New to Bambu - X1 Carbon - PETG Printing

Bambu Lab X1 Series Bambu Lab X1-Carbon
9

Hi there, you make some really good points here. Just for reference, and I apologise if my Ender terminology doesn’t translate to the Bambu, but here goes.

My understanding is that the Bambu Slicer software is the “go to” for the Bambu printers. I was under the impression that flow rate and certainly PA was controlled by the in built calibrations.

I’m currently printing my models (on my E3v2) with a 0.4mm nozzle at 0.32 layer height. To get any kind of consistency, I have had to reduce my speeds to less than 50mm/s at 7000mm/s^2 max. acceleration. The biggest part I have in my assembly, take approximately 6 hours to print with an acceptable (but no means good) quality finish, and certainly not consistent. The parts I am making are not required to be dimensionally accurate. If they are a millimeter or so +/-, it really doesn’t matter. If I can get anywhere near your 200mm/s speeds with similar quality, but more consistent in terms of both outcome and failure rate then I will be happy. I’m not looking for perfection, I don’t need it.

I do do some smaller prints in ABS, but my E3v2 copes with them really well, it’s really well tuned for this, and prints them quick and with great quality.

It’s also well tuned for my TPU parts. I can set that going on a 12 hour TPU print (printing 20x the same part) knowing with almost 100% certainty there will be no issues. All you have to do is keep feeding it and removing the prints when it’s completed a batch. Speed is not critical here. It just churns parts out 24/7, reliably and consistently.

My intention is to keep the E3v2 ticking over with the smaller gobs, and let the X1 deal with the larger parts that take the time…

10

Another question, I have many, and I may be premature in asking this if I haven’t reached the relevant section in the documentation.

How does the printer manage filament run out?

I added a runout sensor to my E3v2 recently as I got fed up of having my heart broken when my filament ran out. The sensors triggers, pauses and parks the print head whilst I change filament, but after the resume, a layer was missed (or appeared to be missed), meaning it had a weak seam where the runout occurred.

You only had to look at the print funny and it would break at the weakened seem. Kind of defeats the object of the runout sensor…

11

You can enable the switch to a different spool for the AMS upon filament run-out. The replacement spool must be exactly the same as the spool to be replaced though (brand, type, color). It will then load the other spool and continue. AMS slot numbers are (were? [1]), checked counting up so users reported problems when wanting to switch from say spool 3 to spool 1. If there’s no replacement spool the printer will just wait for your command. You can then select a different AMS slot.

I had one case where a single line was missed during the run-out as it resumes at the next Gcode command from where filament runs out.

[1] Bambu is doing well with frequent feature increading updates imo

12

Preface:

Your questions are very difficult to answer - I also have S1 from Criality running. Development is rapid and what you say today may be completely outdated tomorrow. Even or especially at Bambulab, an announcement can come out of nowhere. There isn’t a really bad K1 review that’s older than 2 months - nobody’s sleeping at the moment. Closed printers are popping up on the market every month. My X1C was also out of operation this week for 4 day because of a bed plate load sensor - the repair didn’t take long but you just have to have time to look at it.

Bambulab is perhaps (may still) the best for if just one of the following fits:

  1. Advanced home users or Prototypes (including material tests) with low demands on data securit.
    (Model X1C for someone who doesn’t will cry after the money after it`s gone or P1S for those with a slightly tighter budget).

  2. Color change or one color prints on PLA and PETG (Bambulab Model P1P without housing)

  3. Color change for ABS, ASA (Bambulab Model P1S and X1C)

  4. Colorful figures made from PLA or PETG (Model A1)

Restrictions on AMS:

123
1231411×562 85.4 KB

Slicer

because you asked, I like the Orca better than the Bambu for Bambu. Orca has more filaments from alternative suppliers and is less overlaid with advertising by starting the programm.

And

If you need a Prusa, go to one that has a Prusa print farm. They do it well and cheaply.

13

I thought Id’ chime in. Just got my x1 carbon 2 days ago. I went from Ender3 to this. For the last 3 years I’ve been putzing mainly PLA once in a while. I had tried PETG but I never could get it dialed properly so I had given up. I still have a couple of rolls of PETG that I thought I would try out. So I dried the PETG overnight. I fed it in and used the lidar to do the auto calibrations and it gave some strange k number I think that it somehow saved. I have to look into this further. So I printed the 3DBenchy on the engineering plate that came with the printer and to my surprise, it stuck to the plate and printed a pretty much perfect benchy. I just can’t believe it! I was just memorized by the speed. Depending on what part of the model it prints, outer wall, inner wall and all the others, the defaults are anywhere between 250 and 500 mm/s except for the first layer which was set at 50mm/s.

I am far from being an expert on this 3d Printing. And the PLA, Holy macro, I’ve never had good results like that. I did not even know that this was possible. I definitely will be using this printer a lot more.

14

@ RetiredRich

Well, you can also do the Calibrations “order” of Matirial on Bambustudio and so it will by stored to the matirial on the slicer and not on the Printer. However I got by my first PETG print ever also some problems and if you see whats mater it`s also no issue anymore on other printers.

This try to point out under 1. “Prototypes (including material tests)” to fill up some expiriances and if you have it, the P1P is the littel more interesting choice. If not and you still need testing and support X1C… So no recomendation fits all :wink:

And here a recomendation to someone how goes under troubles with PETG…

15

Thanks for the reply.

Out of interest, did you have to use the glue stick with the PETG on the Engineering plate (as a release agent)?

I’ve ordered a PEI sheet with mine, but I have read the calibrations are not as accurate with the PEI. Somewhere did recommend doing the calibrations with a smooth plate, then swap out before you print. I’ll have to play with this.

I intend to practise printing with the practise files loaded onto the printer and see how we go…

1 Like
16

Flow calibration is done by the filament settings so it needs to be done manually
PA has option to be done automatic using A lidar Not good enough
In the latest Bambu Studio - has a method for both calibrations to be done for the filament using Automatic method and manual method with test prints - works ok ish - but result is stored in incredible place and can be lost easily over all i find it horrible and stay with Orca Slicer calibration methods and done a way automatically to transfer it to Bambu studio with G-Command in the Fillament which is not needed if orca studio is used

Despite some thing you can not go wrong with X1C and i do like the X1C with AMS as one of the best printers out there for the price, compare to Prusa Mk4 is on par in my personal opinion

Consistence is easily achievable on the X1C and Prusa mk4 or Modified Mk3S- for PETG i think both will be ok for what you want but AMS of X1C is a great especially with the runout transfer of the rolls . I personally use it as a dry box and keep the 4 most common materials i use

Run out is ok but sometimes i have a line skip and was visible on the print but nothing major. I usually replace the pool in the AMS instead of keeping a second roll

Probably P1S with AMS( combo) can be suitable as well cheaper and i do not use any of the lidar features . Only thig the hardened nozzle needs to be ordered separately is using -CF materials

There is a black Friday Deal at the moment and X1C combo is 200$ off and the P1S is 100$ off

One down side is that local printing is not very good or with some problems , and practically only cloud print needs to be used but for the last few months only once seen it down for 1 hour. and only is a problem if the print job has not started

1 Like
17

I did not use glue stick on the Engineering plate. I think it’s just a suggestion. It says right on the plate “Glue stick can help”. I actually just used windex and that worked really good for me. (from youtube)
I also ordered the PEI sheet. (still waiting for it). Yes, I read, I think on the wiki site that the PEI sheet interferes with the LIDAR.
I remember reading somewhere that the loaded models are not reliable for printing with generic filament because they were slided with Bambu filament parameters. Something to keep in mind if you don’t get good results with PETG. I will try it and see what happens.
I’m having information overload right now, so treat my comments with a grain of salt.
Rich

1 Like
18

Exactly - there are 2 things that you have to turn 180° in your head from the Criality world.

  1. You no longer do the flow calibration with the scale on the printer. You insert the engineering plate. Than you will start the calibration in the slicer, send the calibration job to the printer and after it is done, you will save the data into the slicer settings of the fillament (Bambulab studio or Orca slicer). Then each printer receives the information tailored to the fillament - that’s what the video was about: how to integrate a QIDI into a Bambulab production (although the information also depends on the respective exdruder, so there may be deviations but certainly more accurate than before or did you record filament-specific data by every new filament, new color and then add the data to the Cura material profile each time?).
    Or just get to the point: A single printer carring out the analyzes for all printers - although with deviations depending on the respective exdruder.

Unbenannt
Unbenannt850×202 44.2 KB

  1. Fillament is no longer only determined in the slicer (it is still possible, but it is a detour). You insert the filament into the printer - you define the filament on the printer and then the printer informs the slicer (if you run a synchronization) which filaments are available in the printer - So you will slices the parts accordingly by select the fillaments during slicer through information provided by the printer…

And by the way: Based on my non-3D printer experience, it is a bit off that filament spools do not contain on printed lot datas. Normally, when such calibrations play a role, I usually buy the quantities for 1-2 years of production. Do the calibration once and then leave the machines on this lot for 1-2 years without recalibration (but mainly becouse of warranty claims because of possible mixing errors by suppliers)… However, 3D printing is still a very young welding process but also did a lot right and better than all others…

2 Likes
19

Tpu 95a prints easy on the x1c

1 Like
20

Agree , external spool with TPU 95A , but that is not soft try something like TPE or anything with hardness bellow 90. I was able to dot it , but had to modify the tensioner and drill through the Print head plastics( there is a thread how to do it ). And at the moment a bit more negative as my X1C can’t print large object with ASA/PETG/ASA/PLA as there is warp in the Heat bed of 0.4-0.5mm and as you heat it it gets to 0.7mm . But checking with support hopefully they replace it . But i did put on hold my next X1C planned for this Black Friday, and considering getting a Second Prusa instead, this time Mk4. The Warp may have been for a few months and just the print designs did not encounter it, and i print a lot on Prusa as well and remember printing long designs mainly on the Prusa

1 Like
21

I’ve had my X1 Carbon almost a year now and print exclusively with PETG. I use the Engineering plate and default settings on the Bambu slicer. Perfect prints most every time. Even with small parts I don’t need a brim. Once in a great while need brim and sometimes use tree supports, but most just load the sliced stl, default settings, and let it go. I don’t like PLA anymore as then I have to use glue stick or a brush on chemical with a different plate. With PETG I use 99% alcohol and a Harbor Freight micro fiber cloth and clean the plate JUST BEFORE printing. I found adhesion is very good and release is very good. Flex the engineering plate while warm after printing or let it cool and print comes off perfectly. Often I’ll remove one print, alcohol the plate, and immediately print again. I have over 200 prints on this Engineering plate and it looks and performs like new. Print speed is default PETG 200 (outer wall) to 300 (inner wall) mm/s. I use PETG from $14.99 to $27.99, generic and Bambu and all print great. One question was filament run-out. Only had this happen once with a large print. Fortunately I was printing generic PETG so I loaded another generic PETG color (didn’t have more of original) and it finished print without a flaw. Had I used Bambu filament it would have detected a different color. With generic I just changed spools in same slot and said Continue.

1 Like
22

Thanks everyone for your replies. Really interesting and exciting discussion from my point of view. Coming from a few years of my allegedly tuned Ender3v2 printing mainly PETG and TPU, it constantly fights me, it never feels like its working with me.

I’m really hoping the BambuLabs is “on my side”.

In summary then for me, dimensional accuracy is not critical, neither is a perfect surface finish. I’m purely looking for speed and consistency printing essentially house bricks, something I can set going, and come back in a few hours and have confidence I won’t be greeted with spaghetti, or as I experienced this weekend, a trashed heater block.

I’ll be printing almost exclusively PETG. I really don’t want the hassle of “glue stick” every time I print. With my E3v2, I am printing on a PEI, clean it before every print with IA and have never had any serious adhesion problems. I’ve orderd a PEI with the X1C.

My biggest learning curve is going to be material management. I am going to start using the BambuLabs PETG, but hopefully with time and learning, I can go to other brands. If I can use the default profiles for ANY brand of filament, with minimal tinkering, and get near the speeds you are quoting, I will be one happy bunny.

I’m seriously like a kid at Christmas here, I can’t wait for this thing to arrive!!!

23

Don’t forget, a closed installation space is not absolutely necessary for PETG.

There’s a lot going on at the moment…

1 Like
24

Printing with PETG, I have better results on the X1C with the door open and top off, or at least opened to let heat escape. A chamber temperature above about 30 °C has caused poor adhesion.

1 Like
25

My little trusty E3v2 is in an enclosure, but is not printing at anything like the speeds I’m hoping this will be. Great tip though, another one to add to my list of things to watch out for!!

26

@gray916

Yes you should think smart at the moment - In the end you have to know what you are buying.

So P1P (without housing) with AMS and saving something for the summer is definitely not the stupidest idea. Then take a look at FLsun - 1000mm/s travel speed. The K1 is no longer what it used to be but is now damn cheap.

I don’t regret my purchase, but I’m very happy that I don’t have to buy at the moment… But in the next 3 years there will hardly be a right time to buy a printer… 1 year wasted and from February on you have to expect a run head to head, month by month…

27

Well, print PETG as fast as you want, 250mm/s is no problem my friend!!! :wink:

1 Like
28

I’ve had my X1 Carbon for about 12 hours now, and my only reaction is one of astonishment. Coming from the E3v2 driven with Cura, and the associated constant battling, this thing is an absolute joy to work WITH. Apart from a minor false start (and yes, I was one of the 99%) where the AMS threw an error that it couldn’t pull the filament beyond the AMS, it has been seamless (the issue was the user not plugging the AMS cable in properly). Anyway, here are my initial findings:

Material Management - I’ve loaded the AMS with some Bambu PLA Filament that came with the printer, ESun PETG, and and some random ABS I had lying around. The printer knew exactly what the PLA was, I ran the auto calibrations on the PETG and used the generic profile for the ABS.

PLA bench came out as perfect as I have ever managed to see in less than 25 mins.

I saved the dynamic calibrations under a custom profile for the PETG which I am hoping I can call on each time I use that filament, and couple it with the generic PETG (I haven’t found a way to save the entire profile i.e. settings + dynamic calibrations in a single profile). Test prints I’ve run so far are great. Going to push it tomorrow.

ABS is an interesting one (for me anyway. I got some minor warping on some of my prints, ones with a relatively small footprint. The brims stayed attached to the plate, but it was the print which came way from the brim. There’s a setting called “Brim Object Gap” which might be the answer here, currently set to 0.1 by default. This is something I need to play with.

TPU and PETG tomorrow, trying to resist the temptation of just going hell for leather.

Do people tend to run the dynamic calibrations before each print? this seems a bit wasteful to me. My plan would to be calibrate each roll, or even each manufacturer and material type once, and use the calibrations. Maybe recalibrate every 3rd roll or something.

Sorry for the essay, but I’m absolutely astounded by this thing!