Bambu Labs 3D Printers - Experience/Opinions?

[Dwight in Toronto]

I just witnessed a home-based 3D printer in operation for the first time, and it was every bit as “cool” as I always imagined it would be.  A good buddy, who also happens to be a neighbour just a few doors down, set up a Bambu Labs A1 mini printer earlier today and called me to have a look.

This thing was only $249 Cdn.  He described how the machine was incredibly fast and easy to set up (fully self-calibrating) and ridiculously easy to use, and his first few trial prints were flawless.

I am a 3D neophyte, but I was truly blown away at how fast this little machine was working away, and the quality of the things he had already printed (he’s not a model railroader, so he hasn’t tried anything in that regard).

Anyway, I was just curious to know if anyone here is aware of, or has experience with this product line.  The manufacturer prides itself on their ease of use, and the price points certainly look attractive.  Anxious to hear from those who know about this stuff!

https://ca.store.bambulab.com/

[kornellred]

Bambu Labs has wide acceptance in the FDM (fused deposition modeling) segment of the 3D printing world, but FDM printers have lost traction in the n scale modeling segment to resin printers, which have far less post-processing issues, in terms of smoothing surfaces out and scaling accuracy.

[AlwaysSolutions]

I don't have one but I've been looking closely at their product.  The A1 Mini is a good printer.  Keep in mind the build size may not be as big as you need.  If you need bigger, go with the A1.  As far as Bambu goes, it is a company that rocked the FDM printing community by breaking out of the same basic model that has been around for over a decade to provide faster, quality prints.  Their X1 Carbon and P1P has hit the printing market so hard, that Stratasys (a Goliath of the 3D printing world) is suing Bambu for patent infringement.  Customers who may have bought expensive printers from Stratasys to print farm have turned to Bambu for their exceptional printers at a vastly lower price points.

Having said that, since you're a self described neophyte to 3D printing, please research thoroughly keeping in mind the types of things YOU want to print and use the printer for.  FDM printing is not a fine detail machine.  Locomotive shells, traffic lights, construction workers, are not things you want to print with an FDM printer.  That is unless you really don't care about the quality, in which case have fun.  Resin printers are what most of us are using in the model railroading world.  I DO use an FDM printer for some things though.  You can print buildings, track display bases, I even printed catenary with mine.

Lastly, I would highly encourage you to learn how to design in 3D modelling software.  There are a lot of models available to purchase or download for free, but nothing scratches that itch like being able to make anything you want.

[Dwight in Toronto]

That’s great input guys - thank you so much.

Maybe what I could do would be to provide my friend with a print file for, say, a locomotive shell (?), and see how the Bambu handles it.  It could be meaningful, revealing and perhaps conclusive if the “test” file had some detail-intensive features that would prove a challenge to the device. 

I don’t know of such a file (nor where/how to source one), so would welcome input/suggestions.
I would, of course, share results for scrutiny and critique.  At this price point, my guess is that a lot of RW folks might be interested in some assessment of Bambu’s capabilities and limitations.

What do you think?

[Chris333]

Think about how a soft serve ice cream cone is made and ask if you think printing a locomotive like that would look good.

I mean if you want to print a throttle holder to put on the side of a layout it will work, but not for detail.

For that price you can get a resin printer.  https://us.elegoo.com/collections/lcd-printers?utm_source=officialmenu&utm_medium=referral&utm_id=usstore

[peteski]

Ah, so this is what I know of as filament printer. While I'm sure the current models use much thinner filament as they did in the past, they likely can't get even close to the resin printers some members here use.   Good for low-detail items.

I also have to chuckle as when I see Bambu, the first thing that comes to my  mind is:



I guess that's from watching all those Cheech & Chong movies.   

[CNscale]

I concur with everyone else regarding resin printers being better for model railroading, even though I only have a filament printer myself. But I use it for G-scale.

Since you asked about where to obtain a file to try on your friend's printer, just go to yeggi.com and enter "locomotive" in the search box.

Here's an example of a filament-printed locomotive shell: https://www.printables.com/model/375826-gp7-locomotive-open-source
It's not bad, but the layer lines are clearly visible in the photo. And that's in 1:64 (S) scale. That's just going to get worse in smaller scales.

[Dwight in Toronto]

Ok guys, thank you all very much for contributing your voices of experience.

You’ve provided me with two key key take-aways:
1 - for N scale detail, resin technology remains as the sole option
2 - resin printers can be comparably affordable.

This helps a lot.

[Scottl]

I bought a resin printer over a year ago and still have yet to use it.  I have a set up now in the garage to keep fumes out of house but still can't bring myself to start using it!  I'll start simple and work up from there, but it was about the same price as the printer you mention and the potential results are just so much better for n scale.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I have an FDM printer and I use it all the time. It's done all of my fun things like mounting brackets, household replacement parts, hacked Unitrack, etc...

But I wouldn't use it for printing anything "above the rail". It just doesn't have the resolution or quality.

If you think the convenience of an FDM printer would be useful in your life, I don't see the point in spending a lot of money on one. I got my Ender 3 Pro for like $100 at Micro-Center. I'd get another one in a heartbeat.

[dem34]

You can use FDM for models it just requires specifically making models for the medium and they won't be as nice as a Resin printed unit. That said, they are convenient, and a lot less toxic. This was with the $200 A1 mini. Won't compete with in an RPM but its abt $5 in materials.

[Chris333]

Did you print the hopper or the load?

[dem34]

Did you print the hopper or the load?

The Hopper. (But also the load, its just 3 simple shapes with ballast sprinkled over and spray painted.)  Its my H39B model from a few years back. I spent an evening parting it into sides so it prints as a flat kit. Flat pieces can be ironed smooth automatically by the tool head. Assembly is just 10 minutes to glue the sides up. A quick spray of Tamiya Mineral Brown. Adding a Mictrotrains Truck and coupler set. And then another 15 minuted to decal it. The Lube plate is a little wonky bcs I had to butcher a Gondolas but afterwards I found out K4 Decals makes a set for the specific cars.

[timwatson]

I bought a P1S and it's the best 3d printer I have ever owned. It's been so impressive. Give Bambu a try.

[Geared Steam]

I've had a Bambu A1 with AMS lite now since they were re-released in the spring. I have over 1800 hrs on it and sell On30 cars all the time. Its paid for itself 3 times over. The machine is a wonderful appliance and much better than any other FDM printers on the market as far as quality of print, and reliability. Don't compare an FDM print to all FDM printers, Bambu is exceptional, but again, you must learn what nozzle, filament type and slicer settings to use.