Bambu Lab A1 Mini 3D Printer - What to expect
Bambu Lab have been teasing a new product. Bit by bit, it became clear it’s a full 3D Printer with the goal to offer “color 3D Printing for everyone”.
Update December 2023: The new A1 (not mini) can be read about here. Maybe that was what you came here for…
Now that the Mini is released, let’s break down all the features and who this 3D Printer caters to. Why are Bambu Lab is breaking their original “no more bedslingers” ambition?
The new Bambu Lab A1 Mini 3D Printer
Is a very interesting budget multi-color 3D Printer. Well, even more budget friendly than the Bambu Lab P1P reviewed here.
With a smaller formfactor, cheaper construction using a moving bed(not CoreXY) while retaining 4-color AMS/Multi material printing this looks nothing like what X1C and P1P/P1S customers asked for.
They all wanted bigger volume and possible active heating in the chamber. At least if you look at the 15 000+ members in the unofficial (and official) bambu lab facebook groups. Hopefully the rumored X1E (Now released, learn more here) will cater to those customers.
However, just because existing customers thinks it’s a bad idea, is it?
Bambu Lab A1 Mini Features
Before we dig deeper into the features and why Bambu Labs would go this route, let’s have a look at the complete specifications list and features first.
The main feature is a total redesign of the Bambu lab style of printer. A new Cantilever cartesian design with a single “arm” sticking out over the build plate.
This looks quite weak, but according to reviewers, the vibration dampening sensors make it work for both fast and accurate printing despite of being suspended in the air, and moving the bed around.
The new extruder is really interesting, with 1-click hot end swap and a purging system to reduce AMS-filament travel.
The biggest plus of this new A1-series might just be the AMS Lite. Let’s have a closer look.
Bambu Lab A1 Mini Specifications
Build Volume: 180 x 180 x 180 mm
Extruders: 1 (4 color AMS Lite option)
Extruder Type: Direct Drive, all metal up to 300℃
Print Speed: max 500mm/s - 10’000 mm/s2
Hot end flow: 28mm3/s
Construction: Cantilever cartesian
Filament: 1.75mm open standard
Enclosed: Not at all
Heated Buildplate: Yes, 80℃
Built in camera
Sensors for flow/vibration and “noise”
Filament runout/odometry: Yes
Power loss recovery: Yes
Slicer: Bambu Studio
Interface: 2.4” Color touch screen, App or PC
Connections: Wifi, Bambu-Bus and MicroSD
Product size: 347 x 315 x 365 mm
Product weight (without AMS): 5.5kg
Read even more specifications here.
Bambu Lab AMS Lite - Next generation Automatic Material Station
The new AMS Lite is exactly that, a light barebone version of the AMS with some generational improvements as well.
Cost have been cut by reducing the enclosure. This might be less suitable for those running materials that are sensitive for moisture. Another problem is that spools are now more exposed and may collect dust and particles that clog the extruder more easily.
Since the A1 series mixes material closer to the extruder, there don’t seem to be a way to add multiple AMS-station together and produce prints with more than 4 colors, like you can do on the X1 and P1 series 3D Printers.
On the other hand, the mechanics of controlling the materials rolling and unrolling now let’s you use adaptable spool-center-holders instead. These are much less dependent on the sides of a spool, meaning more spools are compatible, like carboard spools, bigger and smaller spools from more manufacturers.
Since 4 PTFE tubes now run to the extruder, the process of swapping material should actually be a bit faster, reducing time for big prints that have several hundres of material swaps.
Who are Bambu Lab targeting?
The “bedslinger” cantilever 3D Printer was pretty far from what all the X1 and P1 customers were asking for. Most of us wanted a bigger 3D Printer.
What bambu lab did instead was to simplify their product. Build on what made them successful and create a product for the mass market. With a easier to use overall system, a cheaper product and a ecosystem that allows for non-PC-interaction, they are trying to adapt to non-technical creative customers.
I’ve talked about the two major customer groups in my article about beginners 3D Printers before, but basically you have the ones that either see a 3D Printer as a tool they should master as part of their hobby. Or as a tool to help them master their hobby. The latter is a “hands off” approach to 3D Printing. The printing part is only a way of getting to the results, and nothing they want to spend time on.
As an example. Some want to buy a finished MacBook that just works for content creation. Others want to build their own PC and master it, while squeezing maximum gaming and rendering performance.
Bambu Lab have always wanted to go the “Apple-route”. The “PC” market is already occupied by Prusa research and some of the others.
Why it hurts that the Bambu lab A1 Mini is such a good 3D printer
Bambu Lab are not open source 3D Printers. They are not mod friendly or made to upgrade.
The A1 Mini is targeting Prusa Mini+ directly, and by the looks of it winning on almost all points directly. Except open source.
Many prominent figures in open source hardware are voicing concerns that so many customers just don’t care about open source any more. And that when we (as a market) continue to choose the closed down systems, we’re not really aware of how we’re limiting ourselves going forward.
So it hurts that the Bambu Lab A1 Mini is going to be the go-to 3D printer for anyone recommending someone a way into this hobby, since we’re actively stopping collective progression and contribution to bring everyone forward, by adapting features that are being patented and less likely to be developed into cheaper and more customizable features.
Although, maybe that’s the point, that the 3D printing part of being a creative don’t need to be a hobby, but only a tool.
Why bambu lab is in risk of demise
Bambu Lab do have a huge issues that may very well risk their success.
The biggest one being their support. Wherever you look, people are frustrated over never being able to contact bambu lab, receiving warranty parts or that spare parts are often out of stock.
Being this successful brings a lot of growth pain, and the release of a product aiming to sell even more (and faster) is a huge risk. Can they hire and train support staff fast enough?
The target group are not tinkerers, they don’t want to unscrew this or that bolt or even unclog a nozzle. Even with fantastic manuals or guides, these users are not going to be happy to wait weeks to get an answer that you need to follow these steps in a guide and do it yourself.
Maybe Bambu Lab believes the community loves them so much, that we’ll all help in different facebook groups or reddit threads? Probably, but only to a point.
We already see how people who ask the same questions as someone else a day earlier are treated…
Partnering up?
As far as I understand, Bambu Lab have very few (if any) official resellers, selling the machines locally.
To reach the masses, you need partners with access to customers. Such as Walmart, Amazon or similar.
The problem is that the price is so low, that these partners might not get enough margin to actually profit. Specially when they will have to pick up the slack in support from Bambu Labs.
Users will get even more frustrated if you buy from a company, only to be directed to a facebook group or bambu lab support when you need help, and not get that help.
A likely success anyway
The Bambu Lab A1 is most likely a success anyway, and with features like MakerWorld (bambu labs new print library) users are going to have a much easier way of loading a good print file from the phone, without touching a computer.
This enables even more potential customers that can’t actually run a slicer software, because they don’t have a PC.
With MakerWorld going the “Printables” route and adding rewards, you can be sure that creators are going to go there.
I just wish there was a option to sell 3D Prints, that were non-STLs. So I’d be sure my customer didn’t have an opportunity to share/pirate the model. Think of a sale-to-gcode through the cloud solution.
Should you buy the Bambu Lab A1 Mini 3D Printer?
If you are into multi-color 3D Printing and fine with running less “technical” materials. This is the printer for you!
To be 100% sure, I’ll review my A1 Mini that’s coming soon (I have it now and i’ts awesome!) but based on the reviews of others, this is a fantastic little machine with innovative features, great hardware and amazing possibilities for enabling even more people into 3D Printing.
Bambu Lab A1 Mini Pricing and availability:
The price (at writing) of $459 with the AMS Lite is incredible.
The closest thing we have is the Bambu Lab P1P at a discounted $599 + $349 for the AMS
Even if you don’t want multi-color yet and want to get into 3D printing easily, the standard $299 A1 Mini for the amount of features (and AMS upgradability later on) is very competitive.
The only real competition is the Creality Ender 3 V3 SE that I talk about here. It has its ups and downs, but the A1 Mini caters to even less technical customers.
