The QIDI Q2 uses a direct drive extruder, with hardened steel gears gripping the filament right above the hot end rather than somewhere else on the frame. Filament reaches that extruder through an external feed port on the outside of the enclosure, so the run from spool to nozzle stays short. That short path is part of why loading and unloading go quickly on this machine, but the nozzle still has to be at temperature before either one will work, since cold filament just will not feed through.
QIDI’s documentation describes two ways to load filament on the Q2, both run from the touchscreen. With automatic loading, you feed the filament into the external port until it reaches the print head and will not push in any further by hand, then wait while the nozzle heats. Once it is up to temperature the printer pulls the filament in on its own. Loading is finished once melted filament starts coming out of the nozzle in a steady, even stream.
Manual loading starts the same way, filament into the external port, but you handle the temperature and extrusion yourself. QIDI’s own example sets the nozzle to 220C for PLA, though other materials will call for different numbers since the Q2’s nozzle can run as high as 370C. Once the display shows the target reached, press the extrude arrow and watch the nozzle itself rather than the screen. As with the automatic method, an even stream of filament coming out means the load is done.
Changing filament, whether for a color swap or a different material altogether, goes through a dedicated replacing filament routine instead of just yanking the old spool. Start by pressing Unload on the touchscreen, then wait for the nozzle to heat. The Q2 cuts and retracts the old filament on its own, and once it reports the unload is finished you can pull the leftover strand back out through the external feed port.
To load the replacement, feed the new filament into the same port until it stops at the print head, press Load, and wait again for the nozzle to reach temperature. Push the filament in gently by hand until it begins to extrude, then confirm on the touchscreen that it loaded correctly, ideally after checking the nozzle itself rather than trusting the screen alone.
Filament handling on the Q2 follows the same short path every time, from external port to nozzle. For general storage advice that keeps spools dry between prints, see the filament storage guide. If you’re setting up the printer for the first time, the Q2 setup guide covers what to check before that first load, and the Q2 first print walkthrough covers what comes right after.