreen, 800 x 480[3] |
| 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 (150M 2.4G), Ethernet, USB flash drive[3] |
| 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] | Not documented |
| Reliability, Support & Ecosystem | ||
| Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes) | Not documented | 1-year coverage (QIDI standard store terms)[7] |
| 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 X-Plus 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI X-Plus 3 official US page qidiusa.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Tech X-Max 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Tech X-Smart 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Max4 product page (US store) us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor