Christmas Present for Myself? Bambu Labs X1 Combo - What accesories?

[C855B]

I'm convinced by the chatter that this is the one to buy for the best out-of-the-box experience for an FDM noob. On top of that, the thermal enclosure is something I felt from experience with plastics in general would yield better results from filament deposition.

But... and about to press the "buy now" button... I realized I didn't know what add-ons I needed, especially after not easily determining what the combo included beyond the automatic reel changer. It took 10 minutes of scrolling around to find it included the 0.4mm hot end, so I do know to get the 0.2mm for finer work. Anything else? Reversible build plate?

Materials? Got me. Gut has me leaning toward ABS, but that's primarily from fooling with ABS fabrication for six decades, and knowing which glues and solvents work (and which don't!). Also have a little experience with PLA output and that when the build delaminates, there's no glue beyond CA that'll fix it, and then not well.

A fair bit of resin under my belt having an original Photon and a D1, but could certainly use some general and printer-specific advice making the jump to high-quality FDM. Thanks!

[pdx1955]

I would get a smooth plate as the stock textured one will impart that texture on the print. If you are going to print carbon fiber or wood you should get a hardened steel hotend in 0.4 and 0.6 mm to prevent clogging or excessive wear. Should also get a filament dryer as most filaments outside of PLA require it. The Creality Space Pi one I got is working well. ABS will create fumes so it needs to be in a well ventilated area. I bought a lot of matte  PLA as the main material but got some stronger PETG as it's stronger than PLA but doesn't create fumes as my printer is in a bedroom. It's recommended to start with PLA and get a handle on it before moving on to more advanced filaments.

[rodsup9000]

 Mike,
   Hands down, Bambu is the best one on the market. I really think what sets it apart from the others is the pressure sensor in the hot end.
 
I will be getting the A1 combo in a few weeks with a extra .02mm nozzle.

https://www.microcenter.com/product/675479/bambu-lab-a1-combo-3d-printer

I'm convinced by the chatter that this is the one to buy for the best out-of-the-box experience for an FDM noob. On top of that, the thermal enclosure is something I felt from experience with plastics in general would yield better results from filament deposition.

When I was printing with ABS years ago, mine worked fine out in the shop without a enclosure. Most what I was printing was small parts though.

Materials? Got me. Gut has me leaning toward ABS, but that's primarily from fooling with ABS fabrication for six decades, and knowing which glues and solvents work (and which don't!). Also have a little experience with PLA output and that when the build delaminates, there's no glue beyond CA that'll fix it, and then not well.

When ever I have delam with PLA on the printers I built over 12 years ago,  I redo and add some temp to the hotend.  Problem solved.

[C855B]

Thanks for the advice, gentlemen!

Okay. I'm about ready to click the "buy" button on the X1C combo, a smooth build plate, 0.2mm hotend, and six rolls of PLA to get me started.

One question remaining: does PLA run better when the reels are pre-dried? Specs for the other stuff strongly suggest it, but "optional" or not specified for PLA. I'm looking at the 4-up dryer from Sunlu since I'll be loading four reels at a time into the automatic changer on the X1. If it doesn't make any significant difference, I can put off that (increasingly minor! ) expense.

[AlwaysSolutions]

I'm jealous and am looking forward to seeing your prints off this thing.  As for drying, PLA is such a forgiving medium that it will print fine under "normal" conditions.  Having said that, if you live in an overly humid environment, you may see some performance drop but it's not something that would be catastrophic.  FYI the X1 has a mode that will dry your filament (https://wiki.bambulab.com/en/general/bambu-filament-drying-cover), so check that out to see if that's something you can use.  If you find that your PLA is getting saturated with moisture causing poor quality prints then you may want to invest in a dryer.

Cheers -Mike

[C855B]

Thanks! It'll be in the train room, which is tightly temperature and humidity controlled. Whole-building dehumidification kicks-in at 50% and holds it there. Appreciate the tip on the X1's dryer mode. That's a slick hack.

I'll give things a whirl on the X1 for a while with PLA and see how it goes. I think I'll decommission the original Photon on my printer table along with its wash'n'cure (D1 is so much better!), and use that space for the X1.

Merry Christmas to me!

[rodsup9000]

 I've printed several hundred rolls of PLA over the last 15 plus years, without a dryer. I think you'll be OK with out a dryer.

[pdx1955]

If you're only doing PLA for now, you can get away with not having a dryer. However if you plan to do prints that have overhangs and require supports,  then you'll need a dryer for the special support filament or PETG (this doesn't stick to PLA do many use it as the support interface layer so the supports come off easy). Target humidity will be 20% or lower for these so you will need to eventually consider a air tight container plus dessicant to store the filament when you're not using it. The AMS can also function as that if you don't mind having that fill a slot all the time. A dryer can also improve PLA performance but that is really dependent on the brand and age.

[C855B]

X1C was just dropped off by FedEx. Haven't opened it up yet (not until I schlep it over to the studio), but it is bloomin' heavy. Not at all the spindly FDM printers I see posted everywhere. Serious iron in that box! A minor funny - the printer came FedEx, but I received notice yesterday that the filaments and several accessories were shipped via UPS, with one accessory coming USPS. Spreading the wealth, maybe? Nah. Just different warehouses.

Probably won't set it up until the supplies arrive. Putting the original Photon back in its shipping box and then in the attic is going to take a couple of hours of cleanup and gathering bits.

[pdx1955]

While you wait,  you should review the X1C combo unboxing instructions on the Bambu wiki. While there is a quick start manual,  the wiki has more information. There are a number of safety hex screws that need to be taken out along the way plus the wiki covers the Bluetooth and wifi setup. Having the wiki app on your phone is extremely helpful for quick reference.