3D Printing InfoPrinter comparison
Formlabs Form 4L vs QIDI Q1 Pro
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Formlabs Form 4L comparisonsMore QIDI Q1 Pro comparisons
| Property | Formlabs Form 4LRESIN | QIDI Q1 ProCOREXY |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | Formlabs | QIDI |
| Class | RESIN | COREXY |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | Formlabs Form 4L[1] | QIDI Q1 Pro, listed by QIDI as "Q1 Pro 3D Printer". QIDI traded as Qidi Tech until end-2024[2] |
| Release date (announcement and actual shipping) | Not documented | Not stated on QIDI's own product page; the page now carries a discontinuation notice instead of a launch date (checked Aug 2026)[2][3] |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | Not documented | $499.00 on both qidi3d.com and us.qidi3d.com, checked Aug 2026 — but the listing is marked Sold Out and the page states "This model has been discontinued". qidi3d.com shows it against a $599.00 regular price; the US store shows compare-at $499.00[2][3] |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | Same Low Force Display engine as the Form 4 but a different machine on every physical figure: 353 x 196 x 350 mm vs 200 x 125 x 210, 46 um vs 50 um pixels, 58.5 kg vs 18.3 kg, 900 W vs 480 W, two resin cartridges vs one. Formlabs lists Basic, Premium and Complete packages, whose prices are not printer-only prices, and no printer-only USD figure was found on a live listing[1] | Succeeded by the QIDI Q2, which QIDI's own comparison on the Q1 Pro page distinguishes as 270x270x256 mm (vs 245x245x240), 370 °C hotend (vs 350 °C) and 65 °C chamber (vs 60 °C). Do not read Q2 figures onto the Q1 Pro[2][3] |
| Market position: superseded? successor announced? | Not documented | Discontinued and out of production; QIDI states spare parts and support for existing owners remain available. Replaced by the Q2[2][3] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 353 x 196 x 350 mm (Formlabs quotes 24.2 litres)[1] | 245 x 245 x 240 mm advertised (QIDI). No independently measured usable envelope found[2][4] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | 664 x 528 x 794 mm[1] | 477 x 467 x 489 mm machine dimensions (QIDI)[2][4] |
| Net weight (kg) | 58.5 kg[1] | 17 kg net, 20.3 kg gross (QIDI). 3DJake lists the 20.3 kg figure as gross weight[2][4] |
| Frame construction & material | Not documented | Metal CoreXY motion frame with panelled enclosure; QIDI publishes no frame-material breakdown for this model[2] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Enclosed cabinet with a UV-blocking cover. Operating temperature 18-28 C[1] | Fully enclosed with independent chamber heating to 60 °C; QIDI does not publish the panel materials for this model[2][4] |
| Passive chamber temperature reached (if enclosed; measured values preferred) | Not documented | 60 °C, actively heated (manufacturer claim — this is a heater setpoint, not a measured passive figure)[2][4] |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | Masked stereolithography (MSLA) with the Low Force Display engine; straight-lift peel[1] | CoreXY[4] |
| X-axis guide type (rods / linear rails / V-wheels; size) | Not documented | 10 mm linear steel rods with automatically tensioned belt (manufacturer description)[4] |
| Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlash | Not documented | Independent dual Z lead-screw motors[4] |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max print speed (claimed, mm/s) | Not documented | 600 mm/s, worded by QIDI as maximum tool-head speed (manufacturer claim, not a sustained printing speed)[2][4] |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | Not documented | <=20,000 mm/s2 (manufacturer claim)[2][4] |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Not documented | Direct-drive extruder with hardened steel gears[2][4] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?) | Not documented | Tri-metal hotend with a ceramic heater plate and a bimetal nozzle, 0.4 mm standard[2][4] |
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | Not documented | <=350 °C claimed. No firmware max_temp verified for this model[2][4] |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | Not documented | <=120 °C claimed. No firmware limit verified for this model[2][4] |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | Not documented | Double-sided textured PEI plate on an aluminium substrate bed[2][4] |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | Not documented | Automatic levelling; QIDI markets it as "hands-free automatic levelling" with dual sensors, without naming the probe technology[2] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Not documented | Filament run-out sensor fitted; QIDI also lists filament tangle detection without describing the mechanism[4] |
| Cooling & Air Handling | ||
| Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting design | Not documented | Auxiliary part-cooling fan plus a chamber circulation fan (fan count and duct design not published)[4] |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto) | 100-240 VAC, 9 A, 50/60 Hz, 900 W[1] | 100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz[4] |
| Total rated power draw | 900 W[1] | 350 W plus 300 W for chamber heating (rated)[2][4] |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | Proprietary; print preparation is PreForm[1] | Klipper, running on a 64-bit processor per QIDI. Exact fork and version not published on the product page[2] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 7-inch interactive touchscreen, 1280 x 800 (control panel — not the masking LCD, see W1)[1] | 4.3-inch touchscreen, 272 x 480[2][4] |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | Dual-band Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet, USB-C 2.0[1] | Wi-Fi 6 (QIDI states "150M 2.4G") and USB 2.0. No Ethernet listed for this model[2][4] |
| Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps) | Not documented | Built-in camera, up to 1080p, timelapse supported. Framerate not published[2][4] |
| Calibration Routines & QoL | ||
| Assembly level & time from unbox to first print | Not documented | Ships fully assembled[2] |
| Power-Loss & Interruption Recovery | ||
| Power-loss recovery: mechanism (how is state saved? capacitor / eeprom / file on shutdown?) | Not documented | Power-loss recovery listed as a feature; mechanism not published[4] |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | Formlabs resin range as for the Form 4; biocompatible materials require a B-series machine[1] | QIDI lists compatibility with common filaments; storage 32 GB eMMC. No per-material list published on the current page beyond the general claim[2] |
| Reliability, Support & Ecosystem | ||
| Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes) | Not documented | 1-year coverage, 14-day no-reason return, lifetime tech guidance (QIDI's standard terms as shown on its store)[5] |
| Independently Measured Performance | ||
| Dimensional accuracy measurements (third-party, with numbers) | XY dimensional tolerance +/-0.15% — a manufacturer specification[1] | Not documented |
| Resin & MSLA | ||
| Masking LCD | Low Force Display masking LCD with a 46 um pixel size. Formlabs does not publish the screen diagonal or pixel count[1] | Not documented |
| Light source | Backlight unit with uniform-wavelength LEDs behind collimating lenses, with integrated cooling[1] | Not documented |
| Layer height range | 25-200 um[1] | Not documented |
| Resin vat & feeding | Two next-generation resin cartridges. No vat capacity published[1] | 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
- QIDI Q1 Pro product page (global store) qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Q1 Pro product page (US store) us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Tech Q1 Pro technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Max4 product page (US store) us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor