How COULD an AMS 3.0 look like?

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I found some leftover TPU from a sample I got ages ago.
Not sure about the hardness but much softer than the usual 95 type.
Wasn’t really enough for a decent project, quite old and I wondered what to do with those few metres…

Then I saw this video from a guy trying to make soft TPU work with the AMS…
Why not, let’s fiddle around a bit to see how it goes.
First thing I noticed when taking things apart was how badly some of my AMS rolls were chewed up by the filament feeder.
Quite distinct bite marks along one side of the filament…
The pathway for the filament based on the placement of feeders motors and such isn’t that ideal either…
You want a pathway as straight as possible not with as many sharp turns as possible but that’s a different story LOL

Yes, using softer springs in the AMS feeder helped, yes, using a slightly larger ID teflon tube helped, yes to the rest as well…
Does not change though that the stuff I had here was still way too soft to perform.
The pathways are just too long and even teflon tubes create friction when things have to go around bends while being soft like al dente spaghetti…
On the other hand: A bridge mount spool holder on top of the printer and feeding directly into the extruder works exceptionally well - too bad keeping the heat in the chamber is such a problem with no lid…

It was a nice learning exercise nonetheless.
And for the time being I left a softer spring in the AMS feeder to compare over time how this impacts on normal filaments, be it in a good or bad way.
The main and last issues is still the wheel tension for the extruder - you need to make a hole in the head housing so you can loosen the tension on the screw enough.
Without that soft TPU gets too deformed and loves to get stuck in this tiny hole below those wheels - curling up in there and ruining the print.

Also learned that those AMS feeders could benefit from a re-designed AMS.
We don’t cut and mix filaments in the AMS to make rainbow filament, so why this complex junctions inside ???
Remembering all those printers I had since the early days and how far we came in such a few years made me wonder…
Sure the current AMS is well designed but is it designed to just look nice and appear easy to use?

I looked at the P1S, my AMS, those tubes and asked myself what Bambu was thinking here, what their design goals were…
Clearly they tested things and with that used the AMS a lot before finalising the designs…
Was it people we would consider to be 3D printing enthusiast though or engineers ?
I know there is already other AMS designs out there that Bambu decided to support, so they know things are not ideal.
So here is my thought on how I would re-design the AMS if I had the time and money to spare:

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  1. Place those AMS feeders at the back of the AMS and angle them towards the roll for straight feed.
  2. Have a tube coming out for every slot and include the junction box with the filament buffer as one smooth unit.
  3. Rather than using rollers to spin the rolls use or offer spools/spool adapters with a gear going around it.
    This would make things much easier in terms of using cardboard spools or refills as users could rely on gears and not just slipping rollers.
  4. The drag chain solution is great for the wiring, not so much for the filament transport.
    It would be beneficial to have an angled (slightly curved) extruder intake, preferably with a thin walled and easy to replace metal tube.
    This, as a swivel base, would allow to have teflon tube going through an angled guide and from there straight through the back wall.
    Rather than a fixed tube connector the tube is allowed to freely move in an out.

A simplified and more hassle free filament path from roll to extruder has clear benefits not just in terms of speeds and retraction.
And in hindsight one could even go fully overboard here:
Use the AMS as just a filament storage with motorised spools to prevent a big mess when unloading filaments.
But make the filament buffer, AMS feeders and tube joiner one single unit on the back of the printer.
Just IMHO, what could be the possible benefits here?

With geared spools no longer slipping and far easier and simpler pathways for those tubes the extruder has more than enough power and grip to pull the filament off the spool.
Means, once the filament is loaded into the extruder we could set those feeder motors and the filament buffer into free mode, like opening the clutch to to say or disengaging those transport wheels.
Like that softer filaments or those tacky support filaments would be far more usable and the required service of things would be easier as well.
Right now taking this AMS apart is just a nightmare…
Wouldn’t a problem then to make the AMS double up as a controlled filament dryer…
Just saying…

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Well, in my opinion the AMS has the greatest potential for improvement and has so far only been copied.

The Light AMS appeals to me, but I don’t see that it solves my problems.

An AMS should carry 1 or a maximum of 2 Spools. But this is only for a few and will not appeal to most but certainly those who have dealt extensively with the matter, which you can find in the forums etc. So those who push the limits. But most people will then say, why should I buy an AMS for 1 spool when the other one can carry 4 and my stuff is even more colorful?

At the beginning, I really enjoyed the AMS - but since it is an ACS, I can’t do much with color changes and handling of different materials is limited.

Only 1kg rolls, no hard TPU (it’s blocked by the printer), no replenishment via another slot if one roll is empty (limited to X1E), relatively large service effort without inspection openings, no drying - Even the manufacturer who integrated it limited the drying to his printer. So the AMS, a good thought approach, is still far from having exhausted its potential and everyone is now running the same thing without thinking.

In the meantime, most of the fillament on my X1C also goes through the external feed. Flashforge Guider 3 Ultra but the only review shows very clearly that they are still very far away from to by really usable. Co Print Chroma Set but they have probably disappeared without a trace and the Snapmaker J1 - I m siriusly do not restart this glas thing.

My solution - design in such a way that no material change is required in parts itself and if it is, just leave the 3D printer aside completely.

This was the first week in a long time in which I only printed 2 parts - a TPU cover and a TPU vacuum cleaner attachment that you could first clean all the corners behind the cover. TPU became the fillament of trust and getting even harder versions than 58D would be good.

An AMS riser should also be able to be ordered correctly, and such a kit would not require 2 years of development, Bambulab simply does not benefit from after-sales, it is just not in there business model:

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Yo Hank, you could have simply posted the link to all Python AMS, for all those interested to download and print.

or available on Makerworld here (latest version)

Enjoy! :smile:

Oh, btw, Python AMS has reached version 1.02. much improved from v.1.0. See for yourselves:

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