Bambu A1 Mini Tested - Portable Printing

[@VanoverMachineAndRepair]

This video is truly excellent. The phone section was great. Watching problem solving was great. Really enjoyed this video

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

thx man! if you guys down here in the comments are into machining work, GO CHECK OUT this guy's channel right now. He's one of the creators I watch that's a wizard with all things in a machine shop.

[@VanoverMachineAndRepair]

@@FunctionalPrintFriday really appreciate that man

[@TastySlowCooker]

If you’re not going to be helpful and shed some light onto how blacksmith is able to do that, keep your opinions to yourself. How does he do that….

[@btheman779]

Id love a whole separate series where you go around to local PA craftsmen and print things to help their work. Fun way to learn about all the people making cool things in the area.

[@jtart8210]

This video felt like a mix of FPF and this old tony ! I loved it!

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

I’m honored to hear that. Love his channel.

[@woodworkergene5416]

I recently found your channel and I’m loving it. I love the fact that this is a channel about functional items.

[@rch317]

Being a blacksmith too, this warmed my hardened heart. ;)

[@michaelgleason4791]

For $200 it's a steal. We paid $270 for our bakery to make cookie cutters, and it just works. I'm still from the "tinkering" machines era. The a1 mini just works and I couldn't be happier.

[@littlefrank90]

omg the laser engraving was so cool!

[@Imercor1]

Loved this video. Solving a problem at another location was a brilliant idea. Yes, revisit his business or someone else. I was very close to adding the mini to my p1s and A1, I think I will pull the trigger now. Excellent video. Keep them coming. 😊😊

[@adrianaustralia9135]

Just outstanding! Coming from an Ender 3 Pro, with a P1s due in a couple of days - your channel is truly inspirational. Thank you! 👍

[@JackPinesBlacksmithing]

I'm loving seeing two of my hobbies in one video!

[@perfectagent0075]

An OG MX-518 mouse?! *salutes* Major respect right there.

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

I have two of them and I'll never part with either one. I take them apart every few years and clean them thoroughly. I have TRIED to find a newer mouse that feels as nice. Can't find one.

[@HellbellyUK]

I love how you produced something to that level of quality (I mean that surface finish? That's like a mirror dude) and then go "well, its not quite as good as I'd like".

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

lol, thx

[@UnCoolDad]

Prusa orange on the Bambu - Love it 😃

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

lol

[@michaelbraaten]

I love your occasional sketches lol! I’ve been using my P1S combo constantly since I got it last December… I’ve been wanting an A1 Mini for a while now, for similar reasons; portable, quick, and by all accounts, excellent prints. Seeing this might just be the push I needed to finally pick one up!

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

thx!

[@mab4110]

I run an etsy shop with two A1 Minis and they're great. Definitely the best value for performance.

[@MadeInMichigan]

I run with a qidi x-max3. Roughly 325x325x315mm build volume. Core X/Y, so it's fast. I keep two of them going non-stop with all my work. One of them I've had since they first started shipping, the other only for like three months. Neither one's ever given me problems. For true large volume stuff, I have a RatRig. 500mm^3. Fast. Way fast, Crazy tilting bed. Needs its own nuclear reactor.

[@OZtwo]

Lets hope to see an X-Max 4!!!

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

competition is a good thing

[@jksjrgfpsjgr]

@@OZtwo they just released a Plus 4 which is 305x305 and its multimaterial ready, their filament switcher box will be released Q1 next year. allegedly!

[@vilkann5893]

I've had my A1 mini for a few months now. It's an amazing printer for the price, and has become my go-to everyday use machine. As for bambu's next printer, It's either going to be a new generation of the X1 carbon, or as everyone else is thinking a large format CoreXY printer. And I agree the new elegoo neptune 4 printers are crap. But I do rock an old neptune 3 plus that has had next to no issues.

[@mikebroom1866]

Oak Street Forge's prices are much more reasonable than I expected. +1

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

I agree. . I didn't ask prices when I was there, but when I looked at the etsy page, everything was 20-30% less than I anticipated. The bells are my favorite. I played with one of the finished ones that's been heat-treated, and they sound awesome. I didn't think to record one. Wish I had.

[@jaeseopark729]

that's a cool shop Shannon has! One thing to watch out for with A1 mini is the data cable can catch the top of the z-axis post at just the right angle when the print head is going down and can get damaged. I almost had this accident happen to me but luckily I was monitoring closely. I've printed a little guide piece that keeps the cable on one side of the post.

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

thx, I can see what you mean with a taller print

[@ChilledTheMage]

IMO the full sized A1 is the better starter printer. When I bought my first printer the Ender 5 Pro I really wished that I had bought the Ender 5 Plus for the extra build volume. It's just so helpful even if all your printing is toys/fidgets sometimes you just wanna scale it up as large as you can. The mini has a certain cuteness to it that I really like being smaller though and for the price you can't beat it for an entry printer.

[@conorstewart2214]

A good way to cool down the plate quickly and get it to release is to pick up and waft the plate, that cools it down and slighty bends and wobbles it which helps it release.

[@TechKnightOne]

I'd recommend having him heat the 4140 up in his furnace and the quench it in oil to harden it.

[@CyberBobCity]

Enjoyed the video! Quick question on the bandsaw. How do you know how fast to set the lowering speed as it’s cutting through material?

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

It's fairly new to me, so someone else may chime in with a better answer, but I prioritized squareness of cut over speed, so I set the control with just enough feed that I was seeing small curled chips.

[@CyberBobCity]

@@FunctionalPrintFriday Gotcha. We have a big bandsaw at work and I've cut a few things with it but was always unsure of how fast to go.

[@JeffreyMiller-p6g]

While you are a Bambu guy, I realy love my Qidi printer and Prusa. I excited to see the release of the Qidi Max 4 pro.

[@drfiasco]

Do you have issues with dimensional accuracy with your Bambu printers? I have an A1 and I can't get nearly as accurate as I can with my Prusa Mk3s. I'm skewed differently in all 3 axes... not by much, but enough that it makes printing pieces to size difficult.

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

That's crazy, I'd send it back. Have you re-run the calibration? The only time I've ever had issues is when using filament that doesn't have good consistency on the diameter, but even then, the part is just over or undersize in areas and not skewed.

[@Immolate62]

Sounds like a belt slippage issue. We have five Bambus here and they consistently nail tolerance prints every time.

[@mcorrade]

yep that's why I'm now a Bambu fan boy! They not only just work but they work great! I was a die hard creality guy for years but now,,,,, well you know.

[@Immolate62]

"What are you hoping for?" 350x350

[@97JoMiller]

I got tired of waiting on the larger format printer so I pre-ordered the K2 plus... plus with the discount they offered hopefully it's not a mistake.

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

Companies have gotten far too comfortable selling us "beta" products, only to force the community to finish the dev/testing on. *IF* Bambu can get it right from the start, I don't mind waiting a bit.

[@97JoMiller]

@@FunctionalPrintFriday I understand, I just need a larger printer now and I hate slicing and gluing parts

[@theboredcreative]

Excellent work here! Do you have a video showing how you film? I really appreciate the view and how you do it.

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

Thanks! I use an old iPhone with a cracked screen and a 3-d printed phone holder on a tripod. Using the phone to film is janky, but you get the benefit of having a nice big screen to frame your shot, which I think makes a difference.

[@theboredcreative]

@@FunctionalPrintFriday I use an iPhone for most of mine as well. Even though I have a larger camera. It’s so much more convenient. I forgot to mention how much I appreciated all of the tools you used: 3D printer, laser, and lathe. Good stuff.

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

@@theboredcreative thx!

[@heidi5942]

I like my A1 Mini. Interestingly, I measuring the usage with AMS, and it seemed to be using about 80W according to my meter. I wonder if the 240V mains here effects that.

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

Could be difference in ambient temp as well, making the heatbead work a bit harder. I was printing outside, and while it wasn't real cold, it was below typical room temp with a slight breeze.

[@heidi5942]

@@FunctionalPrintFriday very valid point. Mine was indoors.

[@Talondale]

I love my A1 mini. I call it the iPhone of 3D printers. No fuss, it just works.

[@CrudelyMade]

before the "replacement" I imagine there might be some shims that appear under the piece. :-D

[@ljonesj]

? On the lathe chuck how many Jaws is it I've seen 3 and 4 but never that many

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

6

[@DavidCousins]

As time goes by, maybe you can update is with how much your kids really use the printer.

[@DavidCousins]

Road trip!

[@mikebroom1866]

I have my Delta 2 with 3 used 275w solar panels mounted directly west powering the shed and electric ZTR. Working great, although not the most efficient.

[@andrewmalaty8]

What i'd like to see in a new large format printer from Bambu: 2 independent heads, each can connect to it's own AMS (or maybe the AMS hub can direct a filament to either printer), and the head can purge filaments while the other head is printing. Seems crazy i know but if someone can do it it's Bambu.

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

Yes! This!

[@andrewmalaty8]

@@FunctionalPrintFriday Maybe someone that can get a hold of bambu should plant the seed. *hint hint* :)

[@antoniogonzalez5880]

i wish i had this printer 7 years ago for 200$. in does day for that price you could only have an ender 3 with no options.

[@joell439]

👍👍😎👍👍

[@CrudelyMade]

that handle should be able to hold the 'other' spool. ;-)

[@GlennBrockett]

Where is the reprint? It wouldn't be an FPF video without a reprint.

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

what if I told you I initially sliced (and half printed) it upside down, with no supports, because I wasn't paying attention :) I didn't use the footage though, because the video was already feeling too long. Such a shame I had to spend extra time poking around the blacksmith shop. . .

[@berlinberlin4246]

​@@FunctionalPrintFriday without the 3 reprint it's not a "real" video!!1!1!!1 😂

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

@@berlinberlin4246 I can just see the game now: FPF reprints it again - take a drink, FPF nitpicks over a minor extraneous detail for 5 minutes - take a drink, FPF uses the hex wrench rack - take a drink

[@UnCoolDad]

Is the back of your car level? Would checking for level make any difference to the print you think?

[@HellbellyUK]

I don't think it would make a difference. Angus at Makers Muse hung one from the roof on a wire and it printed fine, and Morley Kert printed with an X1 Carbon in the back of a camper van driving on rough tracks in Mexico.

[@michaelgleason4791]

No portable mini lathe???? So disappointed

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

I mean, i wouldn’t mind one. . .

[@mikebroom1866]

As far as Bambu Lab's printers, I'd like to see better pricing. I spend $600 on my last printer that can do 90% of what the X1 can. I get that the last 10% is hard, but over double? idk about that.

[@v4lgrind]

Not another race to the bottom please, we had that for many years and it was miserable. I have my reservations with Bambu, but the price is not one. For what they do I'm surprised they can sell them so cheap.

[@poetac15]

I don’t agree. The x1c is an amazing value imo. I paid for consistent print quality and I have zero complaints.

[@TastySlowCooker]

If you’re happy with your 90% printer at half the cost, why do you care? If you don’t want to spend the money, don’t.