The new Bambu Lab A1 3D Printer
Bambu labs just released their newest 3D printer, the A1. This appears to be a full size A1 Mini, and that’s a great thing!
The released product image from Bambu Labs store. aff-link to Bambu Labs on image.
What is the new A1 3D printer?
Its another bed slinger from Bambu labs. and its larger. It has the same 256x256x256mm build volume as the X1/P1 series 3D Printers.
This makes a lot of sense considering spare parts and build plates. it also integrates better into the makerworld library of models, making all X1/P1 build plates easily converted.
Luckily this new A1 builds upon the very successful features of the A1 Mini such as tool free changing of hotends, noise cancellation and vibration dampening and a very nice touch screen interface. When you pair it with the AMS Lite (as it’s not compatible with “regular” AMS) you have yourself an extremely capable 3D Printer!
What the new A1 Combo should be great at
The A1 Mini caters to beginners and multi-color printing with simple, budget friendly materials like PLA. The A1 will do exactly that, but at a slightly larger build volume targeting the Prusa I3/i4 segment.
For many Bambu Lab X1/P1 Users, this might not be very interesting, but for the larger mass, this is yet another great way of getting into 3D Printing at a beginners level, with AMS as an option.
Bambu Lab A1 specifications:
Based on images and the A1 Mini, These are the expected specifications:
Build Size: 256x256x256mm
Heated bed (100C) with P1P-style removable plates (Textured PEI Plate included)
up to 500mm/s printing (at 10’000mm/s² acceleration)
Full auto-leveling
no-tool Hot End swaps (like Mini). Hardened steel drive gear
Up to 300C all-metal Hot End 0,2, 0,4, 0,6 and 0,8mm nozzles
Linear rails and Dual Z-axis screws
Active Flow rate compensation
Active Motor Noise canceling
Filament monitoring
Vibration Compensation
low fps 1080p camera.
Filament: PLA/PETG/TPU/PVA all recommended
AMS: AMS Lite (1x), enabling 4 color/material 3D printing.
Images from Bambu Lab store.
Who is the new A1 For?
I was just about to write an article about how the A1 Mini is the first 3D Printer that truly dosen’t require the owner to have a computer. Thats HUGE in the upcoming market of 15-25yr olds who only use a phone or tablet. The larger A1 should be exactly the same, perfect for users who are less hands on -(learn more about what I mean in this article) and just want to use a 3D Printer. It should also cater to schools and “print farms” as long as you “just” need PLA and AMS.
Just like the A1 Mini is an alternative to the hugely popular Prusa Mini, the A1 should look, and maybe be priced similar to the Prusa i3/i4 products. I think the most impressive feat would be to target the Creality Ender 3 v3 market, but I don’t think Bambu Lab are pricing themselves there.
Bambu lab A1 Price
Update: Price for A1 without AMS is $399 - Imrpressive! And the A1 Combo is $559. See availability through my affiliate-link here.
Thoughts about pricing (before price was announced):
Considering the target market. Where do you position the A1 price-wise? It probably “replaces” the need for a $599/699 P1P 3D Printer. I expect that one to go away soon, and just P1S and X1/X1E to exist in the “prosumer” segment.
The new A1 still needs to be more expensive than the A1 Mini at $299 (se current price/deals at this aff link).
So a reasonable guess would be that it slots in between P1P’s original $699 and A1 Mini $299, which would very competitive towards an Prusa i3/i4, but not too scary for a Creality Ender 3 V3 potential buyer.
It ended up being a much more aggrassive pricing and my initial guess was $100 more for both A1 alone and A1 Combo. Great work Bambu Labs!
The future of Bambu Lab 3D Printers
The A1 Series targets less complex 3D Printing, which means expectations from customer is easier to balance, meaning that you end up getting great results with the “target” material PLA.
I think the A1 will be the first platform to get a “XL” version, as it’s “made for PLA” and the bed-slinger design is probably more profitable to gamble on. So an A1 XL would probably be around 312x312x312 or even 320x320x320mm build size.
However there’s a big problem with an A1 XL. The size makes the shipping and box very large, and very in-efficient. So to solve this, you could imagine that this will be the first semi-assembled Bambu Lab 3D Printer.
We will see what happens next, thanks for sticking around and feel free to use my links when shopping bambu labs 3D Printers of filament.
