Review Bambu Lab X1-Carbon 3D Printer review: Leading the pack

[Admin]

The Bambu Lab X1-Carbon offers high speed, high temperature multicolor printing with an end-to-end workflow targeted at the prosumer market.

Bambu Lab X1-Carbon 3D Printer review: Leading the pack : Read more

 

[USAFRet]

I have the X1-Carbon with the AMS, and it is as awesome as it sounds.

This my 6th printer, so I'm not a noob at this.

 

[thrilpac3d]

The Bambu Lab X1-Carbon offers high speed, high temperature multicolor printing with an end-to-end workflow targeted at the prosumer market.

Bambu Lab X1-Carbon 3D Printer review: Leading the pack : Read more

This all sounds nice, try the nightmarish support system. Not so easy

 

[USAFRet]

This all sounds nice, try the nightmarish support system. Not so easy

Details on this nightmare?

 

[edzieba]

I'd disagree on nozzle replacement being trickey: since the filament cutter mechanism means that any solidifed filament remains solely below the separation plane, and since the nozzle is unitrary (no separate tip/heatbreak/heatsink) there is no mucking about with hot-tightening to avoid leaks. Two 2mm hex bolts, drops right off, new one on, two bolts back in. If you wear a heatproof glove, you don't even need to bother waiting for it to cool down.
Granted that means swapping assemblies rather than just the metal block (so fan, thermistor and heater) but since those are so cheap, and already available pre-assembled, the convenience is easily worth not saving a few pennies.

 

[holmes4]

Overall, a good article, but some errors. For the X1C, a MicroSD card is NOT required to send prints to the printer (one is required for the P1S and is included). You need an SD card for the X1C only if you wish to record timelapse videos.

A more subtle error is that the article presents the AMS as being included with the X1C. That the price is reported as $1449 indicates that the article is reviewing the "X1 Carbon Combo", which bundles the AMS with the printer and includes the three sample spools. The X1C is available without the AMS for $1199, and the AMS can be purchased separately for $349.

I agree with others here that hotend/nozzle changes are not complex, though people used to just unscrewing one nozzle and screwing in another will be disappointed. This process is easier on the A1 series of printers, and there are aftermarket hotends that improve this process.

The article places a lot of focus on waste from the multicolor printing process. The defaults in Bambu Studio do indeed generate excess purging due to being conservative. There are techniques to tune the purge volumes so that they are dramatically reduced without causing color bleeding. Also, there is no "purge tower" - the tower that does get printed is a "prime tower" that helps the extrusion get up to speed after a color change.

I have had my X1C (now with two AMS units) for more than a year, having been 3D printing since 2012, and am thoroughly delighted. I've had a dozen printers over the years, and the only one I've hung onto, mainly as a spare, is a Prusa MK3S. The Bambu X1C is really good.