Looking forward to receiving my P1S later this month once it ships out. Have to admit that this new firmware issue is a little disconcerting for me, having not even received my printer yet. This is my first 3D printer and I hope that Bambu Lab addresses the concerns out there.
That being said, I would appreciate any tips for a beginner to this hobby. General 3D printing tips and also specific to the P1S would be awesome!
Don’t instantly “Mod” your printer. Mods often cause more issues than they solve for new people to printing. Just print cool stuff.
Keep your fingers off of the build surface. The oils from your fingers will cause adhesion issues. If you start having adhesion issues, clean your plate with hot water and dish soap.
Keep your filament as dry as possible. Some people use plastic cereal boxes, I prefer air tight ammo boxes. Put some desiccant or other drying agent in there. Your need for this will vary based on your environment too.
Start with PLA. There’s a whole world of filament types that you’ll explore in your journey but get the basics down first.
Keep an eye on your prints for the first few layers. The “blob of death” isn’t the end of the world but it is a headache.
Once the bug bites you’re going to buy filament, lots of filament. Start thinking about a storage method and location.
You CAN but I wouldn’t advise this to be your primary way of cleaning your plate.
The problem with using IPA is that it flashes off (evaporates) too fast. It will lift contaminants/oils off of the bed surface when it is still liquid but redeposit them as it evaporates. Wiping a bed with IPA and a cloth doesn’t remove contaminants as it tends to smear them around more.
To clean a bed properly with IPA you will need to flush the contaminates off it which requires a substantial amount of IPA to be used. This is why dish soap works so well. The soap lifts oils off of the surface and binds to them. The plate is flushed with hot water and this removes the oils and soap particles.
I did buy a filament dryer off of Amazon (SUNLU Dryer) as well as desiccant (reusable kind). Plan on printing the desiccant holders for the AMS as a first print.
Perfect, you’re already ahead of the game! Here’s a couple of tools that always come in handy. These links are just examples, you can probably find them cheaper.
You’ll need a good bed scraper too but there are tons of models you can print.
Also, please don’t let the current state of the forum keep you way. Tensions are high right now but there’s a good group of people here that will always help.
Sounds good…I saved probably too many tool and accessory prints in MakerWorld… lol!
I will not let the current issue sway me away from BL. Some of it does seem overblown, but I also agree with folks who want the freedom to operate their printer however they desire.
That being said 3d printing isn’t black and white. There isn’t only one right answer. There are a myriad of different opinions on the internet of what you should or shouldn’t do, should or shouldn’t use. It all comes down to do/use what works for you.
I don’t use it either. With a well cleaned textured plate most things will stick really well. There was once or twice that I printed something in one of the engineering filaments (PPA-CF) that kept pulling off the plate because the chamber needs to be really hot… in those cases I used the liquid Bambu one and it worked great.
Keep your build plates clean - Warm water and dishwashing detergent, rinse well and don’t touch the surface. IPA is still handy for a quick wipe with a paper towel if you know you accidentally bumped into a plate. I also dissolve glue stick in a spray bottle of IPA to produce a more even surface. Glue stick alone can be a bit lumpy.
Keep your filament dry. Not usually an issue with PLA, but can be a big deal with other materials. A spool fresh out of the bag is not necessarily dry.
Learn how to calibrate your filament. You can get by with default presets, but you can usually do better with your own tests.
I’m going to be the odd man out and confess there are times I use adhesive. Usually on a larger ABS print, or as a release agent for PETG on a textured plate.
I don’t think it’s something you need to have. Clean plate is really it for the most part.
I think you are already very well covered in sage advise
Personally, I fully support the “do not mod” advice given on the printer. It is a little different once you turn your eyes on an AMS. There are some useful mods out there to help with moisture reduction and tangle prevention. For tangle prevention I have something similar to this: Filament guide for AMS saver V2 by madizmo - MakerWorld. For spool centres, I think I am using these: Desiccant Spool Tumbler - Airflow Remix Remixed by KYZ Design - MakerWorld. For the front row and rear, I am afraid I have forgotten the link.
Don’t go overboard at first. PLA will be fine at first. Just don’t forget to remove them before putting the rolls in the dryer.
Similarly, I second that on the textured plate, you should not really need adhesive. I do like the smooth plate though where I always distribute a thin PVA glue stick film with plenty of water. It can last for half a dozen (or even more) prints on that plate.
And of course I also second the recommendation to start off your 3D printing journey with cool PLA prints before going further. There’s plenty available nowadays. And you can then gain confidence before embarking on more challenging prints.
Sooner or (hopefully) later you’ll need to do some troubleshooting. Step 1: Dry Filament & Clean Plate