Since the X1C has been out for a while, I’m curious if anyone has had any issues with the carbon rod wearing out causing performance (quality) issues.
I see the P2S now comes with steel rods, instead of carbon rods, so was wondering if this was an issue with carbon rods wearing out.
Considering everyone likes to complain about every little thing around here
My guess is no
They said that it was a maintenance reason for going to steel. 2 years on my p1s no issues
Yes, but it varies with the exact generation of the rods. And many of those failures were caused by the bushing wearing out which then destroys the rod surface.
Except under near continuous use the rods never fail under warranty, so no, it isn’t.
Thank you all!
It was a curiosity more than anything since it was changed in the P2S.
Is there a Bambu steel rod replacement for the X1C, if so there a link? Thanks
No. Nor would I proactively replace the carbon rods with steel. That would add mass to the gantry and throw off the calculations of acceleration and deceleration, reducing accuracy & print quality.
Bambu’s explanation of going away from carbon rods in newer models is that the rods do take a little more maintenance, in the form of fine dust, and that the expected benefits didn’t really turn out to justify the higher cost of manufacturing.
None that I know of, and none on Bambu’s webshop either. And considering the fact that apparently the X1 series appears to have been discontinued (though not formal communication on that was issued by Bambu…yet), it’s very unlikely that such option will be made available.
Apparently you can replace the whole X Carriage with the one from the P2S, not that I’ve tried it.
This is a youtube video detailing the procedure.
Way to complicated and lengthy process, in my humble opinion.
It is. Changing a gantry takes a bit of time and is a headache, especially if you break one of the tabs that hold the belt.
I really don’t see any benefit that make the process worth the time. So many come here for the issues they have, very few in regards to the gantry. Leave well enough alone.
The CF rods have equivalent stiffness at significantly lower weight compared to the metal rods. Higher resonant frequency, too, I’d expect. Both of which contribute to running at higher speeds, which is why the X1C uses them.
The CF bearings are higher friction than a roller bearing, but that’s not the same thing as “sticky”. The stepper motors don’t care about the higher friction load. What matters is that there is a minimum difference between static and sliding friction levels. The CF rods and bearings could actually be better than a greased roller bearing in this regard. Higher friction but lower “stiction”.
IMO changing the CF carriage out for a metal one is a bad idea.
@Jinks That video makes no sense. He’s comparing an old, heavily used gantry to a brand new one and saying “look how smooth the steel one is!”
Newsflash - plastic vapor deposits on all surfaces inside a printer, and I’d say metal objects - which have a higher thermal mass than plastics and therefore stay colder longer - are going to see more condensation issues.
The right answer is cleaning the rods when they need it, especially if printing a lot of materials that generate plastic vapor.
Reminds me of just about every tire review: “These new tires as SO much better!” Yeah, that’s because the old ones were old, worn, and into the harder structural rubber of the carcass. Any new tire no matter how awful would be an improvement. 
At 2200 hours on my machine and zero play still.
I was concerned about it too but it’s a long-term item it seems.
Not trying to one up. I have well over 9500 on my second gantry. The replacement was on me not the gantry. No issues at all. Just clean and go.
I had a little over 10k hours on my P1 when I got rid of it.
Original gantry, looked brand new.
There is no reason to worry unless you are not cleaning and maintaining it.