I own an AMS-HT, but not all rolls / spools fit. You can, however, also dry your filament inside your printer, using the heated printer bed. It may be slower and less efficient, it looks less sexy and it blocks you from actually using your printer for printing, but hey! It works.
"I love it when a plan comes together."
Yeah, so do I. But sometimes... It doesn't.
So, here's the challenge I set myself: design and build my own filament dryer.
Now what does that have to do with a 123-3D Spool Holder?!?
It's time to settle on a specific module size, and decide how a default 'baseplate' should look like.
So, I decided to create my own STEM system. Step number one was the decision to adapt and adopt Lego bricks. Step number two was figuring out the concept and sizing.
I got some input from an Internet contact who is a teacher, and I used quite a bit of his experience and insight. (He didn't want to be mentioned, but you still deserve the credit, mister X! We'll call you 'Fred' from now on.)
These objects can help you calibrate your printer. This should make it easier to print Lego compatible blocks, such as the Frankenblocks. You can find the files on Makerworld.
For most people it will be enough to print plate 1, play a little with X- and Y-compensation for 'snappiness', and be done with it.
Still want to know more? Read on...
I'm writing this new OBS install post, as newer releases use different options, and things were getting a little confusing. Unfortunately, not everything works as it did in the past. That might be me, or other stuff may have changed...
Not all cold plates are created equal. And many are simply not cold plates at all.
Here's a comparison between several (cheap) cold plates. Note: if you want me to test another plate, drop me a line, and send me that plate 😊
3D Printing + X1C + Chamber Temperature
All Bambu's are created equal.
Yes. And that's a problem. Not a real problem, but it poses some interesting questions, especially when it comes to heat-soaking the build chamber. (More about that here.)
Sometimes you may need all the building plate space you can get. Or you have build your own G10 / FR4 plate, and found out you just misaligned the top surface, making it impossible to print the rear purge lines... (Oops 😳)
Here's how to fix that...
I made these tools to fabricate some of my own plates. These 'tools' are made using wood, some PETG bits and pieces, and a router. These made it a little easier to assemble a plate (but there's still a lot of room for improvements).
There's surprisingly little understandable explanation of the impact of texture on adhesion and release on print beds... But we can reason it through. (And steal from the real scientists 😇)
Obviously, texture also applies to PEI, Polyurea, and in fact, every other plate!
For a change this is all about the surface (of building plates, yes, but ain't it great to be superficial for once?)
I've split the previous page in two, as it was starting to confuse myself, and moved all the material stuff in here.
This is a boring page. Skip it if you don't care about the materials used in your glass fiber / carbon based Building Plate.
Still with me? Okay. Here we go... Remember: everything in this post is about using glass (carbon) fiber based materials as build plates.
In the beginning 😇 Bambu Lab was shipping the X1C with random plates. These days they all seem to come with the gold colored textured PEI plate (at least here in NL). A sensible thing, as it's one of the easiest to use 😏
Textured PEI doesn't just make sense for Bambu Lab owners... they make sense for every 3D printer with a heated bed.
To be honest, I don't own a single one of those PEO / PEY 'holographic' plates, except the 'PET Carbon' one. Which a. isn't made of carbon, and b. has some very minor texture to it (though I can't feel it). And c. This page is pretty useless 🤣
Bigtreetech sells a number of products aimed at the Bambu Lab printers, all using the Panda moniker. Marketing-wise it's a great idea. Product-wise the SSS plate is a bit of a disaster.
It looks like PEI (but only at first glance). It isn't though. It might be epoxy, some other unholy coating, or it might be a kind of truck bedliner / oily paint.
Nobody knows, including Bigtreetech.
The Bambu Lab X1C has an interesting option. It looks for a marker on the building plate, and warns you if the plate inserted does not match the one you've used during slicing. Pretty convenient, isn't it?
The P1S and P1P don't use this code, and many cheaper build plates don't have a code. So what to do?
Just some ideas to ponder over...
What if I would replace the right panel of my X1C with a custom build, so I could add carbon and Hepa filters to the box? In other words, enlarge the chamber a little, so I won't have a Carbonmax inside the building space?
Engineering High Temperature Smooth Textured PEI PEX PEZ PEY Cryogrip SSS Polyurea FR4 GS10 TK99 Honeycomb Cube Wham Bam Lightyear...
My god! It's enough to drive one crazy! So, I've ordered a few different ones, and have been scouring the Internet for more information. And to be perfectly honest: it's a confusing mess.
