This is not new at all… Many of my friends use 95A TPU in their AMS’s all the time. I have been since the day I got it. I’ve got countless spools through it, without ever having a problem…
EXCEPT: I have to fake tpu with a “tpu-as-pla” profile, where I tell the AMS it has PLA in it, load TPU, make a fake profile with TPU’s numbers, etc.
This works fine until on another print the AMS believes it has PLA in it - as I HAD to lie to use it - wreaking various forms on havoc on the machine.
Is there a way for BAMBU to actually support this trouble-fee filament?
I really would like to hear what problem is solved by not allowing TPU on the machines. It prints beautifully. But I can’t tell a friend to buy one when they have to hack settings to make it work.
I would love to see that too, unfortunately for now TPU on AMS is not reliable and that’s why Bambulab do not allow it and I think they will not go back for some good reasons.
So Bambulab IMHO cannot allow TPU in AMS because if they do so, they will instantly get hundreds or maybe thousands of complains asking for AMS replacement or such.
Let me be clear, I would love to print TPU easily from the AMS (without fooling it using another kind of filament) and will continu to try to find a reliable solution with the less required modifications. But commercialy it would not be a good decision to allow it with the actual AMS.
Anyway you can still set another kind of filament to fool the AMS and print TPU from it using good settings, but depending on your unit (specially tensioning spring of the AMS output motor), your model, retraction settings etc… it may often stuck the AMS.
Would I buy the X1C again, yes. Am I satisfied with, yes. Would I buy a second one, no.
Personally, I see it as good for home use as well as a good machine for prototypes on PLA (which I’m not interested in), PETG, ASA and ABS with limitations on TPU but also advantages on TPU as long it does not go into the topic AMS and that’s exactly where the really big thing comes up for me, where I started to look very closely.
I think the only thing I would be interested in (from Bambulab) would be a real AMS (but which will by for sure in a price range that I’m starting to think about if i ever will get one). An XL would be in a price range anyway were I need to say “who buys cheaply buys twice”. And certainly, because maintenance is made more difficult by the compact design, as is usual in a racing car.
If they don’t respond, just wait – There company, there decision. Luckily, I’m not in a hurry. And anyone who doesn’t continue will quickly be overtaken. It may even be possible that they will have more success on their path, but the one who picks me up will come.
My solution from my customer’s point of view is very simple: Dealing with the situation as best as possible. Wait and see what solutions are presented - based on the Bambulab development, I now expect a local network-capable 3D printer with a material changing system.
Thanks for at least being the first person I’ve ever heard to respond with an observed issue with TPU in the AMS.
My feelings are generally the same as yours - I wouldn’t use soft TPU, and the hard stuff works but it doesn’t mean I’m going to do a 700 change print with it so much as a couple changes in a print - or printing several items one at a time on the same plate.
My frustration is that to me, it seems to work. I’ve had problems with the AMS, on other materials, and I can imagine one might have them with TPU even though I’ve never seen it.
Perhaps my cutting blade is somehow better than everyone else’s. I will say I’ve consistently had issues with Silk filaments, but those are supported although they are, in my experience, quite a bit more temperamental than TPU. Your comments mentioning brands makes me think Bambu could offer their own TPU and you would need to use it in the AMS. That would be a path forward and I’d be able to finally say the Bambu does everything the Prusa did.
Could you quantify/elaborate on the errors you saw with the AMS/TPU? My success rate with 95A has been very high and consistent, so I’d like to see what issues people are having.
TPU funktionierte bei meinem AMS nicht. Es ist zu weich und wird von dem Mechanismus so stark gequetscht, dass es sich verformt und nicht mehr transportiert werden kann. Ich habe das TPU nicht mehr herausbekommen. Ich hatte Angst den Mechanismus zu zerstören, als ich es mit Gewalt zurückgezogen habe.
Ähnlich ist es mit Wood-Filament Sunlu Low Temp; mit Glück bekomme ich das wieder heraus aus dem AMS. Ich habe mich hier gewundert, weil eigentlich ist es nicht flexibel genug, aber die AMS-Federn sind stärker.
That’s interesting - at least the issue you are seeing is the same as other people. I’ve yet to have the issue but I could imagine it happening. I will certainly keep an eye out.
I wonder if the feeding is faster now than it once was, causing problems through firmware meant to improve print times for more solid filaments. If so, having the device recognize TPU (instead of faking it with a PLA setting) might well make it feed more reliably by intentionally feeding it more slowly. It’s not like color changes are fast on the AMS, adding 20 seconds just for flexibles wouldn’t put me off as much as not having them at all.
Frankly I don’t remember. It has been a while, though I know it was at least since they started disallowing it because I had my fake PLA profiles.
I’ve got one that says “3D filament” on it, but that’s not super helpful. I’m just moving my lab around a bit, but after I solve another weird issue with what looks like ~0.2mm Y axis misallignments and I’m happy everything is behaving, I’ll run some stuff and post results.
I can say I’ve been using generic or very cheap 95-98A stuff that is fairly hard. I have some lightly softer clear stuff, hopefully I’ll be able to try more and get back to you.
Ok. I’d have loved to find some name brand filament around, or at least used something dry, but I did neither.
The red stuff, SainSmart (got to replace my Yoyi from back in the day which was great) is several years old, kept under partially depleted dessicant.
That clear I just opened, some amazon cheap stuff, “giant arm”.
At first, I tried calling them PVA, especially with the warning about drying it, I figured this would be the easiest loading.
Loading went fine, but my first print was ugly (13mm3/s, turned out it was printing at 220, a little low). Twice on the unload, the clear filament (which was in a weak AMS slot I’ve had issues with in the past) didn’t completely cut, leaving <100um uncut. I’m still on my original cutter which has 1,000 hours (no idea how many cuts).
Then I told the AMS it had PLA and I used my “TPU-as-PLA” profile (just the settings copied over from Bambu TPU), and hit print and went to work. Came back expecting it to be stuck but instead everything was perfect, see pictures.
I don’t know what more to say - it CAN work, and it would make life SO much easier not to have to lie to the machine. I could deal with all the warnings and caveats in the world, but don’t leave me telling the machine there’s PLA in it and then getting serious issues when some download off MakerWorld blow up the machine because the UI forces me to lie to it.
Hey everyone - I just found this Video about using the AMS for TPU (by taking out the pre-tension springs).
Has anyone tested this? His channel has only has 115 Followers, but that doesn’t mean he might not be right. If this works, that would be awesome!!
Other than that, I would really like to know with what brand you are printing (worry-free). I figured that everything from 94A (40D) upwards should work without problems.
You can apparently avoid this step by following the hint in the Video:
Deactivating the “Skip AMS blacklist check” in preferences.
It is probably the case that he simply tried it out with a TPU that can transport the AMS. Because you definitely can’t use just any TPU or just any Shore hardness. The AMS cannot transport TPU types that are too soft. He simply discovered for the first time how to switch off the test etc. and thought it would be good to publish this in a video. This is how many people proceed when they are new and discover new things.
Because you definitely can’t use just any TPU or just any Shore hardness.
Well that’s obvious… Whats your conclusion then…?
I just tried 90A TPU with my AMS and it errored out at first try.
So 95A would be my next best - Can anyone name any brands? Shores that surely work - and still are flexible?
any >90A hardness TPU that I’ve tried has worked without issue
If that’s the case I’m either just unlucky, doomed or the announced 90A is not 90A.
Considering the fact that I had various issues with that Company it might be the shore not being correct.
I had a very nice conversation with Richard (from DUDV2) and yes, its a small US Company. He actually offered me to send it to Europe, but as I have had problems with customs in the past… therefore I’m not so confident about it. Also I might need a quick restock and that would be a problem too.
But hey… if you can buy it, please do so. It really seems to work.
What temperature are you guys printing at? Last time I tried it, almost every brand of TPU 95A I’d printed managed to get jammed by the 2nd or 3rd filament change in my AMS, if not every single one. I’m definitely in a warmer indoor environment (typically ~22C). I actually tried specifically after multiple people mentioned it, and pretty much ended up wasting a ton of time trying to make it work, messing with tension, shortening PTFE tubes, etc.
Just curious, because I get the impression it’s one of those situations where people either have pretty good success or pretty terrible success with it. Maybe it’s some subtle AMS change. For reference, I had the same issue dealing with PVA (before Bambu released their PVA), where I noticed that damp PVA was flexible enough that it would jam in the AMS during long prints due to moisture absorption, if I didn’t prebake it and ensure there was fresh desiccant in the AMS. Kind of generally seems whatever it is about my (first) AMS, it just wouldn’t work. If I have time I might try going out and finding any brands people are having luck with .
I sure wish there was feedback/input from Bambu.
I now have two AMS’s, a very early kickstarter one and another from a year later.
I had few issues (none jamming) with my TPU prints. That said, I had endless issues with my MMU back in the day where another friend it seemed to just work for.
I should revisit this. I haven’t bought much TPU in a long time. I’ll make my own test model (the one I posted earlier I got a copyright strike for…) and post.
Can you post something that didn’t work for me to compare to? I guess a 3mf or whatever. You could put it on MakerWorld and add a link.
