Bambu Lab A1 mini: Your Ticket to 3D Printing – Easy, Accessible and Fun!

Bambu Lab has launched the A1 Mini together with the AMS Lite for less experienced 3D printing users.
BambuLab A1 mini

Launch of the BambuLab A1 mini 3D printer

Bambu Lab, known for their high quality desktop 3D printers, has taken a revolutionary step by launching their new products, the A1 mini and AMS lite, representing the latest innovations in 3D printing. As the folks at Bambu Lab also mentioned, these products are aimed at people who want to try a 3D printer even if they have no experience in the field. I say this because this launch is also linked to another announcement made by the folks at Bambu Lab, namely the Maker World platform which according to information available online, allows you to print 3D objects without the need for a computer, slicer and 3D files, directly from your phone app.

Characteristics

Automatic calibration

The A1 mini stands out because it comes ready assembled, calibrated and ready to print, completely eliminating the need for assembly or manual adjustments. Essential calibrations such as Z-offset, bed level and X and Y axis vibration resonance are performed automatically before each print.

A1 mini extruder
A1 mini silent

Noisy?!

Bambu Lab claims that Active Motor Noise Cancellation effectively reduces the noise produced by motor movement, resulting in a quieter 3D printing experience. Once activated for the first time, the A1 mini will perform a motor calibration process to adjust the vibration characteristics of specific 3D printer motors. It remains to be seen if they’ve also equipped the printer with silent fans.

Active Flow Rate Compensation

The A1 mini is also equipped with an innovative nozzle sensor that automatically adjusts the material flow during printing. It is not yet known whether this technology uses the same algorithm as the more powerful X1 series printers that use a LiDAR camera to calibrate the filament flow.

A1 mini active flow rate compensation
a1 mini flow calibration

AMS lite – Multicolor 3D Printing

The little brother of AMS module

A1 Mini was launched at the same time as the AMS lite which is only sold in combination with the printer and cannot be bought separately. That’s because from the information that’s available online, it looks like this module will only be usable with the A1 Mini, even though most fans were hoping for a compatible module with printers outside of the Bambu Lab ecosystem.

The AMS lite is the upgraded version of the original AMS and brings a simplified approach to 3D printing with more materials and colors. AMS lite is designed with attention to detail to make the printing experience as easy and efficient as possible for users.

Ease of use

One of the notable features of the AMS lite are the four filament reel slots, each numbered and equipped with an indicator light to let you know which reel is currently in use. Setting up the system is extremely simple – inserting the filament into the yellow holes will trigger the automatic feeding of material to the appropriate location, preparing it for use. When using Bambu Lab filament, the RFID chips in the reels tell the system the type of material present, and the AMS lite passes this information to the slicer and application. Next, as mentioned above, flexible filaments are not compatible with AMS lite, although you can print them with the A1 mini itself.

ams lite loading

Should you buy it?

For a 3D printer that Bambu Lab said they wouldn’t make, that they didn’t need to make, the A1 mini is very good. Looking at the printer’s overall appreciation and required user experience, one might wonder if the company is straying a bit from the kind of competition that the X1 series has imposed on all printers around the $1,000 threshold.

Certainly, from the rumors we saw online after the initial teaser, it’s not what many speculated it would be, and, being another part of the Bambu Lab ecosystem, it’s not exactly as big a step toward democratizing color printing as, say, an AMS unit compatible with any printer could have been.

However, I would argue that the A1 mini, by normalizing print quality diagnostics and the convenience of trouble-free software at the price of other companies’ most economical 3D printers, is a smashing hit.

Ultimately, however, the A1 mini brings the high quality we’ve come to expect from Bambu Lab at an ultra-competitive price, and brings with it some process improvements.

Specifications

  • Print volume: 180x180x180 mm³
  • Body: Steel + Extruded Aluminium
  • Hot End: All-Metal
  • Extruder Gears: Steel
  • Nozzle: Stainless Steel
  • Maximum Hot End Temperature: 300℃
  • Nozzle Diameter (Included): 0.4 mm
  • Nozzle Diameter (Optional): 0.2 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.8 mm
  • Filament Cutter: Yes
  • Filament Diameter: 1.75 mm
  • Printing Plate Compatibility: Bambu Textured PEI Plate, Bambu Smooth PEI Plate
  • Maximum Printing Plate Temperature: 80℃
  • Maximum Printing Head Speed: 500 mm/s
  • Maximum Print Head Acceleration: 10 m/s²
  • Maximum Flux of Hot End: 28 mm²/s @ ABS (Model: 150×150 mm single wall; Material: Bamboo ABS; Temperature: 280℃)
  • Supported filament types: PLA, PETG, PC, PA, PVA
  • Camera Monitoring: Low Framerate Camera (up to 1080P), Time Lapse Support
  • Filament End Stop Sensor: Yes
  • Filament Odometry Sensor: Yes
  • Power Loss Recovery: Yes
  • Filament Bend Sensor: Yes
  • Physical Dimensions: 347x315x365 mm³
  • Net Weight: 5.5 kg
  • Input Voltage: 100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz
  • Display: 2.4 inch IPS Touch Screen with 320×240 Resolution
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bamboo-Bus
  • Storage: Micro SD Card
  • Control Interface: Touch Screen, Mobile App, PC App
  • Motion Control: Cortex M4 Dual-Core
  • Slicer: Bambu Studio, Support for third-party slicers that export standard Gcode, such as Superslicer, Prusaslicer and Cura, but some advanced features may not be supported

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