3D Printing InfoPrinter comparison
Formlabs Form 4L vs QIDI X-Max 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 4L comparisonsMore QIDI X-Max 3 comparisons
| Property | Formlabs Form 4LRESIN | QIDI X-Max 3COREXY |
|---|---|---|
| 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 X-Max 3, listed by QIDI as "Qidi Tech X-Max 3 3D Printer" and in navigation as X-Max3[2][3] |
| Release date (announcement and actual shipping) | Not documented | Not published by QIDI; the product page carries a discontinuation notice rather than a launch date (checked Aug 2026)[2] |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | Not documented | $899.00 (from a $999.00 sale reference) on us.qidi3d.com but marked Sold Out and discontinued, checked Aug 2026. 3D Printers Online Store lists $1,099 USD, also out of stock[2][4] |
| 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] | Same-generation siblings X-Plus 3 (280x280x270, 500 mm/s, 800 W) and X-Smart 3 (175x180x170, no chamber heating, 300 °C, 350 W). All three share the Cortex-A53 1.5 GHz / 1 GB DDR3 / 8 GB eMMC control board, so shared-board specs are not evidence of shared print specs. Replaced by the Max4[3][5][6][7] |
| Market position: superseded? successor announced? | Not documented | Discontinued and out of production; QIDI directs buyers to the Max4[2] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 353 x 196 x 350 mm (Formlabs quotes 24.2 litres)[1] | 325 x 325 x 315 mm advertised[2][3][4] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | 664 x 528 x 794 mm[1] | 553 x 553 x 601 mm[3][4] |
| Net weight (kg) | 58.5 kg[1] | 30.2 kg net[3][4] |
| Frame construction & material | Not documented | Enclosed CoreXY chassis, fully assembled from the factory. QIDI does not publish a frame-material breakdown[3] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Enclosed cabinet with a UV-blocking cover. Operating temperature 18-28 C[1] | Fully enclosed, with a chamber circulation blower and activated-carbon air filter[3] |
| Passive chamber temperature reached (if enclosed; measured values preferred) | Not documented | 65 °C maximum, independent chamber heating (manufacturer claim)[2][3] |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | Masked stereolithography (MSLA) with the Low Force Display engine; straight-lift peel[1] | CoreXY[3] |
| X-axis guide type (rods / linear rails / V-wheels; size) | Not documented | Linear optical axis (polished steel rod) 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 | <=600 mm/s (manufacturer claim)[2][3][4] |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | Not documented | 20,000 mm/s2 (manufacturer claim)[2] |
| Max volumetric flow claimed (mm³/s) | Not documented | 35 mm3/s extruder flow (manufacturer claim)[3] |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Not documented | High-flow direct-drive extruder; QIDI states a 9.5:1 gear ratio for this model[2][3] |
| Gear ratio & drive gear material | Not documented | 9.5:1[2] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?) | Not documented | Ceramic heating core. Two interchangeable nozzle-head sets shipped: copper alloy for standard materials, hardened steel for abrasives. 0.4 mm stock, 0.2/0.6/0.8 mm optional[2][3] |
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | Not documented | <=350 °C claimed[2][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 plate (QIDI's "HF" plate)[2][3] |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | Not documented | Automatic levelling via Klipper adaptive meshing; probe technology not named by QIDI[2] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Not documented | Filament detection fitted; type and location not published[3] |
| Cooling & Air Handling | ||
| Auxiliary part-cooling fan? | Not documented | Additional (auxiliary) cooling fan fitted[3] |
| Chamber/exhaust fan & filtration (activated carbon / HEPA) | Not documented | Chamber circulation blower with activated-carbon air filter[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[2][3] |
| 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[3] |
| Total rated power draw | 900 W[1] | 900 W rated[3][4] |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | Proprietary; print preparation is PreForm[1] | Klipper with the Fluidd web console. Fork and version not published[2] |
| 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, USB-C 2.0[1] | Wi-Fi (QIDI states 150M 2.4G), Ethernet, USB flash drive[3] |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | Formlabs resin range as for the Form 4; biocompatible materials require a B-series machine[1] | ABS, PLA, PETG, TPU, nylon, carbon fibre, PC[4] |
| Reliability, Support & Ecosystem | ||
| Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes) | Not documented | 1-year coverage[2] |
| 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 X-Max 3 product page (US store) us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Tech X-Max 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Qidi Tech X-Max 3 FDM 3D Printer listing 3dprintersonlinestore.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Tech X-Plus 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