I’m confused on why is there a “Ext Spool filament” mini settings popup from the Device tab, in addition to the filament settings full window under the Filament section of the Prepare tab. I’m not sure how they interact or prevail on each other and how does that matter for my prints?
I have read the Wiki, searched the forum and got lost on Reddit. I got probably all the information I needed to understand what these two parameters are really for, but I don’t. I need an easy comparison of their uses, please. Especially:
How does one affects the other?
Why bother selecting the filament on the device while it’s already specified in the “Prepare” section?
Do they feature the same parameters. For example where is the “K-factor” in the filament window?
Finally, couldn’t all this be handled more intuitively in Bambu?
You can do a flow calibration then create a PA profile using PA value you choose. Then you can change the PA setting that links to the corresponding AMS slot or external spool.
In the prepare tab → filament setting, there is no option for PA (or factor K). But there is option for PA in OrcaSlicer → filament setting.
The OrcaSlicer is more concentration all relate settings in one place while Bambu Studio put PA setting in device tab instead.
By default, Bambu Studio only has default PA settings for BBL filaments. If you use a gerenic filament, you will have a default generic PA value like 0.020 which may print awfully, possibly stringing and all.
I guess, they deliberately do that to make people print BBL filaments instead.
Hi @simon14 ,
Thank you for the detailed answer. It brings some more information.
I still don’t understand one thing, though: does that mean that, everytime I print something, I must select my filament in both places (device tab for K factor and prepare tab for all other settings) ? If yes, isn’t that dumb? Or is there a technical reason? Other than pushing people to buy BBL filament
Correct. When download a print profile from Makerworld, you have to change the filament slot you actual have in the AMS yourself, by doing a resync.
TLDR;
I can see little benefit of putting factor K (or PA value) in device tab, separated from filament profile, like the scenario below:
You download the 3mf file from Makerworld, you have the same printer, same filament but you also calibrated with your PA value, then it will automatically apply your PA value instead of default to have the best possible outcome for you.
I agree with that, because, the same printer, same filament, same setting, but it wouldn’t guarantee the same output.
I think they’re trying to make it more convenience for customer that use only their filament without need of understand the technicality of tweaking filament profile. Good for basic user I guess, but bad for a bit more advanced user. I think it’s the purpose of it is just like how canon printer only works with canon cartridge, but only BBL is trying to do it subtly instead of clearly obvious like Canon, HP…
I’ve been watching too much movies I think, and I apply conspiracy theory on almost everything. Like how IE explorer killed Netscape navigator and made us relied more to windows eco system. Like how Apple market place put restriction so that it wouldn’t go agaist their eco system. And now with google spies on you with your android phones and put ads related to what you said to your friend a few days before. The world is driven by greed after all. Without greed, there was no industrial revolution to make much more money, there was no war to expand a nation’s land, so on and so on.
Yes, that is dumb. K factor belongs in the filament profile, with all the other filament settings. Bambu could just as easily chosen to use your user presets, which are probably already in their cloud, instead of putting flow and pressure advance elsewhere.
So, don’t print direct from MakerWorld. Download the model to your slicer, which should be OrcaSlicer, which puts K factor in the filament preset and overrides any values shown on the device tab.
