AMS Position & Workflow - Should I Get It?

I’ve had my P1P for a couple weeks now and have some credit where I am trying to decide between an AMS or just spare parts/filament. I upgraded from a Maker Select V2 that I have had for ~8 years and just use this for hobby, mostly for making boxes, cases, brackets etc. for my other hobbies. I almost never use anything aside from PLA. I normally just use a single color until it runs out and don’t like to waste filament because I’m not usually concerned with how a print looks as much as how functional it is. I’ve already cut the P1P purge in half because for my uses it seems like a waste.

My primary thought for the AMS would be for easier swapping colors between prints once in awhile, or possibly adding lettering in a different color to boxes. While I understand the AMS is exactly for switching colors, am I likely to be disappointed in it due to increased waste if I’m normally printing from the same roll most of the time? Since I’m not a print farm I’m usually designing and printing a part, maybe modifying and re-printing, or printing some other small part next, not beds filled with parts.

The second part to the question is about placement of the AMS. If I get one I would probably put it where the blue circled area is and move the printer to the right by the laser. I have about 30cm available but could re-arrange to get about 10cm more if I shift the laser over, which I would prefer not to do. I know that the AMS is 28.3cm deep when closed and 43 max when opened, but does it need to open all the way to replace rolls? I could possibly re-arrange to put it on the shelf above or below if necessary.

Thanks

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The AMS may be worth it for a very specific feature… It has autochange. If you load your AMS with four reels the same, you only need to touch the AMS when you have used the 4KG of filament. It will use every bit on all the reels, not bother you with a change reel, and pause the job. It’s a great feature. It also upgrades your printing with other colour/filament types if you ever need it. The AMS should fit on top of your printer - it could be a tight fit under the shelf, but you only need to open it once in a while - every four reels worth, if you use the same filament…

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