Mule Works Innovation Lab

A Colby Community Website

Bambu 3D Printer Guide

Welcome to 3D printing at Mule Works. This guide will provide an in-depth overview with examples of all the steps required to print on the Bambu Labs 3D printers using Bambu Studio on one of the lab’s desktop computers.

Table of contents

Choosing a model

  1. Browse MakerWorld, Thingiverse, Printables, or Cults 3D to find an model online, or create your own using software such as Fusion 360, Blender, or Solidworks.
  2. Once a model has been chosen, export or save it as a .stl file.

In this example, I will be using this model (3dbenchy.stl) from Printables, which can be downloaded as such:

This guide will mainly focus on using an online model, but more details on designing your own model in Blender can be found in the Resources section below.

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  1. Open up Bambu Studio.
  2. Go to the file menu in the top left and hover over the Import option
  3. Click on Import 3MF/STL/STEP/SVG/OBJ/AMF… then select your file.
  1. Once your model has been imported, change the preset to Bambu Lab X1 Carbon 0.4 nozzle as seen below.
  2. Additionally, change the plate type to Textured PEI Plate.
  1. There are multiple filament materials to choose from in the lab, but the vast majority of prints are to be done in PLA. Ensure Bambu PLA Basic is selected under the filament section. If you wish to use a different type of filament, see the Resources section below.
  1. Next, ensure that the model fits the plate correctly. It should be smaller than the bed, relatively centered, and properly oriented on its base as seen above. Additionally, larger prints take significantly longer than smaller ones, so you may wish to make them smaller. This can be accomplished through transformations. There are three main transformations:

Moving

To move a model, simply click to select it, then drag it using the mouse or more precisely using the arrow keys. By pressing M on the keyboard or clicking the movement icon on the toolbar, exact coordinates can also be entered as seen under the toolbar on top.

Rotating

To rotate a model, select it with the mouse, then press the R key or click the rotation icon in the toolbar. The model can be rotated using the mouse by dragging the blue, red, and green disks around the model, or the exact degree of rotation in every axis can be entered using the box under the icon in the toolbar. In this example, the model is rotated 45 degrees along the Z axis.

Scaling

To scale a model, select it with the mouse, then press S on the keyboard or click the scaling icon in the toolbar. The model can then be dragged by one of its corners to make it bigger or smaller. Alternatively, the size can be entered as a percentage of the original size or in millimeters in the box under the toolbar icon. Here, I have increased the model size to 120% of its original size.

  1. Once you are satisfied with the placement, orientation, and size of the model, simply press the Slice plate option in the top right to get the model ready for printing. Please note that you will need to ask a student worker for assistance logging into the Mule Works Bambu account to connect to the printers.

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Loading and unloading filament

On the printer side, a spool of filament must be loaded. To do so:

  1. Choose a spool in the desired color and cut the end of the filament if it is bent, jagged, or tangled.
  2. Next, mount the spool and insert the filament as seen below. The filament should be pushed into the tube until there is no more space left to push.
  1. Navigate to this menu on the printer (Adjustments -> Filament) and tap the Load button to finish loading the filament.

Often times, there will already be filament loaded into the printer. To unload a previously installed spool, follow the steps in reverse order:

  1. Press the Unload button as seen above first
  2. Pull the filament all the way out of the printer before loading your filament.

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Printing

Finally, it is time to begin printing.

  1. Click the Print Plate button in the top right of Bambu Studio, then choose an available printer. Each printer is labeled with its corresponding name.
  2. Click the Send button to begin your print. Monitor the printer for at least 15 minutes to ensure there are no errors.
  1. Once your print is complete, pry it off the plate using a spudger and remove any extraneous filament.
  2. Once your print is complete, please unload your filament and place it back into storage.

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  • The print preset determines the layer height and speed of the print. Typically, the 0.20mm Standard preset will work well for the majority of prints.
  • Print presets with lower heights than the standard preset will result in a better finish with less visible lines, but take longer times to print.
  • Print presets with taller heights than the standard preset will appear rougher with more lines, but take less time to print.
  • Additionally, presets have different qualities in place of Standard.
  • Strength aims to improve the durability of the print.
  • Fine results in a smoother surface and better details, but much lower speed.
  • Draft sacrifices print quality for speed.
  • Extra makes further tweaks in the direction of the quality.
  • Optimal attempts to strike the best balance of speed and higher quality than Standard.
  • For further speed, layer, and strength tweaking, see the Resources section below.

Supports

  • Supports are pieces of extra material that can be necessary to prop up parts of a print while it is printing.
  • Supports should typically be used if there are any overhangs greater than 45 degrees, such as arches and parts that stick out of the model with nothing underneath them. This will often be mentioned on the download page of the model.
  • Bambu Studio has two main support types under the Support tab: normal(auto) and tree(auto).
  • Typically, tree(auto) should be used as it saves material and is easier to remove.
  • Only use normal(auto) if tree produces unsatisfactory results.
  • For advanced support tweaking, see the Resources section below.

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Multi-color printing

The Bambu P1P supports multi-color printing via the AMS (Automatic Material System). This supports up to four different spools of filament at once. The print process is largely the same with some key differences.

  • When setting up your model in Bambu Studio, select Bambu Lab P1P 0.4 Nozzle instead of the X1 Carbon.
  • To print with more than one filament, click on the + icon in the filament section and add up to three other filaments. The color of each filament can be adjusted by clicking on each filament’s respective numbered icon.
  • To load filament into the AMS, place the spools in their holders repeat the process below for each filament:
  • Finally, when starting a print, use the dropdown menu to map each filament to the corresponding AMS slots:

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Resources and further learning

Creating a model for 3D printing in Blender

Overview of all advanced print and support settings

Selecting a non-PLA material

  • The lab will typically offer PLA, PETG, and TPU.
  • There is often no reason to select anything other than PLA unless there is a specific goal in mind in regards to durability or softness.
  • PETG is better suited for load bearing applications, while TPU is used for prints that must be softer than PLA.
  • Presets for these are available in Bambu Studio.
  • When loading a non-PLA material, the material must be changed both in Bambu Studio and on the printer itself under the filament menu when loading the spool, as shown earlier in the guide.

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FAQs and troubleshooting

My print won’t start!

  • Ensure the printer doesn’t have anything on the bed already. If there is something present on the bed, remove it before proceeding.
  • Make sure the model exported in the first section was a .stl file and not .gcode or other file format.
  • The printer should say “Ready to Print” on its home page. If it reports an error, send the code to [email protected].

My print turned into plastic spaghetti!

  • Occasionally, the printers may have an error during printing that causes misalignment, and therefore the print failing.
  • Often, simply cleaning the bed and restarting the print will fix this.
  • It is also worth double checking your support settings to ensure there are no overhangs that may have drooped or fallen off, resulting in failure.
  • Sometimes, the filament can also be at fault. Try swapping out the spool for a newer one if the same spool has a high failure rate.

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