The BIQU BX is a 3D Printer produced by BigTreeTech & BIQU and it made waves in the Maker community. Like many other 3D Printer manufacturers, it began life on Kickstarter, and after surpassing the goal of HK$ 300,000 (R 564,000) production and shipping began. Now, you may be asking yourself, what makes the BIQU BX such a great 3D Printer? Well, that’s exactly what we will be looking at in this post.
The BIQU BX is the fourth 3D Printer produced by BigTreeTech & BIQU, the others being the BIQU Thunder, BIQU Magician, and the BIQU B1. The BX includes a host of great features that are often considered upgrades for other 3D Printers. These upgrades include a 7” HD Multi-Mode Display, SKR SE-BX Motherboard, H2 Direct Drive Extruder, and Super Spring Steel Plate.
7″ HD Multi-Mode Display
The 7” HD display is a BX-specific version of the BTT TFT70 display and like the BIQU B1 display, you can switch display modes. What makes this display so special is that you can install a Raspberry Pi directly behind the touchscreen. The integration of a Raspberry Pi allows you to use OctoPrint without having to deal with all the wiring and storage you would normally need. You can switch between the BigTreeTech touch mode, Marlin mode, and Raspberry Pi mode.
The BigTreeTech mode scales well with the larger screen but Marlin mode has been adapted to work with the screen so it may look a bit different at first. The visuals for Raspberry Pi mode depend on what dashboard you use, a popular choice is OctoDash. It should be noted that the BX is compatible with Raspberry Pi 3 and 4.
32bit SKR SE-BX Motherboard
The SKR SE-BX is one of the most powerful motherboards we have seen to date in a 3D Printer and is designed specifically for the BIQU BX. The SKR SE-BX has an ARM Cortex M7F architecture which means a speed of 400MHz, 2048KB Flash, and 1048KB SRAM. For comparison, the BIQU B1 is equipped with an SKR V1.4 which has a speed of 100MHz, 512KB Flash, and 64KB SRAM. Having such a powerful motherboard means the BX is more ready for any demanding upgrades that may be released.
Not only is the motherboard incredibly powerful it also features TMC2226 ultra-quiet stepper drives. These not only help reduce noise during printing but also offer great features such as StealthChop2, SpreadCycle, StallGuard4, and CoolStep. The TMC2226 also provides sensorless homing capabilities which means there is no need for end-stops on the X and Y-axis.
H2 Direct Drive Extruder/Hotend Assembly
The BIQU BX is equipped with an H2 direct drive extruder with a design similar to the E3D Hemera. The H2 is incredibly light, weighing in at just 211grams, and makes use of a custom 7:1 ratio for accurate extrusion. For cooling the H2 has a 3510 fan for cooling the extruder radiator and a 3010 radial fan for part cooling. The 3510 does a great job of keeping the H2 cool, however, the 3010 fan is not the most efficient but still manages to do a great job. The hotend makes use of aluminium, a high-grade brass nozzle, and a silicone sock similar to the one you will find on the BIQU Phaetus Dragon hotend.
The H2 has a compact and tidy form factor with a very short filament path which makes printing flexible filaments that much easier. To power the extruder and hotend there is an HDMI cable which helps reduce the number of cables running to the extruder/hotend assembly.
Super Spring Steel Plate
BIQU has kept the magnetic spring steel plate found on the BIQU B1 and with good reason. The super spring steel plate has a polycarbonate powder coat and is reversible so you can flip it over if one side gets worn. What makes this coating interesting is that it isn’t as smooth as glass but it is smoother than other powder-coated plates we have seen.
The use of a magnetic system means removing prints is a breeze due to the flexibility of the plate and it also means there is the possibly of switching the plate for other magnetic build plates. The build volume has also been increased to 250 x 250 x 250mm.
Other Improvements
The BIQU BX is a very well-thought-out 3D Printer and not just because of the great features mentioned above. Plenty of attention has also been paid to the visuals and practicality of the BX. So here are some of the other great improvements found on the BX.
The frame uprights have a very sleek look, using an HDMI cable is also appreciated as it keeps things simple. There is a controllable LED strip integrated into the top bar of the BX so you can see how the print is going no matter how dark it is. The standard power supply is now a 350W Mean Well unit for reliable power. An inductive auto bed levelling sensor provides automatic levelling with 25 reference points. There are dual Z-axis to keep the stepper motors aligned which is a setup that is growing in popularity. Like the Ender 3 V2, there are belt tensioner knobs for the X and Y-axis.
Our Thoughts
Having had our BIQU BX test unit for a few months now we have been able to do quite a bit of testing. Initially, we were skeptical of the large display but we soon adjusted to it. We appreciate the increased build volume as many 3D Printer manufacturers keep the same build volume across multiple 3D Printers. The H2 direct drive and hotend assembly performed brilliantly during testing and we hope to see it used in future BIQU printers. The lack of a print resume function and filament runout sensor is slightly disappointing but it is likely you will be able to add them in with future accessories.
We highly recommend the BIQU BX all Makers. It is capable of consistent high-quality prints and the large screen, powerful motherboard, direct drive extruder, and other upgrades mean the BX is ready for almost anything. The affordable price of the BX makes it a 3D Printer that is hard to beat. View the BIQU BX on our store and if you are looking for a more affordable yet just as feature-packed 3D Printer then check out the BIQU B1.
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Graphic Designer | Photographer | Gamer and Twitch streamer.
I have a passion for design and a love of art. I am always eager to learn new things, be it 3D modeling/3D printing, copywriting or even cooking. Pretty chill guy who is always down for a braai with family and friends.