Bambu Lab A1 3D Printer | Unbox and Setup Guide

[@NWGR]

Great video for beginners, thanks for posting. Having two A1s and two A1 Minis, there's a couple of things I do differently when setting them up now: First, I clean and lubricate the X and Y rails when during assembly. When the prompt comes up after calibration and setup, it's already done so you can just hit the done button and start printing. Second, I do any firmware updates before I do the initial calibration (which as you stated, should be done once the printer is in its defined workspace); you can do it through the handy app even with the calibration prompt on the screen. Also worth noting, it's best practice to wait for the print to fully cool (it only takes a few minutes) before removing it. I have a second plate for all my printers so I can swap them out as prints finish and start the next one right away while the previous print cools. For cleaning the bed, I just give it a wipe with isopropyl alcohol on rags made from old tshirts and haven't had and=y bed adhesions issues since I started 3d printing. I know a lot of people like the dish soap method, but for me, that's a worst case step for when even alcohol doesn't work. That said, I've never had to use dish soap yet on any of the PEI plates I use and I've been printing for about 5 years now. I love the A1 series. I gave one of the Minis to my wife, who's never 3d printed in her life, and she loves it. I want one more A1, then I'll be content. ;-)

[@3DPrintStuff]

Doing the cleaning + lubricating as part of the setup is smart. Firmware update came right after I finished filming. Yes letting it fully cool will extend the life of your PEI plate or so I'm told. I rarely wait for them to cool all the way and haven't run into issues yet. I've thought about buying extra build plates to swap out, just haven't pulled the trigger. I'll have to try IPA on the PEI plate. The kitchen isn't very far away so dish soap and water isn't much of a hassle. What are you printing with all your printers? I'm always looking for reasons to keep my printers busy.

[@NWGR]

@@3DPrintStuff I print a lot of PETG, that releases much easier once the bed is cooled. A second plate is definitely worth having. I've been using IPA since my ender 3 days and it's served me well. My kitchen is halfway across the house and I'm lazy lol Mostly functional prints for me, but I do some decorative prints as well. I'm currently designing a mario question block light; most of the ones currently available don't have a cutout for the question mark so it ends up looking a murky yellow. My wife does all the decorative printing; figurines, articulated creatures, etc. She did just print a really cool milk crate with legs that she keeps the remote in. Another reason I like having multiple printers is for running multi-plate jobs at once, r I can be prototyping on one printer (usually my mini), and printing a job on one of my A1s.

[@MathForMarines]

What do you recommend for lubricating the rails?

[@NWGR]

@@MathForMarines Superlube 51004 for the rails, 21030 for the Z axis lead screws.

[@Traxano]

Coming from ender3, do we need to change any settings in your bambu slicer software or is the stock settings good to go? Ofc infill layer height, but on Ender I can’t build it up and straight use it

[@baroquedub]

Thank you for taking the time to make this. Super useful for those of us new to 3D printing and a little confused by the printed guide. This was wonderfully easy to follow

[@kyle6860]

Awesome video! Just a little heads up, some Bambu Lab A1 3D printers come with a brace on the Z axis. I didn't read the manual (Which is completely my fault) but it says it on the first page. My calibration was seizing a bunch when calibrating until i figured out that we need to unscrew the brace 😮‍💨. Hopefully this helps everyone else

[@wille69]

Nice video man! My a1 is coming in like 2 weeks, so excited! :D

[@Malachiasz1983]

Tip about pushing the "thingy" to remove the tube (12:04) was something I was looking for :)

[@3DPrintStuff]

Yeah it's not something most people encounter in their day to day life. I'm surprised they don't emphasize this more in the little startup guide. I'm sure they must get support tickets from people just yanking the tubes out.

[@dmcwoodworx2968]

agreed, that is NOT mentioned in The Instructions I've just finished reading . . .

[@SteelWolf13]

Going to use your unboxing guide to pack up my A1. It had toolhead issues that would not let it print.

[@WhiteShack]

Thanks for the guide, Just ordered the A1 Combo like 20 minutes ago.

[@ZuniTube1]

Awesome! That's what I am getting. What are the measurements of the space the combo needs on your desk?

[@billbyrd9845]

Perfect video! You showed me everything I need to know in a way far better than the factory would have shown me. Liked and subbed. Add on comment: Sliding the panel back in is a little cumbersome. I'm not sure the designers could have done anything to make it better. Ultimately, the panel should be flush when you have it in right. Also-- there's a screw in the bottom where you plugged in the wires. You need to run it in. I used the fancy black fabric tape to help secure the wires going through the slot.

[@sollysdronemedia8079]

Not sure if you're aware that every time you manually move the axis with your hand, you're pushing voltage into the main-board. Those stepper motors act as generators when you're winding them by moving the axis, and it seems you really like doing it. I'm sure you're a great guy and I would sit there and finish watching your YT guide, but I just had to stop half way cringing at what you may do to the printer. Totally appreciate the time you took to make this video though.

[@kristis3755]

Great video! I've got one question. Today, I've received my A1 and started assembling it. Before putting the 2 big parts together, I believe I put the printer frame wrong way - I put the pressure on ptfe tube. It doesn't look broken or bent, but I'm a little nervous about it. Is it supposed to move a little to sides when touching it? It makes a little adhesive/sticky sound. Is that normal? I hope I didn't break anything

[@dominointhemix]

Your video was really helpful. Thank you for posting it. Made it super easy.

[@melonpip]

Thank you for the setup tutorial i found it very easy to follow and the helpful tips are appreciated 👏

[@baroquedub]

My A1 came with two black brackets that hold the 'moving bar' (x-axis?) in place (sorry newb here). They're not mentioned in the video or the Quick Start leaflet. I ran the calibration and immediately heard some loud noises, then the printer just showed 'Calibration failed'. The desktop app showed an error about "z-axis failure" and I put two and two together... those black brackets have to be unscrewed and taken off. This is no doubt totally obvious to anyone who's owned a bed slinger before, but it caught me out so I thought I'd share my stupidity :) Also I found the 'binding' of the printer to the Handy App failed for me (I googled and found a number of people having issues due to 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz WiFi networks not talking to each other). I installed the PC app and was able to add the printer from there

[@winawad8307]

Mines been delivered today a very useful video thanks that’ll help me set it up later

[@Makeyour_RCfly]

Just orderd today, can't wait to test it out, ❤

[@brianginn1993]

After ordering, how many days to get it? Just ordered mine today.

[@StrengthIsHere]

@@brianginn1993 just ordered mine I think its 5-8 days

[@PatKlassen-ev1so]

Enjoyed your video..I was concerned about the setup but now I’m not..thanks so much! ❤

[@fistballback3708]

$250 AUD to simply add multi colour is ridiculous

[@BredYum]

For the quality of the product id say its good

[@theender6449]

Amazing video! Mine gets home tomorrow im all set

[@3DPrintStuff]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@theender6449]

@@3DPrintStuff Just Got it! Im waiting for calibration! I love it! Thanks for the help!

[@mrsmrs4844]

Wait, does the A1 come with anything to lubricate the rails? At this price point it should include that and a whole lot more. My husband and I just bought the A1 Combo with AMS lite and were looking up videos to help us set it up. Thanks.

[@3DPrintStuff]

wiki.bambulab.com/en/a1/manual/acc-in-the-box Near the end of this webpage there's the lubricant oil and lubricant grease that comes with the printer.

[@mrsmrs4844]

@@3DPrintStuff thank you. What is the difference between lubricant oil and lubricant grease? Also, would you happen to have a video on how and where to use each one? We are visual learners and need help. Thanks again.

[@Umbra_Nocturnus]

@@mrsmrs4844 There's an FAQ on the Bambulab website that talks about the oil and grease. I'll just copy paste it: What is the difference between lubricant oil and lubricant grease included in the A1 accessory box？ Considering user feedback regarding the stickiness of the lubricant grease and its potential to attract dust and debris, we have conducted extensive verification tests and decided to switch the lubricant for the Y-axis guide rail of the A1 model. Therefore, for the Y-axis guide rail of the A1 model, we recommend using lubricant oil for lubrication. We suggest switching to lubricant oil for future maintenance if you have previously used lubricant grease. During the lubrication process, you can also wipe off the lubricant grease on the guide rail and then follow the guide to applying the lubricant oil. Friendly reminder: The accessory box provides two types of lubricants, one is lubricant oil, and the other is lubricant grease. The packaging may vary depending on the batch, so please refer to the actual packaging you received. Here is an introduction to their respective applications: [pictures of the lubricant tubes here] Purposes of Lubricant Oil: Used for X-axis linear rail, Y-axis guide rail, and eliminating noise from idler wheels. Purposes of Lubricant Grease: Used for lubricating lead screws and extruder wheels. Please note that it is strictly prohibited to use lubricating grease on the X-axis linear rail.

[@tremorflow3614]

Nice video! Love mine!! Inhabe noticed that some people have a little cover for the nub that sticks out near the bed and power cord? I dont seem to have it to cover the petruding cross pattern plastic. Other video unboxing some have?

[@iHustle33]

do you have to do the oiling if you just opened it up? i noticed you skipped it. does it not need it right away?

[@tbounds4812]

nah mine didn’t really have any oil and barely any grease so I recommend lubricating it you can go watch a tutorial on KZbin so you know where to put oil and where to put grease

[@seasidegreyhounds3670]

Thank you, I found your video really helpful

[@3DPrintStuff]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mikeak7331]

I just got my a1 mini. Very impressed

[@3DPrintStuff]

They are great little printers. Is that your first 3D printer?

[@mikeak7331]

@@3DPrintStuff No. Started with Creality printers. On to a P1S. Gave all my Enders away. I totally understand why bambu peeps are like cult members. It’s another world.

[@3DPrintStuff]

@@mikeak7331 Yeah I've gone full cult mode... it's just such a great printing experience compared to the enders. We also had an ultimaker S5 at work and the bambu printers are way better than that thing for 1/5 the price.

[@cong-organic]

Got mine a few days ago too, loving it

[@Yony_Gaming]

I’m setting mine up rn while watching your video just taking a lil snack break. Thank you

[@SeagullOnVr]

My y axis slider wont slide out i can pop up the slidder it judt wont move out tho

[@user-ic6xf]

So, if you don't use the handy app you don't need to create a Bambu Lab account? Can firmware be updated without an internet connection?

[@Arsenalarethebestclubinthepl]

I’m not sure I am just setting it up and I live in Syria so there could be difficulties with the app

[@chantillystreet7239]

i reaally want to get points from models on maker world so i can save up for a printer what do you think i should design

[@3DPrintStuff]

My best performing models have always been little functional things that solved a problem that I was having. I would start there. You can also browse makerworld by most downloaded to see the types of models that are getting lots of downloads to try and make similar models.

[@zombiebobo]

Thank you

[@3DPrintStuff]

You're welcome

[@bamboocraft259]

Is there any filament included?

[@3DPrintStuff]

Very small amount: 20g. You should order a roll of filament when you buy your printer. Doesn't need to be bambu filament but you'll want a spool of filament when you receive your printer to start printing parts right away.

[@Eli-te1pl]

I was just worried about the x axis cable it could tug on the z axis in that place

[@Eli-te1pl]

11:03 you shouldn't just move it out of the way for the spool holder you should do it for that reason ^^^

[@zane003]

but how do you print your own things?

[@3DPrintStuff]

Learn a modelling software, solidworks, fusion 360, tinkercad, opencad, freecad, blender, zbrush. Learn the slicing software for your specific printer and start printing. KZbin is your friend when learning these things.

[@Mr_Snowflake12]

If you don’t buy the combo do u still get the accessorie box like the wireless mouse?

[@3DPrintStuff]

I don't think anyone gets the hardware kits anymore. They were a limited time gift when they first released the printer and you would get one until they run out.

[@Mr_Snowflake12]

@@3DPrintStuff oh ok I was nearly more exited to what I would get more that the printer I presume the printer should arrive soon was your delivery quite fast?

[@QVitaOfficial]

Normalised at 1.25

[@Fumpzong]

101€ 😂 ……. no way

[@3DPrintStuff]

Not sure what you're referring to

[@Azrialgames]

@@3DPrintStuff I think he’s talking about the price in euros

[@3DPrintStuff]

@@Azrialgames yeah but the A1 starts at €339... so idk what the €101 price is referring to.

[@Azrialgames]

@@3DPrintStuffoh yeah I have no Idea then

[@Ssamaki69]

I think he may be referring to the price difference between the other models and the a1 or the a1 mini and a1.