Bambu A1 Mini - The Best FDM Miniature Printer!

How to get resin-like quality miniatures on a Bambu Lab A1 Mini FDM printer! (Links below)
Many people either don't wish to risk the health issues that can arise from long term exposure to the VOCs given off by resins, have existing health problems that prevent their using them, do not wish to deal with the mess of resin printing, or can't take all necessary safety precautions such as installing an active air exchange system and wearing a respirator with organics filter, goggles, gloves, etc. This custom profile was created for everyone who wanted to be able to make high quality miniatures on a FDM printer.
Get our awesome terrain and miniature models here: www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pu...
Bambu Lab affiliate link: shrsl.com/2dml2-2yn7-1cwx9
Filament and parts links: www.fatdragongames.com/fdgfil...
Bambu Studio Miniatures profile: www.drivethrurpg.com/product/...

[@tyshchenkoserhii]

You can’t even imagine how long I’ve been waiting for a minis printing video like that about A1 mini. Now there’s not even a doubt it will be my first 3d printer

[@NiteMarcher]

Bro 1000% understand. I been interested in the A1 Mini but not completely sure, now I have 2 about to be paid for with the smaller tip

[@stoinercraft6389]

for a fdm printer, these look really great!, ofc resin would give you higher quality stuff, but the amount of safety and post-pro it needs is not for everyone great video too! thanks a lot

[@Waynes-Wares]

Thank you for your work on these profiles. I’m so glad to see you expand into Bambu. I always appreciate your work and I support every kickstarter you launch.

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

Thank you!

[@uppalong]

This has reinvigorated my interest in 3D printing. I got into resin a few years ago but never got comfortable with it and it eventually kind of caused me to forget about modeling and printing. Thank you as always for the incredible work you do for the community.

[@jamie6091]

Just picked up a Bambu a1, I’m really pleased with it as well. Glad I waited a couple of years before I got into fdm

[@kevinwalker3918]

Love my A1 so much that an A1 mini (space and wanted to try out the AMS) is coming next week and it will be doing double duty in son's 6-8 grade class. Thanks so much for working on these profiles and figuring this out. I resin print, but the more I can do with FDM, the happier I am.

[@andyspoo2]

Resin is such a messy process - printing, cleaning, washing, drying. And you don't always notice you have a failure until it's too late. And with FDM you can pretty much handle the end product straight away without worrying that toxins are leaking in to your skin. I love the quality of resin but everything else about it sucks.

[@lorinan]

Arachne has issues with tiny details on the walls, regardless of the print. It's not so much an issue with the process itself, but if you have a lot of fine details, you want to use the Classic still.

[@michaelkolozsvari3575]

Thank you SO much! I got my mini a couple of weeks ago and was really disappointed that all of the mini figure profiles were for all the Bambu printers except for the mini. This was exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for all your hard work tweaking the settings!

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

I'm glad it helped you! A part 2 for this video is coming soon with even better settings :)

[@GreyTileGaming]

Have been printing terrain 24/7 on my A1s over the last few weeks, the 0.4 nozzle at 0.08LH is almost completely without layer lines but the tolerance for horizontal resolution is higher vs on minis. A few 0.2 nozzles should be arriving tomorrow and excited to try the profile, thank you for sharing great info!

[@Brocollipy]

Wow great to see. I’m loving my a1 mini. I got a 0.2mm nozzle with the mega combo but not tried it out yet. You’ve given me new motivation to try it out!

[@nerdyhypnox8672]

That absolutely is a game changer! already saw another video from another youtuber who has got amazing results with your settings and already printed dozens of incredible looking minis i guess its also possible to print minis who are not exclusive modelled for fdm printing, just need some tinkering with support settings no toxic fumes, no isoprol, no need to heat resin, no extra space needed for curing and washing station, thats a long list of + for me and many others

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

Which KZbinr?

[@trivalentclan-mizar9591]

The Creality K1 is about four times the speed of the Ender 5 Pro and the latter much faster then the Snapmaker 1. The K1 is another option for ease of use.

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

@@trivalentclan-mizar9591 nope, not for printing gaming miniatures.

[@nerdyhypnox8672]

loriborn, he hs like 100-200 subs​@@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors

[@nerdyhypnox8672]

The youtubers name is loriborn, he has 160 subs or so

[@CCootauco]

I just picked up an a1 mini, orinted a couple of items and its prints are surprisingly smooth out of the box

[@user-ew8qd5fp5t]

Brilliant work, like everyone else I really admire and appreciate the work investigating and creating these profiles.

[@cristianwoodford907]

Just want to give a big thanks to you! I stumbled on your channel many years ago and used your advice and ender 3 profiles to get into 3d printing. Was so helpful then and it’s amazing to see these results you’re getting now! Thanks again for your expert advice!

[@bencejoful]

I really appreciate your videos on this topic, it's given me the confidence to jump into the hobby knowing there's community support for beginners. Thanks!

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

Thanks for watching! :)

[@chriscollett6875]

Very helpful indeed. Great that you will continue to share your updated profiles and share them.

[@yolo6741]

Really great video - thank you for the effort working out the print profile with the 0.2 nozzle.

[@4th_wall511]

Thank you so much for this! I am super new to 3d printing and don't have a ton of time to tinker right now. I've experimented with your settings and the default bambu and yours are amazing. Thanks for sharing!

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

I'm glad they helped! :)

[@raybarron316]

Bought an X1C earkier this year, but also just bought an A1-mini just for minis. Thanks a lot for the tips! I will download your settings to stay current.

[@jerkq]

Thank you as always, you have made invaluable contributions for the hobby!! I am looking forward to the full size A1 video :-)

[@resolu21]

I just ordered mine. Suuuper excited

[@matthewprice5749]

Looking forward to trying this profile. Thanks.

[@JakeSpacey]

Great video as usual. Thanks! Please keep them coming.

[@recoveringlibertarian5982]

Thanks for all you do . Great help over the years . Especially if your new .

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

Glad to help :)

[@kenloDV]

your in-depth review just convided me to get an a1 mini and sunlu meta, will be downloading your profile as soon as I receive them. Keep up the amazing work!

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

Great! Don't forget to order a .2mm nozzle too :)

[@LJ-gu2dj]

Keep up the great work Tom!

[@eyseman666]

Thank you so much for all your efforts and hard work! I have tried out your printer settings, in combination with Sunlu PLA Meta, on my Bambu Lab P1S. I tried an Ork mini from Puppetswar Miniatures and it turn out marvelous. My ever growing Ork army will be thanking you and I will integrate the "fat dragon" somehow into it :)

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

Thanks. Try one of my miniatures when you get a chance :)

[@FamBoren]

These videos are so great. My one-stop-shop for things 3D

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

Thank you for watching! :)

[@GreySectoid]

Sunlu PLA Meta is my go-to PLA as well, been using it almost a year. Keep up the good content, I basically learned the entire trade of printing minis from you when I started.

[@TheDarkplace]

Hi, Do you print the Sunlu meta at the profile temp or the lower temp recommended by Sunlu? I understand they differ?

[@GreySectoid]

@@TheDarkplace I print at 195, going lower I noticed the layer adhesion suffers. Do not confuse PLA with PLA Meta, they are different.

[@ToddRumbach]

Just in time with the Kickstarter villagers drop. Time to get some Meta and make some dragon fodder. Thank you for all you do Tom.

[@caketality]

I’m very excited for this, I think a huge amount of my obsession with FDM printed minis is due to your original Cura videos but obviously swapping to a P1P it didn’t transfer spectacularly. I’m also excited to test out your fix for the Meta PLA overhangs, I really enjoyed that filament but ended up avoiding any prints with harsh overhangs with it for just that reason.

[@denislavigne223]

Thank you, this answers so many questions I had!

[@nickdaynes4261]

Amazing job, keep up the awesome work. Thanks

[@andersclemenskarlsen4516]

Thank you for being a so good resource on all things 3d!

[@dwightlee4315]

watching with tremendous interest... my Bambu Labs P1P will arrive in a month or so.

[@johnmolt3456]

Buying this printer is because of you. And bought the Ender year ago.

[@figure_0491]

Thanks for your knowledge share Tom!

[@nickholl]

This is super handy! cant wait to give it a try (although ill be trying with Bambu filament for the moment)

[@randyp9954]

Thank you Tom! This helped my buying decision. GREAT CONTENT

[@gregferguson8654]

Running one at home and one at work, Thanks a lot for the help...

[@ghos___t]

Wow, just saw this video last night, downloaded the profile and bam, realllllly nice miniatures. So happy I found this video Nd thanks for sharing the profile!

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

Glad it helped!

[@alexfilmwriting]

This is cool; might be time to get into printing.

[@kenspaceman3938]

Lovely, thanks for yet another very informative and helpful video!

[@tomyocom5886]

Besides my advice below I want to thank you for your skeletons about 5 years ago you put up. I still have those , they came out good on my mini delta which still stand up to todays scrutiny and I do DLP resin printing as well. I have 3 bambus by the way if you need another tester......

[@SilvoKnight]

Multicolor is my dream as a bad painter T.T Bamboo is killing it.

[@snart]

Love your videos! Thanks for doing this.

[@nuzlockesmith9660]

I already have a P1S and ive trying to decide for a while if i should get an AMS or the A1 mini combo. And now that my play group is starting a campaign for the first in DnD im definitely going to get the A1 mini combo, thanks so much for such an informative video. Now i need to go through and watch all your other videos.

[@Scott4271]

NICE VIDEO, detailed and informative with out filler. I'm subscribing

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

Thanks! :)

[@SuperSpud1990]

Thanks for the profile.

[@sneakypepe]

Great video, looking forward to seeing your test results regarding the quality difference between A1 and mini for minis before I buy my printer.

[@Dsebastiand]

Your description for the video is just me 😆

[@dragobancho]

Gonna like and sub just for this video. Really needed a good FDM printer for minis cause I have no room nor want to handle a resin printer, and I want to get into OPR since it seems like the most reasonable way for me to get into a large scale sci-fi wargame that isn't GW, but wasn't having any luck for a while as I search the KZbin for videos on the subject matter. Was honestly gonna give up the idea of printing minis until I came across this video. Thank you, Fat Dragon Games and the Tomb of 3D Printed Horrors!

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

Thanks!

[@davidstokes6406]

Thank you. I've been looking at printers and I want to do miniatures, but I have kids and pets and chemical sensitivities myself so have worried about resin. I think I now know what my birthday present is going to be.

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

I don't use resin printers for the same reasons, so this printer (and .2mm nozzle) has been an incredible purchase for me :)

[@Blefuscu114]

Thanks for the video - really helpful!

[@davidfarcus586]

Nice video. I really want to get a Bambu Lab A1 after seeing your video...

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

I am still testing the A1 for minis. So far it's not quite matching the A1 Mini.

[@celticgriffon]

Damn. I just pulled the plug earler today on the a... and then came across your channel and video on the a1 mini w .2 mm nozzle.. I am hopeful it will come somewhat close w tweaking.

[@tatooz52967]

Great information and presentation.

[@Loriborn]

Well, thanks for forcing me to finally bite the bullet and jump into the Bambu A1! Never wanted to deal with resin and the toxicity, space, and cost (of peripheral tools and such) requirements, and was really tempted by the A1 when I saw Fauxhammer review it. This pushed me over the edge!

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

Just to be clear, this video is on the A1 MINI, not the full size A1, there are differences in print quality between them.

[@Loriborn]

​@@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors Ah, I figured the quality difference between them was negligible, but is the A1 worse for minis, due to the larger print volume, or better than the A1 Mini? Haven’t actually picked between the two yet, but I figured the A1 just offered an overall better experience. Might opt for the mini if it’s likely better for smaller prints.

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

@@Loriborn a single z screw is better than dual (they can 'fight' each other) and also the Mini has a linear rail for the Z axis, that combined with the smaller bed (less Y axis inertia) is giving better results on miniatures in my testing. I'll be posting a video on the full size A1 print quality in a few weeks once I finish all of my testing.

[@Loriborn]

@@Tombof3DPrintedHorrorsI appreciate the response! I did end up opting for the Mini based on these findings, and since this is my sole intended use case, but I did grab some of Bambu's own PLA basic filament. I noticed there weren't any test images of custom profile with the Bambu filament in the video. Is there a significant difference in print quality between the Sunlu Meta and the Bambu Labs PLA basic with the custom profile? I figured I'd ask as the former is still on sale for the time being.

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

@@Loriborn yes, the difference between the two filaments is pretty significant when printing minis. Stick with Sunlu PLA Meta or Hatchbox PLA (standard, not plus) for minis.

[@GiantRobo77]

Same exact issues with Arachne vs Classic wall here ... haven't seen a good explanation for it. .....you can see it in the layers preview so now that I know about it I'm trying to train my brain on what to look for. Hatchbox won't get any more of my money, I want to like them, we have a good history ....but nothing has been coming out clean lately from brand new filament dessicant dried in anboven for a week prior. Thanks for the tip on Meta filament from Sunlu... I was getting ready to test Anycubics fast pla so maybe I'll compare and repost. Cheers all.

[@Harden61]

Nice work sir.

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

Thank you! :)

[@sw33n3yto00]

Thank you Tom.

[@Arsat74]

Normal the bambu needs more heat because the speed. When you print slower you can lower the temp i read in forums. It would of course be interesting to find out whether the settings would also work on the A1.

[@dennisslater888]

Thanks, lots of time and effort from you … nice

[@andyspoo2]

Maybe the temperature issues are down to the ambient temperatures of the individual rooms you and your friends have the printers in? Also, have you tried aiming a fan across the print bed surface to see if that helps any? I know with their bigger printers you can get a fan that does that and it is supposed to help improve quality by cooling the printed filament quicker.

[@mrgunn2726]

Fantastic video, this is awesome, for USD 299.00 you get table quality minis. Sure these are not high quality 8K resin prints, but you also don't have the overhead of goop, chemicals, fumes, wash stations, curing stations, waste etc. Quick and dirty!

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

For the next two weeks the A1 Mini is only $199!

[@celestialgrimace]

I've found that the Polymaker PolyTerra line of filament produces buttery smooth prints. Layer lines are practically nonexistent unless inspected closely.

[@madadric]

I got an a1 for xmas so im very interested in trying out these settings. Currently the only filament i have is some esun silk pla which needs to be printed slow so im curious to see how it handles detail.

[@brian_pilling]

Great video!

[@TheGantus]

Great Video, i will test your profile on my BL P1P

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

Just remember, the P1P is a massive different printer, this profile is made specifically for the A1 Mini, even the full size A1 is getting different results.

[@rmfberry261]

did youg et the mmu? was tjinking it would be cool to use hueforge to make dungeon tiles or walls

[@DebateAnonimoReal]

Thank You!

[@kaybrandt4906]

Just curious if you had seen any difference between having arc fitting and not. I know on some bigger prints on my K1 it has made a slight difference turning it off.

[@stevecade857]

Have you tried using adaptive layer height when printing minatures in Bambu Studio (or Orca)? Is it worth it? You can't use tree supports with it though.

[@davethepak]

Awesome! I am tempting to trying a .2 with my x1 carbon - and see if I could get similar results. I notice there are multiple colors available for the Sunlu meta. The black and white seem to be cheaper than the other colors. Did you find any difference in results based on the color of the filament?

[@robertspears8301]

Great video. I've been looking forward to seeing your results. I bought an A-1 mini on your recommendation and it's on the way. Can't wait. Thanks very much for all of the hard work you do for the community. It is much appreciated. Do you have plans to release any new minis for use with this printer and those settings?

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

Yep! Keep an eye out for our upcoming Kickstarter :)

[@robertspears8301]

Outstanding!@@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors

[@kevinwalker3918]

@@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors Yahoo! Take my money please!]

[@eirikramslihauge9013]

Could these settings be applicable to the larger P1S/X1C as well?

[@corkey2077]

I've had to manually input because I can't transfer the profile from A1 mini to P1P, going to test it out now

[@cerberez1]

Could this be better than p1s? I was about to get one of those but then I saw this video and wondered if a1 might be better at fine details

[@joecrose2371]

Thanks tom

[@southendal3740]

Is there any chance that these settings can be used on the P1S?

[@DMKarinZeeland]

My Bambu Lab P1S prints decent mini's too.

[@SneakyJoeRu]

Filaments matter a lot. Speed and layer height matters a lot. I've been getting decent results on 0.2 nozzle, 0.04 and 0.06 layer height. Arachne slicer is always good. You can lower external wall thickness by 1/4 (0.16) in order to improve overall quality, but be warry that it can result in underextrusion with some extreme angles. Compare classic+arachne line thickness in slicer to see what's up with the mini you liked more. I use sunlu pla+ instead of meta. It just feels that with higher temp I have better control over flow. Set minimal layer time for ~10 seconds maybe to help with top thin parts

[@zetacorn3749]

Just bought one. I have or will soon at least have two printers. Ender 3 v3 SE and the A1 mini w/AMS. Pretty excited. Both are "budget" printers but I feel like the feature rich A1 mini wins hands down.

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

I have both and the A1 Mini is, by far, the best 3D printer I have ever tested.

[@zetacorn3749]

@@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors Both choices were actually inspired by your channel. I think something understated for some is that as much as I would like a resin printer I live in an apartment and it isn't feasible in a safety sense. So having something that's close enough to a resin printer while not needing to deal with the amount of cleaning and the fumes of a resin printer is a godsend.

[@Daves3DProjects]

Interesting that the Max volumetric speed on the filament page is set at 2mm/s. That seems a bit low. I would have thought it would be 22mm/s (or 12 for other filament.).

[@j.j.3866]

Thanks for this video, it's great! I have a question: these settings may work for a 0.4 noozle? And what about retraction and z-hop? ( Both for 0.2 and 0.4)

[@CherryJerry77]

Do I need to buy an additional Bambu build plate? Like a Textured PEI plate or the Smooth PEI Plate to print with PLA?

[@andyspoo2]

Are you using a flat PEI sheet or a textures one? Textured should help. Bumping up the temp of the first layer also usually helps with bed adhesion. With other printers I find that just printing slow and hot for just 1 layer is enough. I used to do slow first layer prints for 4 layers just like you, but 1 does the job and speeds things up no end.

[@toboraton]

Very cool. Now i want to get this instead if a reain printer!

[@Raytenecks]

Now that I've got an A1 Mini, I've bought your settings files and I appreciate all the work that went into them! I'd love to have some settings for supports, though. Do you plan to work on that, or do you know anyone who has figured out how to get some good supports that are easier to remove? They basically ruin the back of my print at this point.

[@slowbyslothstandards7948]

This may be a daft question ..... would these settings also work on its bigger brother the A1? I am new to the hobby and currently look at the A1 because of the lager print space for other cool stuff I find but my main focus would be miniatures . Thanks in advance for any responses.

[@dowcmathis]

Thanks so much for posting this. I'm really excited to start pringing miniatures, and our A! just arrived yesterday. With that in mind, you mentioned that you had a profile coming out for the A1 "soon". Any idea when "soon" is? In the meantime, can I use the A1 mini profile on the A1? Thanks again!

[@petercallison5765]

I have printed on the A1 Mini with Sunlu Meta and from my tests it is significantly worse than my current favorite Jayo High Speed filament. I believe Sunlu and Jayo are the same, but Jayo comes in 1.1 kg rolls for the same price. I tested using the Goblinoid models used in the video which will be my new go to test model. I suspect other High Speed filaments may produce good results. I also love the dark grey colour it makes the other greys look insipid.

[@gregoryamer]

Thanks for the video and making the profile available, I’m looking forward I’ll testing out the profile myself. Have you done any experimentation with .06mm or .04mm layer lines? I’ve had some success with .06 but .04 not so much yet.

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

Yes, .06 works with this profile.

[@jasonburnside3626]

Any chance on getting a general profile for terrain (high speed and then fine detail for the top layers) for the terrain pieces soon? And not just A1 mini specific as I don't have that model printer. Thanks. Great work

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

If I find the spare time, these profiles take an immense amount of time to develop.

[@ryanedmond7713]

Maybe the thinner wall from the Arachne generator is more subject to Deformation from shrinkage.

[@c9noack]

Great video, thanks for putting the time in to this for all of us! I might have missed it but what kind of print times are you getting for these models with your profile?

[@corkey2077]

I've just printed the archer in 2hrs 5min And he turned out great

[@frankmoore4754]

Hi Tom, for printing terrain, do you recommend going with the stock settings for the .04 nozzle?

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

Kinda, I have a terrain video coming hopefully in about 5 days.

[@darkairlord]

Do you support settings?

[@exodous02]

I didn't think FDM printers would get to this point. I had a resign 3D printer, printed great, but the fumes were just too much for me and I sent it back after 30 days. I have a Prusa MK3S+. I've been looking at the enclosed printer that Bambu makes, the Carbon X1 I think. If enough FDM printers get to this point I bet more models will specifically made for FDM printers.

[@silentbob4100]

Nice

[@cerberez1]

Are you planning on a video or just an upload of profile settings for terrain on a .4mm nozzle? These settings were hugely helpful to me but I’m having a hard time finding a balance between speed and quality for terrain. Thanks!!!

[@Tombof3DPrintedHorrors]

My next video is on printing terrain on the A1/A1 Mini. :)