I got my P2S Combo + 2nd AMS2 Pro unit (which arrived damaged so I am waiting on the replacement process to play out) and finally finished printing my AMS Rack with sliding drawers. Both AMS2 Pro units will reside in that rack, and no AMS2 Pro units will sit atop the printer. What I would like to do is to have the external spool feed into one of the 2 ports on the filament buffer, and have the two AMS2 Pro units both feed into the 4-in-1 PTFE Adapter and that adapter feed into the other port on the filament buffer.
My question is: Does one of the AMS2 Pro units need to feed directly into the filament buffer? I ask this because everything in the Quick Start Guide and everything I found online shows one AMS2 Pro unit atop the printer feeding directly into the filament buffer, and then everything else feeding into the 2nd port on the filament buffer using the 4-in-1 adapter.
Many thanks in advance for any help & guidance you can offer!
My system has 2 AMS Pro 2 Units plus the external spool, which is 3 thus the need for the 4-in-1 adapter. I have 2 options:
(1) plug one AMS unit directly to the buffer, and plug the 2nd AMS unit and the external spool into the 4-in-1 adapter;
(2) plug the two AMS units into the 4-in-1 adapter, and plug the adapter and external spool directly into the buffer.
I want to take option 2 so my question is: Does one of the AMS unit need to be plugged directly into the buffer (option 1 above) or can both plug into the 4-in-1 adapter (option 2 above).
Since the 2nd AMS 2 Pro unit arrived damaged, it is not available at this time, but I do have the first AMS unit into the 4-in-1 adapter, and both the external spool and 4-in-1 adapter plugged into the buffer. Seems to be working just fine.
I didn’t know if there was some reason unknown to me that one of the AMS units has to be plugged directly into the buffer. Apparently not. So both options are viable.
You’re misunderstanding the purpose of the buffer. I’ll try to explain it.
AMS units feed filament to the extruder. They need to feed enough filament to keep up with the extruder, but not too much. The buffer is just a sensor that detects when the AMS has fed enough, and detects when the AMS needs to feed more, and sends a signal to the AMS to achieve that.
External spools are not fed to the extruder by any motor. The extruder simply pulls in the filament as needed. Because of this, there is no purpose to feeding the external spool through the buffer, and all of Bambu’s documentation shows the external spool should be fed directly to the extruder. In fact, trying to feed an external spool through the buffer will cause issues as the buffer causes drag on the filament, which is undesirable for external spool printing.
On that basis, you need to feed each AMS into your buffer - it has two inputs, you put one tube into each.
AFTER the buffer, you need a way to feed an external spool - I previously showed you a solution that would give you a second input at the back of the printer. Alternatively, you could use a 4-in-1 at that point instead and just not use the other two of the inlets.
You also mentioned plugging two AMS cables into the buffer, that is also not correct. You plug one cable into the first AMS, then you plug the second AMS into the first AMS:
I really do appreciate all that, but I fully understand the purpose of the buffer. I’ll try to rephrase my question: All of the photos show one AMS unit feeing into the buffer directly, and all the rest feeding into a 4-in-1 adapter which then feeds into the 2nd port on the buffer. I was just asking to make sure that I didn’t have to have any AMS unit feeing into the buffer directly, but rather could feed into a 4-in-1 adapter that then feeds into the buffer. I didn’t know if the 4-in-1 adapter was a “smart” device or not. Had I bothered to open the box before posting, I would have realized that the adapter is just a “dumb” device that simply allows 4 tubes to feed into one funnel tube.
I am happy to report that I’m up and running, even though I am awaiting word from Bambu on how to proceed in returning the damaged AMS Pro 2 unit for a replacement unit.
On a side note: I was stunned silent when the P2S Combo appeared within a few days. When I ordered my P1S two years ago, I had to wait considerably longer. So when the P2S Combo arrived, it was unexpected. Bambu shipped that UPS & there was no problem. But for some reason unknown to me, they shipped the 2nd AMS unit I ordered via FedEx, which managed to damage the unit’s housing. Had I been here when they delivered it, I would have seen the damaged box & refused the shipment. But the order sat here at home for 2 weeks before I got to open the boxes & inspect them (due to medical issues). I hope there won’t be any issue with Bambu & that they will replace the unit quickly and recover from FedEx.
my printer is p1s
