Last Updated 1 year by Lukas
Life is pretty long, and when you have watched every possible film on your latest streaming service. You might be wondering what to do next? Some of us may find refuge in social media, partying or it could be sport, exercise, helping others, taking care of your family or just looking for something that transcends us like ‘what is the meaning of life’?
And then there are those tech-savvy, weird people who might buy an FDM 3D printer and start their journey of learning as a total newbie in this field. In this article I’d like to share with you my beginner’s experience of buying one and starting from a place of very little knowledge about it.
It all began thanks to a woman
My dear girlfriend is very creative and loves to make things look better. For example, she can completely redecorate your room when you least expect it. And later that day, you wonder where your tools are hidden? So I made a wicked plan and thought to myself: “Well, if I can create 3D models and print them. I can give her lots of new things to do”.
In theory, the plan was perfect. In reality, it backfired a little. When I printed the first few 3D models, she took them to work with her. Surprisingly, later that day she returned with a sheet of paper listing all the orders for the same piggy bank I had given her. My evil plan was ruined and I was faced with the new challenge of learning 3D modelling in a short time and setting up our new 3D, FDM printer properly.
As the old saying goes: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. It has given me more motivation to get to work and keep up with my new professional salesman. And I can always try a second round: “My darling, these models need some painting, so…”
Choosing a 3D printer
By pure coincidence, the new Prusa MK4 and Prusa XL were due to be launched at the same time. As a person living in the Czech Republic, I thought to myself: “Well, based on all the reviews I’ve read, and to support local entrepreneurs, I’m going to put the Prusa MK4 on my decision list”. And so I did. It was faith or maybe just luck that during my research into FDM printers I came across a technology called ‘coreXY’.
After going through many reviews and YouTube videos. It was clear that there was a game changer in the market called ‘Bambu Lab X1 Carbon with AMS’. I spent some time learning about it, comparing this new holy grail with Prusa MK4 and PrusaXL. At the same time my girlfriend started thinking about making our house even nicer. This made it clear that I had to act now! And so I went into overdrive mode.
After comparing the two printers in terms of price, speed and availability, it was clear. The Prusa was more expensive, it took several hours to set up and, perhaps most importantly, it was sold out with a new batch hopefully starting in a few months. I have no doubt that it’s an amazing piece of technology, but I was running out of time. From the way she was looking at me, my long-haired devil was probably planning another big house redesign!
I decided to buy the Bambu Lab X1 Carbon. By the time I bought it, it had been out in the wild for about half a year and there was quite a community around it. I was also able to find a company in the Czech Republic that had been using these printers for several months under continuous load. And they held together without any serious problems. It was a done deal.
Buying experience
I started looking for where I could buy it. Fortunately, it was available directly in the Czech Republic through several local e-shops. Since we are now inside the EU, we can buy within the union without any restrictions. I curiously checked the official Bambu EU store within Germany. And well, I was surprised a lot a it cost about 7k less there compared to local resellers.
After this information it was a no-brainer to order from the official store. Along with our new 3D printer, I also ordered some filaments and accessories. I was surprised as it took only 2 days and was delivered to our home. As a rule of thumb I now check warehouses in Germany and Poland and prices there can be significantly lower compared to local shops. And you can buy some extras for that money.
Unpacking experience
The packaging of the printer is perfect and very sturdy. The printer itself also has a lot of screwed brackets inside to ensure that nothing breaks during transport. Getting the printer out of the box is a very pleasant experience and there are arrows and notes on what to do at each step of the unpacking journey. Someone has put a lot of thought into this. Nothing to complain about here.
What do you get in the box?
I can talk about a complete package with AMS (Automatic Material System) that automatically switches between 4 filaments. There is a fully enclosed printer with two removable glass panels to see what is happening inside the printer. Four 250g filaments to test printing, AMS and a few basic accessories such as an extra 0.4mm nozzle, an extra filament cutter knife, an extra nozzle cleaning piece used by the printer and finally a set of tools. These tools are used for maintenance or assembly purposes. We have there also the touch screen and of course, you also get a print pad and two extra sheets of stickers with a new surface.
How soon after unpacking can I start printing?
The printer comes almost completely assembled. All you need to do is assemble the AMS (connect two PTFE tubes and insert filament) and mount the touch screen on the printer itself (simply connect it, place it on the bracket and slide it to the side to lock the bracket). And of course you have to remove the filler and the three screws that hold the pad in place. And that’s it. All in all it can take 15-20 minutes and you are all set.
What is coreXY?
This is a technology where the printer has a very light print head and it moves in X and Y axis. The print pad on this printer only moves up and down along the Z axis. This allows for much faster head movements and therefore much faster 3D printing. According to other users, this printer is 3 times faster (compared to non coreXY) with the default settings (out of the box).
Of course, with faster printing comes additional problems to solve. You have to be able to melt the filament fast enough, and the acceleration the head achieves has to be able to compensate for vibrations. The printer allows you to change the default mode on the fly. And it will recalculate g-codes on the fly. You can print at 50% in quiet mode, 130% in fast mode or 166% in crazy mode. It’s good that you can slow the printer down or speed it up simply by touching the touchscreen.
Let’s face it, the default speed is pretty fine-tuned. I tried switching to crazy mode once and the PLA filament extrusion just couldn’t keep up with the head movements. Maybe one day I’ll figure out how to use 166% of normal speed. But even at normal speed the printer is 3-4 times faster than non-coreXY printers. If you’re using the printer at home it probably won’t make much difference, but if you’re using it for business it will allow you to print more for the same quality and therefore make more money.
Bambu Lab X1 Carbon experience
Switching on the printer for the first time
I switched it on, the whistling, quiet sound of the running fans filling the room. The self test and calibration began. The most interesting part of the calibration is when Bambu Lab tests different frequencies of vibration. And based on the response of the material the printer is sitting on, it stores values that are later used when making corrections against vibrations during printing. “It works!” I think to myself, watching the process with a sense of relief and curiosity.
Printing the first project
The calibration is finished and the main menu of the touch screen appears. Our new printer asks me to download and pair the mobile application (Android, iOS). I’m also asked to log in to my Bambu Lab account or create a new one. After a few minutes I’m done, put test filaments into AMS and it automatically reads the RFID chips and loads the correct filament description. I’m impressed, because so far everything has worked without any problems on the first try.
The printer comes with several pre-installed models. Following the instructions, I cover the cool plate with protective glue, select ‘Benchy’ and press the print button. AMS automatically loads the filament and the printer starts with automatic bed levelling. It taps the bed several times with the cool hot end to make sure the Z-axis is set correctly. It then tests the anti-vibration system and cleans the nozzle. It starts printing a few lines to automatically calibrate the flow rate using Lidar. Finally, the Benchy starts to grow in front of our eyes.
After the first layer is printed, there is an automatic check to make sure everything is in order. The print head hovers over the first layer in several directions to make sure everything fits perfectly. Bambu Lab also has a camera and uses AI to try to detect a bad first layer or a spaghetti-like print. When connected to your phone, you can watch the print progress via the camera, monitor the status and receive notifications when your attention is needed.
Printer software
This printer comes with an Android/iOS application that allows you to receive notifications, change some basic parameters and remotely view streaming from the built-in camera inside the printer chamber. There is Bambu Lab Studio, which is an integrated product where you can make basic modifications to the model, you can change many printing params and finally you can slice it, send it to the printer (remotely via wifi) and even watch stream from the chamber camera.
The studio code is available on GitHub and is updated regularly. To be honest, I really like the way it works, being able to switch between phases within a single piece of software. And of course you can save your projects as 3mf files and load them later for the next print. For example, you can create a custom colour, a custom support system, or just fine tune specific settings for a given model.
Documentation
When we talk about printers, we have a nice up-to-date wiki at our disposal. In many cases there are videos or at least animated GIFs of how to do it. The same goes for the documentation for the Bambu Lab Studio. And since this printer has been bought by many people, there is also an active participation of many people in updating pages, creating printable improvements for the printer or just sharing their tips and tricks.
Final words
After my first almost two months with this 3D printer. I’m very happy, all the software works as expected, it’s easy to use and understand. It prints quite fast and supports many different types of material. The AMS (Automatic Material System) is working fine so far. I have even been able to use eSun filaments without any problems. If you need to buy accessories or new filament, Bambu Lab has an EU shop and everything is delivered pretty fast.
If you have any problems, there is very good documentation. Alternatively, you can open a ticket with Bambu Lab via the phone application or just log in from your PC and do the same. Considering that the Bambu Lab X1 Carbon is the company’s current flagship, it’s priced a little higher. However, you will definitely get your money’s worth. Unless you plan to print on advanced materials such as carbon fibre reinforced ones or nylon. You can buy the standard P1P model.
As there are many people using this printer, there is a lot of support from other experienced people who are kind enough to share their ‘How Tos’. And of course several overviews of the printer after a longer period of time (years of continuous use). I’m pretty happy with my choices and experiences so far. And I’ll be more than happy to share my experiences once I’ve had a bit more time to get used to the printer and learn more about it.