Bambu Lab 3D Printer

Bambu Lab P1S

This equipment is Noise Category 3: Can be used at all hours. No limits.

This equipment is safety category 3:

• Mandatory, in person, instructions.
  
• Make sure you read the Wiki before asking.

Introduction

We have a new Bambu P1S printer. This is a step change from our existing Ultimaker printers.

Training is mandatory for using this printer. Please ask on the members mailing list if you want to arrange training for this printer or contact one of the instructors directly.
For other info visit Bambulabs wiki.

General rules and notes

Instruction is required before you can use the printer.
For now, only use PLA supplied by the 'Space.

Printing

• Do not start a print when you are not physically at the space. (It is possible to start a print remotely, but that's currently not allowed)
  

• Is the print longer than 3 hours? Try to print it overnight and give the mailing list a heads-up a couple of hours in advance.

Can't print overnight? Send an email to inform everyone and print the next day (mention the start time and duration of the print).

• Weigh your project after printing and pay the cost.

Up to 35 grams you pay € 0.75. Above that, always a multiple of 35 grams.

Use the payment terminal; swipe your tag to "filament" and pay 1 or more times. There's also a 10x filament option available for larger prints.

If you pay via the CRM you can use 0.0215 euro per gram.

Other notes

• A print can be started and then left unattended. You can monitor the print remotely via the mobile app.
  
• Please don't select the timelapse option; it will fill up the sd card in the printer quite quickly.
  
• When you leave the printer running unattended: please stick a note on it with your name and date.
  
• Remove other people's finished prints carefully and place them on the table with their note.
  
• Do not use adhesives on the print plates: PLA doesn't require it and the adhesive will just make a mess.
  
• Dirty print plates can be cleaned with isopropanol.

Happy Printing!

Usage and software

Bambu labs have their own slicer, available for Windows and Mac.
Under Linux Bambu studio is available as either a flatpak, or an appimage.
Alternatively, there's Orcaslicer, an open source slicer that can connect to Bambu printers and printers of other manufacturers.
There's also a phone app called Bambu Handy App. This app is completely optional.

Connecting to the printer

The printer can be accessed through bluetooth, network or the sd card.

Bluetooth

1. Log in to bambulab on your slicer of choice (yes, an account is neccesary).
2. On the printer, make sure nobody is logged in (the account-page: third menu option; top setting).
3. Make a bluetooth connection; the device will show up as 'BBLPrinter'.
4. Bind the printer in your slicer (probably found under the 'device' tab).
   You can find the passcode (6 alphanumerics) on the printer by opening the account page (third menu option; top setting)
   The passcode is case sensitive; all characters are in uppercase.
5. Press 'OK' on the printer when it prompts you to bind.

Note: if you made a previous attempt to connect with the printer, you might need to "forget" the machine in your bluetooth settings.

Network
This only works when the printer is in 'LAN only mode', found under the network page: third menu option, second setting.

1. Connect to the makerspace wifi.
2. Copy the network key (8 characters) from the printer (found on the network page).
3. Open your slicer of choice and bind the printer on the device tab.

Note: connections via lan are very flaky. Putting your laptop to sleep can cause a disconnect with the printer and might require a laptop reboot in order to function again.

Changing filament

Filament can be changed in a few simple steps:

1. Make sure the printer has all of its filament retracted. This is visible in the 'device-tab' in Bambu Studio.
   If required, you can select the spool you want to remove and click 'unload'.
2. Open the AMS by rotating the two tabs near the edges.
   (use a step stool to get a better view the first time you try this)
3. Use one hand on the roll to prevent the filament from unwinding, and pull out the filament from the AMS with the other.
4. Secure the filament on the roll and place it om the shelf next to te printer.
5. Place your desired roll in the AMS. Try to keep the filament under tension to minimize the risk of a tangle.
6. Push the filament into the hole by pressing on the grey tab behind it; this releases the capstan.
   Note: it requires some force to push the tab.
7. Close the hood of the AMS and let it jiggle the new roll about.
8. Sync/resync the new filament information in Bambu studio.

Firmware Updates

DO NOT UPDATE the firmware. Hackaday tells you why.

If the printer asks you to update its firmware, just select 'no'.

Other notes

• Currently, the only filament that should be used in the printer is what's purchased by the makerspace.
  
• During the evaluation period we tried Bambu's own PLA, and 123 3D's PLA. Prelimary tests show that Bambu's PLA produces better prints and is worth the small difference in price.
  
• A 'poop chute' has been 3d printed to collect the ejected filament from purging the print head. Please check the chute from time to time and clean it out.
  
• In bluetooth the machine shows up as BBLPrinter.
• The installed nozzle is 0.4mm.
• There are notches on the back of the build plate; these need to line up with the plate you want to use.
• The printer will auto-level the build plate at the start of each print.
• The printer will auto-correct for vibrations and accelerations; during this phase, it will sound like a dubstep gig.

We have a variety of print plates:

• Original Bambu Textured PEI Plate (came with the printer)
• A matte plate
• A groovy holographic plate
• A holographic plate with a diamond pattern (Juupine)
• A hexagon plate (Juupine)

Tips & Tricks

This is a new machine, so every experience is worth sharing!

AMS issues
The AMS is a new feature in our 3D printing setup. While AMS is short for Automatic Material Systems, at times the automatic isn't doing what it should do.
When you get a warning in the app such as AMS failed to pull back filament. This could be due to a stuck spool or the end of the filament being stuck in the path do not dispair.

1. First try powering the machine off and back on again. This may solve the problem.
2. Check if the spool can move and filament isn't blocking on the spool. If all seems fine, try printing again. Should the Warning still appear, check the next step.
3. Check if you have selected the spool with the filament colour of your choice in the app. Do an Unload / Load instruction. This will force the AMS to go back and forth with the filament of your desired spool.

This solved the problem when I did my first print.

When using multiple colours, you can reduce the amount of waste by:

• Orientation, if the colour changes are lower in the print, the prime tower can also be lower.
• Flush options settings, so that the flush happens inside your print.