What could be these “something” that are coming from BL next year to make the 3D printing experience better, as mentioned in this video? Watch from timestamp 10:20 to the end.
Promises, promises…and again… promises. We’ll just have to wait and see what becomes true and what not.
1 Like
Off the top of my head, here are a couple of things that can make 3D printing a smoother experience.
- Automatic removal of finished print from the build plate.
This will allow users to do multiple printing sessions remotely. It will also reduce the times of users touching the plate which can leave finger oil causing bed adhession issues.
- Better filament drying process.
I don’t have to dry filaments yet, but it seems wet filament is a common challenge for many. Some even said they had dried their filaments for x hours and still wouldn’t work.
A better way to ensure the filament is dried enough for printing is to have a way to measure when the drying is done, instead of relying on counting the hours.
For example, one way can be to have the drier weighting the filament at regular intervals while drying. When the weight is no longer going down rapidly, (or the weight no longer goes down), the drying process stops. If it takes 2 hours then it will stop at that without going any further. If it is still not dry, then the drying will continue even if the recommended hours have been reached.
If I can think of other areas that have an impact, I will add later.
Yep. Time is the wrong metric.
Weight gets closer but still is inconclusive. Weight can stop changing even though filament is still “wet” if the drying process stops removing water. That can happen with conventional dryers in moderate or high humidity environments. It’s like hanging clothes out to dry on a humid day - takes longer than on dry days and they don’t always get completely dry. Same thing.
Time can only be reliably used if the drying process is known to remove water at some consistent (doesn’t have to be constant) rate. Weight can only be reliably used if the drying conditions are such that it’s known enough water will be removed to get the filament to “dry”.
A dryer that controls humidity to some low level where water is removed from filament at somewhat of a consistent rate and to a consistent low level can be used by time or weight.
I’d like to see much much higher flow rates, which should yield big speed improvements when using bigger nozzles. For instance: who is currently using 0.8mm nozzles? Seems like nobody. Why not? Aside from resolution, you’ve already maxed your performance using a 0.6mm nozzle, and so moving to 0.8mm really doesn’t buy you much. Moving from 0.4mm to 0.6mm nozzle buys you something, but currently nowhere near as much as it could. You can cheat that a bit using the HF 0.6mm nozzles, but… why not just install higher native flow rates with a longer melt zone and more watts,… or something? I suppose there’s tension between that request and the general prevalent desire for less purge waste, so maybe the new fast-heating inductive heaters are the workaround to that. Smaller melt zone equals less purge waste.
This 100% has my vote. I may even buy an A1 just so I can do it using the automatic build plate ejector systems put out by third parties. I probably would have bought one during the Black Friday big discounts, but they ran out, and now the discount isn’t as big anymore.
The dryer will be air-tight and have controlled low humidity and vent while drying, right? Weight change is only an example. It can be a different indicator or a combination of several indicators.
1 Like
Higher flowrate for bigger-sized nozzles can make sense. But things like higher flow rate or higher speed etc, are probably not what they were talking about.
Here are a couple more:
- Bambu Studio controllable external spool loader/unloader.
This may be coming soon if the recent leaked photos are true. Even if the leak is fake, the need for this is real. I use the external spool regularly. Having to go over to the printer to manually load and unload external spool to switch between the AMS and the external spool is inconvenient.
- Better air filter and/or device for air quality.
The smell and the potential of toxic fumes can make many families hesitate to buy and use a 3D printer at home. This is particularly the case for enginnering filaments. I know there are air filters right now but a much better and more robust system/device will be good to have and to let users have the peace of mind. The system/device should have indicator on when the filter or filtering agent needs replacement.
I am throwing in one product that I requested not long ago
1 Like
- A dedicated annealing device or a dry-n-anneal 2-in-1 dryer.
Some filaments can benefit from annealing. For example, annealing PLA can give the prints a higher heat resistance to mitigate this shortcoming of PLA.
This, along with new filaments specifically formulated for annealing, can give the prints a boost in heat resistance, strength, and stablility and thus opens up a path to create more robust functional models.
1 Like
Or take it next level, with “anneal in place” immediately after printing. You print it, maybe with with supports to assist during the annealing process, then the chamber heats up to annealing temperature, and bingo, you pull out the finished product, fresh off the build plate. NO user intervention required, so perfect for an overnight print. Ready to pick-up in the morning.
I haven’t heard of any printers that can do this, but it should would be convenient!
That would be nice, but depending on the filament type the annealing temperature can be too high to achieve and consistantly maintained inside a printer chamber. Furtherore, some printer parts can be affected negatively by high temp.
Yeah, I suppose you’re right, because it’s probably too niche. In its absence, I’d sign up for your idea.
Last time I looked seriously into annealing it was just CNC Kitchen burying his prints in salt or plaster to try to bolster them against deformation, but largely failing anyway. At least when that was filmed, it looked as though PLA was too difficult. The shape would deform before it could fully anneal. Kinda pathetic really. The juice just didn’t seem worth the squeeze. Maybe now there are more favorable filament formulations, either chemically or with fiber infills that resist sagging during annealing, or maybe other techniques like encasing one filament in another, which is much more of a thing now than then, will make it more practical. Are you doing much of it yourself, or are you looking to buy the right kind of annealing oven before you do?
In contrast to PLA, IIRC, PPS-CF won’t deform while annealing, even without supports, cuz the HDT is notably higher than the annealing temperature, and the CF keeps it rigid.
I haven’t done any annealing yet, partly because I haven’t found something that can achieve and maintain accurate temperatures, and partly because annealing is best done on specially-formulated filaments.
But I have been thinking about doing it. If I could increase the heat resistance of PLA from 60 c to 100 c, it will make a big difference in the things that I can use PLA for. Similarly, if I can increase the strength of PETG significantly, I will use it a lot more. These two types of filaments are not only cheap, but also emit the least amount of fumes.
Perhaps AMS HT without the heating/drying function? That’s primarily how I use mine.
The effort and results from annealing PLA are like 99.9% obsolete when you can just start with better material for just about the same cost. But, it does sound fun to melt and twist a benchy while she’s stuck to the plate…
Yes, for filaments that are very sensitive to moisture, it can be a good use of the AMS HT as an external spool holder. For some other filaments such as PLA, it is a $140 overkill though.
It isn’t obsolete. There are good reasons that PLA is the most popular filament.
The fact that annealing can be prone to failure is exactly where Bambu Lab has a role to play. In the same way that BL turns a prone-to-fail 3D printing process into a more reliable and relatively foolproof experience, they can do their research and testings to solve various challenges such as shringkage compensation, accurate temp control and annealing durations, filament formulations, etc, to make it possible and easy for ordinary users to get good results.
- A portable printer
A lightweight portable printer. Comes in its own protective case. Takes only a few minutes to set up and run.
Use cases:
Bring to craft fairs to do on-demand printing. Also for attraction.
Bring to family or friend gatherings, BBQ, etc, and let others play/print with it. Childrens will love to see some toys being printed right in front of their eyes.
Bring on long trips away from home.
Don’t need it but buy it for the cool factor 