Bambu Lab X1C Self-Guided Training

(Moving over content from a Google Doc to make this easier to maintain in a single place, this is not ready for primetime yet so hang tight)

Overview

This guide provides basic self-guided training to get MakeIt Lab members up and running on our Bambu Lab X1C printers. 

Prerequisites

You must ensure you meet one of these two prerequisites before staring training:

• Existing authorized user of MakeIt Labs FDM printers (self-guided training for Flashforge printers)

• Have spoken with the RM  in person and demonstrated existing experience using FDM printers outsde of MakeIt Labs

You will also need access to a computer where you can either install or run Bambu Studio. This software is installed on the 3D room computer as well as the CAD station in the Cleanspace by the printer, so if you do not have a computer use one of these machines during training.

Structure

The guide is broken into 5 main sections:

1. Overview

   • Printer - Capabilities overview

   • Filament - Supported and unsupported, Cost model

   • Software - Bambu Studio

   • Rules and Guidelines

2. Basic Operation

   • Check

   • Load

   • Slice

   • Print

   • Clean

3. Advanced Operation

   • Software - Multi-plating, Colors, etc

4. FAQs and Links

5. Okay, I read it all, how do I get authorized?

In many areas links to YouTube video or other web content will be linked instead of retyping it in this guide. This guide may also repeat some information in multiple locations to emphasize things most important to MakeIt Labs use.

Overview

Printer - Capabilities and Specifications

The X1C is a Core XY based printer capable of high speed printing (300mm/s), with a heated bed, 10x10x10in  (256x256x256mm) build area, hardened steel nozzle for supporting a wide variety of filaments, auto-levelling, vibration compensation, AI detection of errors, flexible PEI-coated Build Plates, and more.

Additionally, the X1Cs are equipped with the Bambu AMS system, which  makes loading filament easy, holds up to 4 spools of filament and can automatically detect the type (and color) of filament when using Bambu Lab RFID's filament spools. The AMS means all filament changes are automatic, so different colors or materials can be loaded in and the printer will unload and load the materials as directed by the software. This is discussed in more detail later. 

The printer has a touchscreen for basic operations, such as unloading filament, as well as being LAN connected to the Bambu Studio software and cloud connected for remote troubleshooting by the RM.

Filament

The X1C supports a wide variety of filaments, due to its high temperature hardened nozzle and extruder setup. This includes:

• PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, PC, PA, PET, PPS, PVA, TPU and many fiber-reinforced varieties (PLA-CF, PETG-CF, PAHT-CF, ABS-GF, etc)

Note: See the FAQ section for more information on when you may want to use a particular filament type, however in general most prints can do very well with just PLA or PETG.

All of the materials above, except for TPU and PPS-CF, are available in RFID'd spools from Bambu, and this is important because during the first few months of operation we will only be allowing Bambu Labs RFID'd filament in these printers. There are three specific reasons:

1. Provides as close to "plug and play" printing as possible.. less time tweaking, more time getting reliable prints

2. Almost every maintenance issue on the other FDM printers has been caused by bad settings (using PETG when sliced for PLA, etc)

3. The cost of the spools with RFID is on par with that of other quality, basic filament (Hatchbox, Overture, etc) while being consistent

The "Plug and Play" aspect is simple - when you load filament into the AMS, the RFID tells the system what material and color you are using, automating all behaviors. Put in Black PETG instead of Black PLA by mistake? The system will adjust so it prints in PETG just fine. This allows us to have a known, working set of optimized base profiles for every material and color.

When looking at filaments on the Bambu Lab Filament Page the RFID symbol indicates the spool i compatible with the AMS and can be used at MakeIt Labs:

Filament - Cost

To keep costs down we are implementing a "pay by use" option for these printers - MakeIt Labs will keep a stock of commonly used colors and materials ( to the best of our ability) and then you only pay for the cost of the material you use, at the lowest price we can get it for. That way when we buy in bulk, we can pass those savings on.

When creating a print, you an easily see the cost of the print in the material you have chosen 

You are also welcome to bring in your own Bambu Lab RFID'd spools and use those, please see Operations notes under "Preparing your project" when choosing this option as you must ensure you name your file correctly to avoid being charged.

Software - Bambu Studio (follow the online content)

To avoid retyping content, the official guide for getting started with Bambu Studio is: 

• https://wiki.bambulab.com/en/software/bambu-studio/studio-quick-start

It covers: 

• • Installation

  • Initial Setup

  • Creating a Project

  • Adding a Model

  • Slicing a model

  • Printing (which you’ll do in person later)

Be sure to read the entire online quickstart, as it covers important basics.

Software  - Installation Addendums 

If you are installing a copy of Bambu Studio at home for use with MakeIt Labs printers:

• During Printer Selection, choose the “Bambu Lab X1 Carbon” with 0.4mm Nozzle

• During Filament Selection, select “Bambu Lab” as the vendor, and “All” for all Bambu Lab filaments. 

  • Currently only Bambu Labs filaments are supported for general use.

  • See "Filaments" section later for details on allowed filaments, as well as options if you need an exception for a specific reason.

This will help ensure any projects you create are set up for the correct printer and available materials.

Rules and Guidelines

As these printers are brand-new and offer some unique and highly-requested capabilities, our goal is to ensure they are as available and functional as possible for all users. To that end, the following rules and guidelines apply:

• You may not print on both printers at the same time.

• You must follow operating procedures for print jobs, including all setup, cleanup and job naming procedures.

• If you have run multiple long print jobs during a single week, you may be told to wait before the next long print job if others need time on the machine.

• You may not run a print farm on these machines, eg selling 3d print services.

• You may print items you are selling (eg Etsy items, etc), but if for-profit jobs end up consuming availability of printers too much we will have to adjust our rules.

• Prints which you intentionally stop, or request to have stopped,  will still be billed unless it is a printer failure vs a correctable user error.

  • EG "Whoops, I forgot and printed the old version" = Billed. "It turned into spaghetti at layer 15 even though I had all the proper support settings" = Not Billed

  • As this system is new to all of us, we are open to discussions about what constitutes user vs machine failure, and whether there is middle ground

Basic Operation

Check the printer

When getting ready to print, the printer should have been left in a cleaned up state by the last user. This means:

• All filament has been unloaded and put away in dryboxes

• The build plate has been cleared of purge lines, cleaned if required, and replaced properly

  • Small tab to the back, big tab to the front, either side of build plate up

If this is not the case, please reset the printer to the cleaned up state before use, and notify the 3D printing RM so the previous user can be reminded of their responsibilities if they want to keep using the printers. Repeated failure to follow cleanup guidelines will result in suspension of a user's permission to use any MakeIt Labs 3d printers. It's quick, it's easy, so just do your part folks.

Load Bambu Lab RFID'd filament

One of the most common issues with 3d printing is settings for each material. Not only do bad settings cause print defects, they can cause jams and machine issues. To make it easier for users and volunteers, currently ONLY Bambu Labs RFID'd spools can be used in the printer. Over time we will relax this rule, and if you have a special circumstance that requires a different material please contact the RM for assistance.

By looking at the Bambu Lab filament web page you can easily see what filaments are RFID'd and can be loaded:

To load the Filament:

1. Turn the latches on the top front corners of the AMS to ensure the AMS is unlatched, then lift the lid.

2. Remove the filament(s) you want to use from the Dryboxes, and reseal the dryboxes

3. Clip approximately 1" off the end of the filament you are loading to ensure a clean end cut with no blobs

4. Place the Filament Roll in an AMS slot, such that the loose end is laying over the top of the roll.

   • Please place any ABRASIVE filaments (fiber reinforced) in Slot 3 or 4 to minimize wear and tear in other slots

5. Firmly push the orange/yellowish AMS feeder release lever for the slot *toward the filament spool*, and while holding it there insert 2-3 inches o filament into the feeder tube until the AMS begins to grab it. Then release the feeder lever.

6. Check the touchscreen to make sure the filament type and color is properly recognized

   • You can touch the loaded filament icon (with the Eye) to see the detail screen

7. Repeat for other filaments as needed.

Reference images are shown below

Slicing

Important notes on slicing

When you are using Bambu Studio:

• Ensure the correct Printer (X1 Carbon) and build Plate (Textured PEI) are set

• Ensure the correct Filament is defined (refresh from AMS if necessary)

• If you are using the MakeIt Labs 3D PC:

  • Do not log the MakeIt Labs user out of the software. 

  • Do not change default profile settings - if necessary save new profiles and add your initials to the name of the profile

    • Note that if too many profiles get created and the menu is crowded, we will define an alternate way of keeping alternate profiles

• If you are slicing at home, we recommend saving your entire 3MF project file and bringing it in to maintain settings

Generating supports (online content)

Generating supports in Bambu Studio has numerous options. See the following guide for details:

https://wiki.bambulab.com/en/software/bambu-studio/support

Procedure

As you have seen in the Bambu Studio Quick Start:

• Start a New Project or open an existing one (3MF file)

  • The 3D printer PC is connected to the MakeIt Labs network drive, so projects can be stored in your personal accounts

• Refresh the AMS information in the slicer so it recognizes what colors and materials you have loaded.

  • See the reference images below for the location of this option

• Add a supported file (STL, OBJ, STEP, etc) to a Build Plate

  • Bambu Studio supports defining multiple separate plates in a file, for ease of keeping complex projects together and printing them

  • See Advanced Use for details

• Check the Printer and Build Plate Type settings

• Define what material to use for what object(s)

  • If your objects have colors, the system will automatically try and map them

  • Otherwise you can right click the object and select "Change Filament"

• Check your settings for Layer Height and Support

• Slice the Plate you intend to print

  • Check information on Time, Materials cost, etc.

• Save the Project file with an appropriate name

  • Eg john.doe@makeitlabs.com would use: john-doe-<project name> if you are using makeitlabs-supplied materials or john-doe-<project name>-p if you are using personal materials.

• If everything looks good, select "Print Plate" at the upper right

• When the Print dialog comes up, make sure to deselect "Flow Calibration" if it is checked, then select the correct printer (MakeIt Left or MakeIt Right at the moment) and then click "Send"

  • This will also give you the opportunity to remap colors to different slots if you wish. So if a part is Black but you want to print it with the White PLA, simply make that selection

  • Do not deselect "Bed Levelling". Yes you'll save 4 minutes in printer warmup time, but rechecking ensures more reliable results.

The job will then be sent over the LAN and Cloud services to the printer - no SD cards or drives are used.

Printing

Once you have sent the job to the Printer,  there is a 4-5 minute warmup and bed levelling period.  This will result in some vibration noise and movement, but if anything seems off go to the "Device" tab in Bambu Studio, select the printer and hit "Pause" or "Stop".

Once the printer warmup period completes, the first layer will begin printing. Watch this for any potential adhesion issues.

Once the first layer completes, the machine will perform an A-assisted layer check. If this reports an error, which i may even with small deformities such as a loose strand on a corner, visually inspect the first layer yourself and if it seem very minor (one tiny gap in a spot, one extra thread hanging loose, etc) ignore it and cntinue. Otherwise cancel the print and let the build plate cool before removing the material and cleaning the build plate.

When a print completes, allow the Build plate to get below 40C. You can check the temperature either on the Touchscreen or in Bambu Studio. When it is cooled to this point, gently lift up and pull out the magnetic build plate. Let it sit for another minute to cool further (near 30C) then gently flex the build plate in two different directions and the print should be easy to pull off. If not, try flexing it slightly more, then use a plastic scraper from the 3D tool cart if needed.

Clean and reset

With the print removed from the build plate, several cleaning tasks must be done before leaving the print room.

Clean the build plate

• After removing the print, ensure all Purge and Calibration lines are also removed

• If glue stick was used on the plate, and you are not printing anything else, use warm water and a paper towel to clean off the remaining glue.

• If any fingerprints remain on the plate, wipe them off with a micrfiber. If they are still present, use one drop of Dawn dish soap on a wet paper towel to clean them off.

• Rinse off and dry the build plate, if any water was needed for cleaning.

• Replace the build plate in the proper position (large tab towards the front, small center tab in the back, either side up, properly aligned on bed

Unload the AMS

• Unlatch and open the AMS

• On the Touchscreen, click the "Sliders" icon just belo the "Home" icon

• Click the "AMS" tab

• Select one of the Filaments loaded, and then click "Unload"

• Wait for Motor sounds to finish, then push the Filament feed tab towards the spool and pull any remaining filament out

• Repeat for any other loaded filaments

• Place filament back in the Drybox(es) and ensure the lid is sealed

Whenever Filament operations happen at the nozzle, the clean/purge routine wipes the nozzle and deposits it out the back of the machine, where it is caught in the 3d printed "poop chute" that is placed to catch it. If you used only regular, Silk or Matte PLA please empty the poop chute into the "Filament Recycle" bin. If you used any other materials please empty it into the trash.

Advanced Operations

Multicolor prints

With 4 colors of the same material loaded into the AMS, Bambu Studio can map different objects, or different parts of one object, to different colors. This can happen in one of two ways:

• Traditional "Change the filament at Layer X" settings

• Painted objects which map colors to specific AMS filaments

The second use case is more universal, and many prebuilt project files on MakerWorld and other sites will come with "precolored" objects that have already been painted.

As this is a detailed procedure with a lot of variables, a separate guide is provided for this use case: (Insert Multicolor printing link when done)

Specialized Support Materials

Bambu sells special support material for use with variou filaments. While the support structures generated by the software typically remove extremely well, some more delicate structures or complex geometries may benefit from dedicated support materials which are soluble or less firmly attached to the model.

In this case all that is necessary is to load an RFID'd support filament spool, and then in the Slicing settings, under "Support",  indicate which filament should be used for supports:

Multiplate Projects

Sometimes winstead of just one file t print, you may have a project with many files. Bambu Studio supports having multiple build Plates defined in a single project file, allowing you to keep the entire project, and any custom settings, easily organized. You can then select which Build plate you want to slice and print at any time. This can also be useful when printing multiples of an object, to have one test plate for a single copy of the object and check settings first.

FAQs

When to use specific filament types?

Bambu has a page which provides more information on their filaments, but in case that page goes away the brief visual overview is copied here:

How do I check much a print will cost if using MakeIt Labs materials?

Make sure you have selected the right filament type, and under both the "Color Scheme: Line Type" and "Color scheme: Filament" options there will be a "Cost" entry. Pro members will be charged 10% less than the price shown.

How soon after printing will I be charged, and what if there's a discrepancy?

Print records are stored automatically, and currently processed once a week  as we work on the code for automation.  As the system is brand new, we expect there to be some bug fixes and learning curves all around. If you encounter issues or have questions/suggestions about billing please contact the RM so we can make improvements where needed.

How to request we stock a particular filament type?

Post a request on #resource-3dprinting. The more people that want it, the sooner we'll order some. We'll typically have basic PLA and PETG, some ASA and at least one fiber-reinforced filament, but eventually will stock as many as possible.

What if I need to print something that doesn't come on a Bambu RFID spool, or is not AMS-compatible (eg TPU)?

Send a message to the RM. Some filaments, such as Bambu Lab or SainSmart 95A TPU, are known to work with the printer, but do not work with the AMS.  Use of non-AMs filaments will be considered on a case-by-case basis - it has the potential to cause issues for others, so may not be done without explicit approval and guidance on load/unload/settings.

If a print fails, will I still be charged?

Anything that fails with first layer issues will not be charged, as barely any material was used.

Okay, I read it all, how do I get authorized?

Follow these steps:

1. Ensure you have previously been authorized to use MakeIt Labs FDM printers, or reach out on Slack to discuss prior equivalent experience

2. Create a new project in Bambu Studio with

   1. Any small STL file of your choosing

   2. Rotate the model so it requires supports, and enable automatic or manual supports that should work at that angle 

      • Be sure to read the Online content for Support Generation linked earlier

   3. Slice the build plate for the correct Printer and Build Plate, using a 0.16mm layer height and PLA as the material

   4. Send an email to 3dprinting@makeitlabs.com with

      • The properly-named Project file attached 

      • What the calculated Cost of the printed model would be

      • The statement "I agree to follow the rules and regulations for using the X1C 3d printers"

   5. Once you receive an email "go ahead" response, print your small test file and send a picture of the result on the build plate

   6. Follow all cleanup procedures

   7. You will then  receive approval to begin using the printers.