Question 1: As time passes, is it currently possible - as of today - to simply copy the RFID chip found on Bambu filament spools?
Question 2: If so, what equipment is required to do this?
Yes.
You need a cheap rfid writer ($10?) and a special tag that locks the id field after the first write (or the AMS will erase it). I used to copy them all of the time, but I ran out of tags and haven’t ordered any more from aliexpress yet.
There are instructions on reddit/github/here. There is no cracking/sniffing required anymore, and there are also libraries of tags people have read you can just copy.
3 Likes
The link for the here part is missing. Perhaps you’ll share it properly this time?!?
Thank you for the quick response and the valuable information.
Pretty sure he’s referring to this link here.
That is the obsolete one, you don’t need a proxmark anymore, those are the old days when everything was hard.
1 Like
The basic answer is YES
The methodology differs by user. I own a Proxmark, so I use a Proxmark. I dont know about other ways. The links to the how to and the tags is below. Just remember, writing a tag is one thing, writing a tag that the AMS recognizes as a genuine Bambu tag is another story entirely.
Also, dont overpay for tags. Lots of US vendors sell overpriced tags. Use the Aliexpress price as a guide.
Can you elaborate? I see lots of information on the Proxmark method, but haven’t found this newer approach…
1 Like
Proxmark is not a new method. It is the original device used by the geniuses who finally cracked the code. It is also the preferred device for this type of research. Lots of info at the GitHub site I referenced above. If you go that route, careful where you get your Proxmark as there are lots of cheap knockoffs out there. The cloning is simple and fast with the Proxmark. Takes longer to open a spool of filament than cloning a tag.
Forgot to mention, there is also a discord at Bambu RFID.
1 Like
That is the obsolete one, you don’t need a proxmark anymore, those are the old days when everything was hard.
Could you provide a link? Everything I’m finding in search is the old proxmark stuff. Thanks!
1 Like
Copying a Bambu Lab RFID tag is not the same as creating a new one
There is a fairly big difference between copying an existing Bambu Lab RFID tag and creating a brand-new valid tag from scratch.
Copying or cloning an existing tag is absolutely doable with the right knowledge and suitable hardware. Creating a completely new tag with custom data is a very different problem.
The signature is the real wall here
The RFID data used by Bambu Lab is digitally signed. That means you cannot just change the material, colour, spool data or other contents and expect the printer or AMS to accept it.
If the data changes, the signature no longer matches.
And without a valid RSA signature, the tag gets rejected.
That signing key is not public. It is held by Bambu Lab.
Cloning is the practical route
Cloning works because you are not creating new trusted data. You are duplicating something that already exists.
To make a clone behave like the original, the clone needs to match the original tag: UID, data blocks and signature.
So for custom spools, the realistic approach is to reuse or clone an existing compatible tag. Not elegant, maybe, but very practical.
Proxmark3 makes it less painful
You do not strictly need to treat Proxmark3 as a sacred object handed down from the RFID gods, but it is a very nice tool for this kind of work.
It packages the workflow in one place and makes RFID/NFC research much more repeatable. That is the main benefit.
Long before there was a public Bambu RFID group, I was already poking around Bambu tags with an old Android phone. So no, Proxmark3 is not magic.
It just makes the process cleaner, less annoying and easier for the rest of us mere mortals.
Just for CarbonForge
Yes, this post has headings.
Yes, it has spacing.
Yes, it has a TL;DR.
I understand this may be emotionally difficult for people who hate structured text, but I believe we can all heal with time.
TL;DR
Copying or cloning an existing Bambu Lab RFID tag is completely possible with the right knowledge and suitable hardware.
Creating a brand-new custom Bambu-compatible tag is not the same thing.
For that, you need valid signed data. Without Bambu Lab’s private signing key, the printer/AMS will reject modified or newly created tag data unless the firmware is changed to ignore or replace that signature check.
3 Likes
Since structured text apparently needs a second chance
The “newer approach” is not really a new magical method.
The point is that Proxmark3 is a convenient all-in-one tool, not the only possible way to do the job.
What makes Proxmark3 popular here is that it can handle the useful workflow in one place:
- recover or derive the required block keys
- read the encrypted blocks
- dump the tag data
- write or clone to a suitable compatible tag
- keep the process repeatable
So yes, Proxmark3 is very handy. It just is not magic.
The actual requirement
To clone an RFID tag, you need to be able to read all relevant blocks.
For that, you need the correct block keys.
Once you have those keys, any suitable RFID/NFC tool that can correctly read and write the relevant tag type can in principle do the job. Proxmark3 just makes it much more convenient.
The part people keep mixing up
The block keys used to read the tag are not the same thing as Bambu Lab’s private RSA signing key.
The block keys / derivation method are no longer some deep secret.
The private RSA signing key is still the wall if you want to create brand-new valid custom data.
So, as already written above in the dangerously structured text:
Cloning an existing tag: practical.
Creating a new valid Bambu-compatible tag from scratch: different problem.
And yes, even a downvote is still engagement.
Please downvote the headings separately for best accuracy. 
2 Likes
Thank you for the helpful information.
Right. But the part nobody is answering is:
- What hardware or device can do the job?
- Is there an alternative to a $360 Proxmark or $200 Flipper Zero?
- Has anyone written a guide for newbies?
Web searches are giving me lots of GitHub and Reddit discussions but bupkis for the kind of “here is how to get started without already knowing how to work with RFID”.
1 Like
Proxmark3 Easy (limited memory, but it can run the Iceman fork)
iCopy-X / iCopy-XS
Flipper Zero
ACR122U
And probably a few others. I haven’t tested all of them, but as long as you don’t have the signing key, you’ll only be able to copy/clone existing tags — not create entirely new valid ones.
1 Like
Thanks! Just what folks will need to know when they (…I) search in the future. Future me thanks you.
A good thing to note. In my case, I only want to try using Bambu’s tags by cloning, because I’ve had good results running certain filaments with the “Bambu Lab” filament presets. So it would just be, well, nice, to have the machine auto-recognize material and color using a cloned tag.
Couple of links related to Proxmark ala Dangerous things. I don’t own one but this thread made me do some research.
Of possible note to anyone who might care:
“You must use Chrome or a Chromium based browser (Brave, Edge, etc.)” Edit: I think this only applies to their proxmark3.app
1 Like