Bambu Lab A1 mini - Is the Filament Switcher Worth it?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 พ.ย. 2024
- I'm pretty impressed with the A1 mini, but is the additional AMS Lite filament switcher worth it? That's exactly what I try to answer in this video.
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There is also the option to "Purge to Object" in Bambu Studio, so maybe have a coaster or simple object on the side of the print to make use of some of the waste.
I want the AMS purely because I’m lazy to switch the filaments before prints lol.
If you print several smaller but identical objects on the print plate at once the waste per object is decreased drastically. Also loading the AMS with several spools of the same filament you can use up almost empty rolls and automatically change to the next full one fully automatic.
That only works when you need multiple items. Otherwise you are just finding a different way to waste time and material.
@@MrWaalkmanwell…. Yes you are right 👍😊
@@oljobo I have the original Mosaic, which along with its horrible software, would create a gigantic waste block as well. I used once on a part that I wanted to color specific layers, and used it from then on to "randomize" filament colors (which doesn't require a purge), which worked surprisingly well.
I'm now looking at toolchangers as a better way to fight the waste. Have you seen one that you like?
@@MrWaalkman no sorry. Toolchangers are above my league 😊. Nowadays waiting for A1 Mini after many years with a Velleman K8200 😊
@@oljobo Have fun! Looks like a nice machine. :)
The AMS systems can be wasteful but if you are smart about it you can get away with a few filament changes to reduce filament loss.
Use it as filament redundancy if a roll runs out.
You have 4KG worth of filament at the ready and do not need to manually load filament for a long while.
It also helps for distance printing if the build plate is clear you can start a print remotely without having to touch the machine at all because the AMS will load the filament for you.
and the best of all convenience, reliability, removes a pain point for new and experienced users.
IF a model can be printed in pieces to be assembled later you can save, time, filament
Also consider there arent too many options for multicolor prints that work of the box what other option is there?
*Palette 3* needs calibration, printer specific, and need to use a web interface to slice
*Prusa XL* is very pricey and the quality is subpar
*Idex printers* are more expensive and can only handle 2 colors
*Ercf* is a whole project and not turn key at all, so out of reach for inexperienced users. Building, calibrating, tuning could mean days/weeks of downtime to get it right.
Being able to use PVA as a support material makes it worth it for me. I HATE removing supports and the russian roulette game I have to play when it comes to damage. Prints come out super clean every time with PVA, and I would gladly wait the time for the PVA to dissove (overnight) or weaken(30 minutes) than spend time with pliers and possibly sandpaper removing stubborn supports.
I’ve got a mini (without ams) on order. Personally I sim to paint the prints I make so no need for the extra cost and time. For Others who don’t plan on printing the ams is probably a better option
I hope they have deep pockets for all the wasted filaments.
so what is your experience without the AMS ? Do you still paint your items? Do you regret not getting the AMS ? Do you still use the printer?
@@Magerquark no regrets at all - AMS is expensive and wasteful. I still paint. But also just do multi colour prints by simply printing different pieces in different filament. Id link you to my site - but my replys keep getting deleted
@@nickholl thanks, I will just decide whenever I buy the printer , most people tell me to get the AMS lite even when printing mostly one color for an easy change. Also I never painted a figure before
@@Magerquark yeah - the only reason I would buy one (if I had the spare cash and space) would be to not have to swap fillament so often and be able to bring 4 differently coloured pieces on one build plate (although I wouldn't print multicoloured single prints)
Where do you get your models from? I especially like the Gray Wolf. Cheers.
Great video. Really help me decide on the ams light. Though I think if you had printed in a gray matte filament more features on the single color print would have visible. The white really looses all contrast on camera. I think that would have really been a home run in the value pyramid.
I honestly use my AMS just for the auto filiment switching. Or keeping my most used filaments on standby.
good video and example with the triangles at end was cool
Great video, very interesting, cool models , where do you get them from ?
Thank you for making a concise video!
Actually füll colour objects produce a lot of waste - and thats something most people might do a few times, but not very often.
However, there are objects needing just a handfull of changes:
- Embedding text or logos on the bottom or the top of a print. Look at the multicolour display case of the Prusa mk3s+ printers. 3 colours only in the first 3 layers used, rest is one colour only. 6 coulorchanges altogether, but a hugh win in appearance. I did it without a multimaterial system, but with manual filament changes. Doing this manual or with the AMS do not matter in waste, but automatic change is less time consuming of course.
So esp if you do a lot of electronic projects and design objects needing just a few filament changes in the 3 first layers (or maybe 5 or 6 first layers if using translucent filaments and backlightning) the AMS is the best way to go. The absulute amount of waste is quite acceptable there.
- On technical prints, the PLA/PETG Support interface layer trick is quite helpfull if you have big overhangs to get optimal results. Esp. with long horizontal overhangs you only need a few layers with layerchanges. So the amount of waste due to layerchanges is also acceptable.
Actually, both scenarios apply to me, this is the reason I ordered the A1 with AMS light.
However, full colour prints as you show in your video are much to wastefull and time consuming. Only if you print the same object (or at least multiple objects with the same colours) multiple times on the same printjob, this changes. 10 simular objects produce the same amount of extra time and waste as one object. So per object waste and extra time is just 10%.
Due to this, the A1 definitly is the wrong approach. If you have a nice multicolour object, you most likely know more than 10 people who want it. You definitly want a bigger printer than the A1 or the X1C/P1P/P1S. 350by350 mm² bed size or even bigger. Encloased with "Air conditioning" (not only heated for ABS or PC, PA etc. but also cooled by fans to keep 25°C for PLA without opening door and top).
The A1 with AMS light is a nice printer, if you use it for just a few filament changes or if you need a prototype printer for your own multicolour creations (prototyping is always a wastefull process). It's definitly to wastefull for just printing ready to use single decorative full multicolour prints. For printing a lot of same multicolour prints in one go, the A1 definitly is to small.
Are you finding the A1 too small or the mini? Cuz if the a1 is small then the mini is tiny
@@abdularif1086Both are too smal. Multicoulor printers with cut&poo should start at 350by350, better 500by500. Bigger build plate full of prints means less waste per print. Waste is the same if you print 1 multicoulor object or 25 or 42 on one plate. But you mostly can not place as much on an A1 mini nor A1.
Still, they are nice printers if you realy only need one or two simular prints. But 80 seconds for a filament change is a lot longer as f.e. Prusas MMU2/3 needs.
Thks & a Question:
??Is there a 3D printer precise enough to print legos??
Do you happen to have the time/cost comparisons of the benchy? I'm betting that one would be much more efficient due to it only having 1 color per few layers. At least relative tk the other 4-color prints
Thanks for the video did you regret the mini and not the bigger version?
The waste could all but be eliminated by including 4 nozzles in the head. There is already a 4 channel extruder there. Yes it would be a little more expensive up front, but the payback would be fairly quick. Is the Bambu software open or proprietary? If it is open, that would be a great third-party add-on for someone to get rich on quickly. I mostly will use mine to print "gadgets" around the house when spare parts for things cannot be purchased. I am not really interested in printing $15 toy figures or $100+ dollar helmets, etc. I guess if that's your thing, then so be it. But to me, there is a practical side. Some things are better purchased outright or made in other ways. I am a woodworker as well so I can make some things much more cheaply with wood than by 3D printing.
Not really a fair comparison. A more fair comparison would be to compare the multi-color models to painted single-color models. Then im sure the difference in price is alot closer, if not better.
Did you try to adjust the flushment multiplier? Would love to hear more about this.
stl buzz? can you fix it for me?
I dont play miniature. I plan to get a 3D printer mainly for gunpla & other scale model custom parts, and also some larger scale figure. Resin has higher detail, but its too fragile for gunpla parts.
So I'm wondering if Bambu lab printer good enough for me?
As I'm using my printer wastly for functional parts, I skipped the AMS module. Every now and then I miss it but for now and for my use case, it feels unjustified. yet.
I suppose it would be a good comparison to pitch the coloured print against one that you would then paint by hand yourself. Including costs of paint and materials and then your many hours of time to paint it. If a colour prototype is needed to better show the final product then I think the printed colour model would then come out more favourable. We use machines to save time, so colour prints are now saving the colouring time, not just the making time. This is next level manufacturing in my opinion and not aimed at fulfilling just the single colour part manufacturing needs. That filament waste is surely worth less than your time painting. 👍🏼
where can i find the 3mf files for these prints that you did ?
i heard theres a setting to tone down filaments spill-
People who complain about the waste.. dial in settings, and enjoy the multi material printing, or paint a single color print. Pick your poison, there is nothing perfect in this life.
Can you add the filament switcher if start off buying on without
Yes you can. But buying it with the printer is considerably cheaper than an add-on. With the current Black Friday specials, the A1 is $299 alone, or $449 as the combo. That is a $150 difference. If purchased alone, the AMS Lite System is $199. So it is $49 cheaper to buy as the combo right now.
If you're using the A1 Mini as a mass-production printer for a multi-color product, certainly not. I'm not sure that's the target market here. I saw, and subsequently purchased, the A1 Mini as a prototyping machine. As a fun, "let's see what it can do", machine for small runs it works and works well. Once a model and print are perfected and you want 10's or 100's of them you would migrate over to a much more efficient machine. I'm still 2 thumbs up on this machine despite its shortcomings in filament management.
Great video, thank you for posting. That is an amazing printer. Future printers will likely reduce wasted filament by; 1) using multiple print heads, which would have fewer color swaps per head. And the heads could each have closer colors to swap. 2) instead of wasting all of the swap filament, add parts in the print job, that; a - don’t care about the color, b - care about the color, but could compliment the other prints by using some of the waste filament. That would be fun software to research and develop. And we could put our AI programming buddies to work figuring out some of the choices.
is it possible to still do multi color prints without the ams if i switch the roll manually?
Dude. I mean, technically? if you have the endurance for it. Have you seen how much time is added when you slice for multiple colours?
@@nickstubbings o absolutely im thinking more of just simple name tags or keychains that dont require different layers of different colors.
l just got my A1 mini combo -- so far works perfect - love the fact of the easy out of box compared to my Ender 3 -- l a target shooter and an RC freak -- believe me this is way cheaper hobbie 😊🤗
i run the a1 without AMS :) - direct from filament dryer.......instead of waiting 2 days i for the final print i can just buy few acrylic colors....and paint it by myself :) even much funnier
I wish you could compare it to the 3D Chameleon color changer system, the clam the cut the waste to about 90% or so
Even though the color prints are great looking I think the print to waste ratio is to high! I would much rather paint the models and save money. For example: I print a model that weighs 100 grams but to paint it requires 3 colors the paint maybe adds 1 gram to the model. However if I decide to print the same model with multi colors I will end up with a good looking 100 gram model plus 150 to 200 grams of waste just from the filament color changes. I think I will stick to painting, other than a little time it comes out cheaper. Plus I find painting relaxing.
need 5 colours which can be mixed to make any colour.
Great info
People make a big deal out of the poop quantity but the issue for me is more the increased print time.
6.5 hrs to 30 hrs for the charizard is and 66g vs 527 g is insane difference when you could just print it and paint it or pay someone to paint it i dont think the labor will be 23.5 hrs
Nİce information,Thank you
If you change the auto flush multiplier the trash will be less. As far as YT videos go around 0.25 should give you great result with a a lot less poop
time is a cost and if it takes time to paint then its probally equall
It is a lot of poop but I thk we make up some of the waste with being able to Us the rest of a roll that doesn't have enough for a print using the AMS u can us up the hole roll by telling the printer the rolls r the same on the AMS and it will switch roll when one runs out
My personal opinion is if you are thinking about cost then 3D printing is probably not the hobby for you. And when you compare to some other hobbies it's a relatively inexpensive hobby once you have the printer.
If you care about your wallet and environment then you definately think about the total cost even if this is just the hobby.
@kuldar. 😂 considering pla is made from eco friendly items go ahead and keep thinking it's bad for the environment
@@PhatBoy-qy1pl half life of 150 years.. Environmentally friendly... Uh huh.
On the other hand you can make money from 3D printing as well
@@kuldar.I don’t think the Wheat Harvesters in your channel videos fuel consumption is too great for the environment if you want to go there. It’s not a hobby but still…. If your hobbies involve things that are manufactured then I wouldn’t bring up environmental affecting hobbies
Have an A1 ams lite. And NO multicolour is definitely Not worth it. Takes forever uses a ridiculous amount of filament and As we all (or realy should by now..)
Know.... Is that printed filament colors are weak and Dull... Vibrant they are NOT.
MUCH easier and FAR better results when one paints their models.
Mann kann hören, dass du deutsch bist.
Not the way to go!!! Prusa made it much better with the multi tool head sysstem. i have an idex....no purging no waste...ok...only two colors or materials..but no Waste and at least as fast when color changing. Flushing isnt necessary
It doesn't work well at all, there are a million posts about issues. Very disappointing.
@@SalahAlDin1187 idex or prusa multihead?or bambu
@@MsJellyfan Prusa XL with 5 heads.
@@SalahAlDin1187 thx
The needed answer is not so simple. An example. My makercoin has difrend letters in it. My actual solution is. Tow color changes. But the better option is to use a Color Chance System.
But every time I see the wast of pla I cannot use ist. I am a 3d printer for many years and I really don’t like wasting filament. My trash is the minimum that’s possible.
Make objects with so many wast is for my absolut no option. I use a other but must expensive way for multi Color print: xyz da Vinci Color.
But this system is so delicate and needs so muche attention it makes no fun. Otherwise if the system has a good day and everything works: the results are asome.
While it is an incredible waste of time and money, the amount of waste it generates is totally unacceptable.
This machine should be prohibited because it pollutes much more than the others.