I Was Wrong about BambuLabs AMS dying after 1 year

[@3dpprofessor]

I've also been making shorts: www.3dpprofessor.com/2023/11/29/i-was-wrong-about-bambu-ams-dying-after-only-1-year/

[@JeremyDWilliamsOfficial]

Shorts are fine, but in the winter I prefer pants.

[@joeboxter3635]

yes, but did they come to talk to you because you are average joe customer or because you are a youtuber? I'm betting average joe wouldn't have gotten a call.

[@Leonardokite]

And this is one of the main reasons I watch your channel. The utmost in honesty. It is very much appreciated. Something that is so lacking in today's world.

[@williamelewis464]

Lost me at not understanding the issue and self diagnosing failures with more failures

[@ashleys3dprintshop]

That AMS MB was the exact one I had customer service assist with. I was buying extra ams parts and saw the AMS needed an updated MB from the kick starter unit I had. They sorted me out in a day and I had that part in less than a week. I did not mention I had a channel(even if I had it would have been 50 subs). Bambu customer service has been solid the 1 time I used them.

[@timhoover1416]

I'm an engineer and at my last company had to review returned products as part of my duties. Most of the returns were typically something the user did wrong. Either we could not duplicate the problem or they changed a setting that was creating the limit they complained about. Also they would complain of leaking products, but the devices would be clogged up with teflon pipe tape so it could not seal properly and would therefore leak. So part of the return process was education to the customer that came from expensive engineers doing evaluations and writing reports. The other major problem we had was lack of information about the return.

[@shinsoku9128]

Props to you for owning up to your "mistake". I really appreciate you doing that :)

[@mctazman407]

Pro tip (as an ex CS rep); If you already did something they're asking you to do, tell them, tell them *how* you did the action, tell them your results, and then ask them if you need to repeat the action. There might be different steps, or details, they specifically need.

[@planfire]

when I tried to get a new 3d printer I was told the bambu lab has a bad customer service, but based on my experience, they are actually way better than I expected. Good job.

[@jackcoats4146]

Level 1 customer service has a tough job. I used to do that internally in IT in an oil company. Yes, being nice to customer service will make their day.

[@tedo3332]

Lived that life too... A lot of angry people. Then at the end of the call they wanted my phone extension and they got angry again when I told them I didn't have one I'm just in a phone pool and you get who you get.

[@geoffreyhowells7290]

Thanks to you, my opinion of Bambu has been elevated once again. They seem like a great bunch of people that really care and stand behind their product. That's what I luv about a bunch of engineers that get together to start a business. The result is a product that they actually want for themselves too.

[@Festivaljunkie]

this is truly the guideline that all should set the bar to be. why run a business you aren't passionate about creating a product that doesn't enrich your own life? fundamental stuff but it's really true!

[@johnhill437]

Fantastic information and great to know Bambu lab have fixed the issue. Good on Bambu lab. I will definitely be getting one.well p1s combo. Many thanks 😊.

[@Hohmies86]

The video quality, the information and knowledge from this channel is better than anything on TV

[@rockdem0n]

This is an amazing video. Props to both you and Bambu Labs for admitting that you got things wrong and not trying to cover it up. This alone makes me want to get a Bambu printer when money isn't as tight and you have earned my sub.

[@PAULHODARA]

I have worked in IT for over thirty years and have found smart people try to overthink the problem and really smart people try not to think at all and trouble shoot one step at a time without assuming anything. I think your a really smart person and like all really smart people your entitled to lapse once in a while. I have studied a number of your online videos and they are wonderful and very, very helpful. I really appreciate your candor in this video it makes you very special. Thank you.

[@johnlombardo]

I had a board in my X1C toolhead fail and Bambu Lab support was awesome. Lodged a support ticket on Monday and by Tuesday afternoon they had walked me through the process to diagnose the fault, verify that it was my printer, and organised to ship the replacement board. And this was while their support site had a big banner up apologising for delays because they can't get more support staff. They really do have the most comprehensive and helpful wiki I have ever seen.

[@snailmailgames6335]

Honestly the support you got compared to lets say the other brands such as creality. Makes me want to save up for a P1P or X1C

[@hd-be7di]

Creality doesn't punch vent holes on their printer power supply covers to save $... are you surprised?

[@_droid]

Creality is more of a DIY brand for hobbyists. You can hack, modify, change, whatever you want, and yes, it might not work perfectly out of the box. Also cheaper because you're doing some of the work. Bambu is trying to be a consumer brand. You plug the toaster in then toast stuff. More expensive, less work (maybe some day :)

[@tedo3332]

I got an X1C in June... Not a single issue with it that wasn't my fault. Never had to call service.

[@S.A.S.H.]

I'm very impressed to see someone honest enough to admit a mistake. Seems a rather rare willingness as of late. You win mega props from me!

[@cbgslinger]

Outstanding video! I appreciate the candid update on your AMS saga. I have a Kickstarter AMS that is still operating with the original components. It’s good to know they will be able to support me if/when the time comes. I don’t do many multicolor prints and even the ones I do don’t require many filament changes, so I’m sure that greatly reduces wear on my AMS. I did take apart the second stage feeder and clean out filament fragments when I was having filament feeding problems and the filament was getting ground up by the feeders. My solution has been to stick to filament brands that work reliably for me. Less adventurous, but more trouble free! I don’t really have a need for that much variety in colors and PLA meets my needs for my Cigar Box Guitar parts. It is amazing how Bambu Lab has jump started 3D printing; I’m looking forward to their large format printer. I’m sure it will reflect what they are learning from users worldwide!

[@kkuenzel56]

Great video. Interesting story. I just bought my X1-Carbon during the Black Friday sale. It's good to know the quality of Bambu Lab's Technical support. Is it email, chat or telephone? On another note, it would seem that the AMS would or should have had a serial number and build date tag. If that information was available to them at the start, it would have told them this was a prototype.

[@3dpprofessor]

Email mostly. Yeah, the prototype had no sticker whatsoever, whereas the new ones do. Another red flag that was missed.

[@conorstewart2214]

Thank you for making this video, bambu probably still don't know how you got that prototype unit but it makes perfect sense for why support couldn't help you fix it, most of the support people probably had no experience with prototype units and couldn't recognise that it was a prototype unit. It does sound like the support was pretty good though, even if they could have been a little less hostile to the hydra.

[@JoshuaCoons]

first time watcher and your integrity to admit you were wrong is amazing and has gained you a follower for life.

[@seanwoods647]

Thanks for sharing your story. It's nice to be reminded that I'm not the only human being on the Internet. The Maker community is pretty open about "...and this didn't work. But here is why..." Which is a refreshing change from [points to everything else]

[@user-lx9jm1wo3h]

I doubt they would have sent you a new AMS, and I highly doubt they would send you a whole new printer + AMS if you werent a content creator. Thank you for showing how creators get special treatment vs normal paying customers.

[@3dpprofessor]

Again, it's marketing vs customer service.

[@user-lx9jm1wo3h]

@@3dpprofessor Again, its good to see how they give special treatment to content creators over paying customers.

[@Rob_65]

Thanks for acknowledging customer support for issues like this. I've been in customer support myself some time ago and you'd be amazed about the strange things I have seen. If a piece of expensive equipment gets broken, sometimes people get stressed and skip important steps over an over again (this happened to me too once or twice): "Sir, can you please make sure that cable A is connected at port B, then switch the device off and on and try again" - "Yes, I already did this multiple times and it still does not .... O hang on ... I had it plugged in port C... I just plugged it in port B and guess what ... It works" It takes a skilled customer support persons to be able to get a customer relaxed enough to go through a procedure step by step without skipping one😁

[@klschofield71]

I don't think your approach to testing and analyzing Bambu's Customer Service response was wrong. I probably would have done the same. You wanted to test a hypothesis about what their response would be outside of the "influencer" umbrella, and it seems like they passed. Glad to know that your predicament had a resolution, and I look forward to a follow-up video next year about your Proto-Franken-AMS and how it's performing.

[@frankarcos6355]

i dont think they did pass, their attitudes changed when they found out he was an influencer their is no way two ways about that. and for him to back pedal on that is wrong.

[@klschofield71]

@frankarcos6355 He didn't back pedal on it. He clearly explained the difference between the Marketing group and the Customer Service group and their respective roles within the company, which he said Customer Service was doing all that they could to help him. Had Marketing not gotten involved, he may have never known he had a prototype AMS.

[@frankarcos6355]

@@klschofield71 customer service should have known as soon as he gave them the serial number which should have been one of the first things they asked for. otherwise whats the use of serial numbers?

[@YuppyVA]

Subscribed for your brutal honesty, thank you for the content 3DProfessor!

[@yolo6741]

Thank you for that open and honest analysis of BambuLabs support and the initial problem. I agree that their documentation is outstanding and they try to do the best on their customer support.

[@lance5041]

I worked CS from Answering phones back at OSI/EA in 1995 to an EVP with a responsibility of over 600 agents worldwide--I think this is a pretty good video. Especially agent's want a problem solved first and foremost. Typically working from a playbook, with a scientific method..-- tested and verified against a lot of test cases. Its amazing how many people want to solve the issue themselves while you're online with them. Thanks for the insight. Working at a booming company, I can relate to greater customer need to the available agents. Big thanks.

[@DKWalser]

Bambu sounds like the kind of company I'd like to work with.

[@3dpprofessor]

That's a sentiment I've heard from a lot of people who work there.

[@rsquaredinnovations]

I have several X1's. My Kickstarter is running like a tank. I run these printers 24/7. I had a bed issue with one of the printers that took several rounds of parts to fix and the service was very good, they stuck with the problem until it was resolved, two system boards and two beds later. I love the printers and I would not even think about a different brand. Growing pains for the company for sure, but they seem to be moving forward all the time!

[@jaerin1980]

Thank you for preaching the need for perspective on remembering that support people are humans and needs patience.

[@Orxani]

Thanks for giving the good the bad and the ugly. Appreciate it and look forward to continuing watching your videos.

[@a.nonamoose]

That story Bambu peddles about them requiring pictures and all sorts of info to replace parts due to non-owners trying to scam them is obviously not true. To open a ticket you have to log in your account so they have all your info including your purchases and invoices. I have 4 Bambu printers and 8 AMSes.. and they've proven several times they couldn't care less about their customers.

[@wk5199]

My heatbed signal cable failed about 5 months in. Emailed them describing what I did based on the steps in the wiki for that error code. They replied back and just wanted pics of the error code on screen with the warranty claim number included in the pic and my Order ID (KS backer so didn't have one, just gave my backer number). They sent out the parts within 4 days of messaging back and forth.

[@ethansdad3d]

I can think of a few scenarios where a non influencer could get a hold of one of the pre-kickstarter machines. This has probably been a great lesson for their customer support.

[@matthewblumenthal804]

I spent many years doing technical support/customer service on high tech devices. Sometimes the problem with with the device. Sometimes it was just broken and needed to be replaced. More often than not however, the problem with in the chair/keyboard interface. People who just do the steps as asked and let the tech do their jobs get much better results.

[@Trust_me_I_am_an_Engineer]

Thanks for being so honest and for an interesting video. Especially interesting since I just bought the X1C combo : I waited for almost a year to let them iron out bugs/software/customer support before buying. Will you remove or update the previous video ?

[@3dpprofessor]

This was the update to it. Not really much else I can do but link to this video from that one. KZbin doesn't allow for much more than that.

[@Trust_me_I_am_an_Engineer]

@@3dpprofessor 👍

[@stew675]

It seems to me that this could have been resolved fairly quickly if they had asked for the board version number from the outset, or soon afterwards. I don't agree that you were the problem. The problem was a flaw in their issue resolution procedure and your actions actually exposed that.

[@3dpprofessor]

Apparently first step is "confirm what the problem is" and then confirm numbers before sending stuff. Maybe they should put that sooner.

[@3DHP]

Great Video Joe. Love my X1 Carbon with AMS. Support has been great whenever i had an issue which is rarely. Bought mine in Feb 2023. Never had a filament chew problem.

[@NickBR57]

Well done. You are right - that are people not numbers. Treat people right and hopefully they treat you right too.

[@melgross]

Prototypes do get out. Companies can make dozens, each with tiny differences until they get it working the way they want. They keep the prototypes in case they need to check something from them at some point. Additionally, these can come off the assembly line before any shipping units do in numbers sufficient to test the line’s integrity. I used to be a manufacturer, so have experienced this. As a result, an employee may not be aware that some units aren’t meant for release and may grab one, or more, and send it out. No, usually, prototypes aren’t serialized. I recently had another odd thing occur with a company. I ordered a hydraulic punch station and some punches. The station came, but not the punches. I told them that and they sent me another station. I again told them them that and again they sent me another station. The stations cost almost $1,000, while the punch set cost about $300. So now I had three stations and only the punches that came with them, one per station. It took several more weeks to get that sorted out. One would think that that wouldn’t happen, but it does.

[@dkpriest]

Congratulations on your Theseus' AMS! :D

[@crowguy506]

Two of my four ams units are currently down. Both of them with fairly low mileage compared to any influencer I assume. Both of them are 1 year old. The Kickstarter unit still runs without issues. One unit got a new first stage feeder which doesn’t work. I’m currently debating fixing the original feeder or going for a mainboard swap. I just needed to swap the ap mainboard of my X1C twice, so I’m trying not to need support this time if possible. While they were helpful, it was exhausting. Your clock never started ticking. You need to buy a printer (Yes that happens) anonymously to get that running. My communication with support clearly shows, that you’re dealing with another culture. That’s a big difference and needs to be taken into account.

[@mururoa7024]

When the second stage feeder fails, would it fail for all 4 filaments, or could it fail for just 1 but not the others? I have only slot #1 failing to feed filament, the others are fine.

[@3dpprofessor]

I had only slots 1 and 4... until they ask started failing.

[@jonmayer]

Wow that is incredible. It all finally makes sense.

[@fredblogs]

10 out of 10 for your honesty, I’ve only got a A1 combo but I find it fantastic after having a S1 which was bloody slow compared to the A1.

[@MakerMark]

The actual problem with customer service is they dont read your emails thoroughly and ask repetitive questions. Also they run your text through translator software. So stuff gets lost in translation.

[@TheNewBloodDan]

as someone who had to go through multiple RMAs for my quest 2, and now quest 3... Treating customer support goes well alot more than treating them like they're a bother to you. I've had terrible customer support with samsung products despite being kind and now I've learned to just not support samsung anymore and treat it as an important lesson. Now If customer support is great and reasonable at worst then that adds to the product.

[@darkracer1252]

i was like "who the hell is joel telling" so i googled him and went. "OOOOHHH" it's him XD

[@jacobilkka8080]

This is perfect. Thanks Joe. I'm sold on the X-1 Carbon Combo now. I have a Prusa MK4 which is great, but still waiting for MMU3...

[@AuroraCypher]

Thank you Joe, youre the reason I bought my first X1 when it first came out. Great contents and absolute honesty.

[@bertram-raven]

With a number of the companies I am on their "move to next level immediately" customer service list. Those companies know I take the time to fully diagnose an issue and would not be calling unless the issue was beyond the most common. All companies need to implement this process! It means the greatest frustration with customer services, namely doing the same thing again and again because each call goes to a different person and the process starts again, would become a thing of the past.

[@rstcologne]

My AMS has never worked properly. My bed is more of a banana than my cheap Anet A6 of yesteryear. Bambu customer service, … well, I wouldn’t call it service. They wore me down over weeks, it was to complicated to send the thing back. The crappy bed is sufficiently compensated by a hyperactive compensation algorithm for it to print. The AMS is just collecting dust. I use the X1 carbon a lot but it’s a very mixed bag to say the least. I get your point about working with customer support and I did. But at some point, the amount of effort you need to put in just gets ridiculous for a product which clearly has serious quality issues.

[@SeizureGman]

As a person who has worked on a IT Service desk for several years I can hear this. People sometimes get the idea when they drop a ticket they are getting a dedicated engineer or Service Desk technician who is only answerable to that person when in reality might be answer dozen or even a 100 my peak was actually 89 tickets assigned to me at a time. I also find when people right away say "They done a restart or rebooted the device they are lying though there teeth and when caught out double down" Yes when things break or not work it's annoying trust me I logged tickets with Bambu but while slow they have provided help which is more than what Creality or Flsun have ever done

[@3dpprofessor]

In my experience Creality tries, but they don't have the documentation.

[@SeizureGman]

@@3dpprofessor In my experience I found FLSUN was the worst they flat out refused to help me Creality offered a free part but no extra guidanc. Flashforge offered parts to repair and even when I made the mistake they sent an extra part out at no cost. Finally Bambu labs yes were slow but they provided a fix and parts and even sent me a voucher as I brought my X1C combo a week before they dropped the price and they gave me a 135 pounds voucher for the difference

[@lmaoroflcopter]

I once had an electrical issue with my car that meant the engine wouldn't turn over. Now being into electronics, I broke out the multimeter and started taking apart my dashboard, testing relays, checking grounds, testing windings on the alternator, etc. Spent hours with no success and so I put it all back together and called my RAC (automotive recovery) So the RAC bloke who rocked up, tried starting got nothing. Did a visual inspection to confirm my battery cables were attached, quickly checked my fuse boxes attached a jump box and tried. Nothing. He then shrugged and went "Time to tow it to the garage". At the time I was fuming. There I was having spent hours as a layperson tracing wiring harnesses, testing relays, pulling apart my centre console. Then this "mechanic" rocks up, plugs in a battery pack, turns the key then calls it quits!!! What the hell? If that was the case I'd have just bloody towed it to the garage myself! It was after with some perspective I realised he was basically first line. He eliminates the "turn it off and on again" issues. If instead I had simply acted like a normal customer, I'd have not wasted an entire day doing checks. I'd have called the RAC, they'd have done the basics then towed it to the garage who within 20 minutes would have found the problem (starter solenoid was U/S), but because I thought I knew more I lost an entire weekend to the fault. Same applies to IT problems. You know 1st line is absolutely going to go off of a script and have you establish basic facts about your system so... why even bother trying to diagnose, just call, do it when they are on the phone and save yourself the hassle of repeating the actions :)

[@smoody123]

Gettting my P1P tomorrow. I will be coming by the makerspace sometime to pick your brain and refresh my 3D process a bit!

[@woodwaker1]

Thanks for the update and admission as to much of the problem. I agree that Bambu and Prusa have the best customer service, in fact that is one of the reasons I donated all of my Creality printers, the lack of any service

[@johannkruger3530]

Glad to see that Bambu support works so well in other Countries, unfortunately in South Africa the support is not that great and the importers for Bambu just can't seem to cope with the demand of support and stock. Great printer but the after sales support not so good for Bambu

[@3dpprofessor]

International support is a whole layer of issues added on. Good luck

[@troycooksey2231]

I have three Carbon X1s with AMS. One Kickstarter unit (with the newer feeders 😅) , one from February of this year, and one from August of this year. I see a lot of issues reported on Bambu's Community Forum. I guess I must be lucky as I have not had any serious problems with any of the machines. I don't run 24/7, but at least 50% of the time, running production parts for one of my clients and a variety of prototyping work. I could not imagine doing this much work with some of my old printers.

[@jonnatanoyarzun8760]

Now you feel what I feel debugging software and at the end a comma was missing hahaha

[@3dpprofessor]

Oh, don't remind me. 10 years of software development and at least twice a day I was reminded I an the idiot.

[@Blue68Camaro]

I have been working with support for 3 months now on 2 X1c with AMS. Both on slot 3 and 4 fail on retracting the filament. I have done everything they asked and sometimes twice. Printed and tested everything they asked. I have been nice and patient with them but no better off today then I was 3 months ago. I have literally given up. It really annoys me how some get preferential treatment and the rest of us are left out in the cold going in circles. I really like the printer itself and couldn’t be more pleased with it, but the AMS and support, NO.

[@3dpprofessor]

Give it one more try. Their support teach has turned over a new leaf lately. Also, did you try to replace the 2nd stage feeder hub?

[@Blue68Camaro]

​@@3dpprofessor Not sure what you are referring to as "Second Stage Feeder" since there is no reference to that part name. I just gave up with them and ordered a "First stage feeder" , a "Harden Steel Extruder" and "AMS Internal Hub Unit". I also ordered PTFE tube 3mm ID. Couldn't hurt to have spare parts anyway. First thing I replace and was always my primary suspect was the AMS Internal Hub Unit. Well that fixed it. I guess I will order another one for the other printer since support isn't going to help me.

[@3dpprofessor]

@@Blue68CamaroThe feeder hub inside the AMS. The one that I eventually replaced and fixed my problem. You can see it at 12:40 in the video.

[@xXOAXxTempest]

ill give you a like just because you said you were wrong. Holy shit if we could get more people to admit to mistakes wow, how the world would change.

[@BeatlesCuber]

Good job joe, you owned up to mistakes and you also made it through having a hydra too😂

[@3dpprofessor]

Oh, I ain't giving up that Hydra.

[@stephenmarch3736]

Fantastic, thank you for sharing this insight and technical knowledge.

[@3Dprint4you]

Well I bought mine back in July and the hub in the AMS is bad, I think, and I am in the process of replacing it because I havent had any luck with customer support. Hopefully this will fix the problem. I have had zero problems with the printer and it prints quite literally 24/7. I have a K1 that died 1 week after I got it, it was one of the early ones with the faulty bed level and extruder and so on and it still sits silent because of customer support. Sad really between the two machines I am in to them close to $2300!

[@madjesta]

I am so sicked and tired of this kind of crappy technical support. I work as a programmer and I get the same kind of run around when phoning my ISP. It also happens with products... I get less help from them than just doing it myself, or attempting to. They just recite some dumb script taken out of an episode of the It Crowd and that's it, usually.

[@Lebofly]

This is silly, they should be able to figure out which model you have regardless if you're a youtuber or a normal paying customer, replacing it also would have fixed it. Why is there so much bootlicking in this video?

[@3dpprofessor]

Because I feel I over did it on the previous video.

[@thamjunyan6992]

so the question is, how did you get that pre-kickstarter ams :D

[@3dpprofessor]

That is the question. Because I specified that I did not want a pre-release unit, and yet they still sent me one. But that's okay. Water under the bridge.

[@johnhill437]

Good to see that you have been honest Top bloke.

[@nukedathlonman]

Not every one is perfect or right all the time - but glad it's all figured out. 🙂

[@officialteamroc]

its not rare that these got sent out and they knew exactly how many they sent out!!!! i had one of these pre machines and so did one of my buddys.. he got his new machines but after a month and a half i got fed up!!! i still have my machine if you want it so u can fix it or see if its the same problem

[@MrKornnugget]

Good video and follow up. Thank you for sharing.

[@tablatronix]

If a customer modified their product I would expect them to get no support.

[@sabotage3d]

Can you please provide your AMS test file? From day one I am getting constantly: "Failed to pull back the filament from the toolhead to AMS. Please check whether the filament or spool is stuck after troubleshooting, click retry button." Supports wants me to make a video, it is quite tricky.

[@3dpprofessor]

I hardly ever change the defaults. I've seen that error myself and it's almost always when I use loose coils wrapped around a disposable spool. If it can't rewind the spool, it errors out.

[@GoodScienceForYou]

I have now, 25 each 3D printers for work. And I use and buy them based on need and today that need is more speed on larger parts. So, I have had to deal with customer service problems, and most all of them have been excellent. All of my printers are Chinese, "of course" as they make the best for the least. However, the Bambu Lab's PS1 has no problems since I got it except the AMS does NOT LIKE paper reels (hard cardboard), only plastic ones, (as the instructions say to use plastic reels) any plastic works. The prints are amazing and MOST of my prints are for hard working, prototype, parts. I design them in CAD based on how they work in testing, like I abuse these plastic parts and fix their weaknesses, adjust the angles of print layer level height etc, and such so these parts work as well as injected molded parts. Some are PETG CF or Polycarbonate with CF. In my entire life I have had this thing of getting the best quality of work from some of the cheapest tools available. And what I do is to examine how the machine or tool is made and if needed change the tool a bit until it produced amazing precision results. For example, one time I built and entire simple truck camper using a cheap ($25) sabre saw, and a cheap drill motor (1/4 inch at $14 at the time, non-reversible) to put in screws. The thing was like a tank in strength and endured for a long time. I simply used cutting guides on the saw to make perfectly straight cuts, pilot drilled all the holes so the screws hade no resistance above what the drill motor could produce, water proof glue etc, and exterior house paint. So, I have had a lot of experience with getting these "cheap" printers to work very well and most of my prints are almost always PETG and variation of PETG CF. Right now my favorite printer is the Anycubic Kobra 2 MAX, and I know all of the problems with it and how to fix them as it runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for my work. It prints beautifully, until the print is just too heavy, (over 3 KG) for the bed to move without the inertia forcing the belts to slip and the print goes out of alignment. It is huge "bed slinger" moving at tremendous speeds for it size. The solution is to add two more identical belts. It also will "walk off the table" when printing heavy prints. So I had to block the front, the direction it chooses to move. Prints that used to take 7 days take two days. Anyway what you say about customer service, is correct. They are people and they do a very good job of helping with any issues, within the limits of their CS policies. Anycubic, Creality, Sunlu and even Tenlog are good. They all respond quickly, considering they are many thousands of miles away and in a completely different time zone. I also have a K1 Max (that I sorely regret) as I wanted speed and in the 300 mm size. The K1 has been my biggest mistake so far. Even the Anet A8 I have is a better printer. The K1 is now an anchor, wasting precious space, put on a shelf out of commission. Still waiting for parts to fix the print head. It has never worked correctly, even with all the customer service they can't fix my problems and I think of myself as a seasoned 3D printer guy. It was beating itself to death, just in the preliminary set up, day one. Got a new PCB that was missing a heat sink (bought a heat sink and installed it) and got that fixed. The extruder did not work at all, just sat there and made funny sounds (two of the wires were broken at the factory). They finally sent out a new extruder (6 weeks later after trying to explain "I need the whole extruder with the MOTOR, and not just the bad gears and such) and I got like three prints out of it before the head was completely blocked and I could not even get the extruder off as the filament went up into the smal blue Bowden tube and fused the extruder to to the print head. Creality has had so many problems with it they lowered the price from the $1000 I paid. I bought it way too early as it was full of "bugs" and they now as it has been in constant state of repairs and customer service after 3 months of constantly trying to get it to work, will not take it back (3 month customer policy). I should have sent it back when it was beating itself to death. I don't recommend that printer ever, at least not until they fix the design. I don't have time to make videos, because I am working all the time, making parts. This is the longest post on this I have written. I don't have time now to fix the K1 (and am quite disgusted with it), or to design and make my own print head that works. I may follow some of the Voron ideas on a print head and install that or? any ideas?

[@3dpprofessor]

That is quite a lot. I'm curious what your problem with the K1 was. I'm loving mine so far, but I'm worried I've been a victim of cherry picking. But, besides sticking with support, I really don't know what else you can do than what you've done.

[@Festivaljunkie]

so should i replace my motherboard even though my ams is fine? after a year+ of ownership it's starting to have some components go that i have en route, but its running strong! (the rubber rollers, they wear, esp with the cardboard spools).

[@3dpprofessor]

Only if you need to replace your AMS' first stage feeders. If they're working fine, don't worry about it.

[@Festivaljunkie]

@@3dpprofessor rollers first. Got it. If that doesn’t resolve it, feeders next. Other issue I notice is that the AMS motors get overwhelmed easily. (Not sure if it’s the main in the back or the first stage- I suspect the rollers have a lot to do with it, fingers crossed!)

[@3dpprofessor]

@@Festivaljunkie When you say the AMS motors are overwhelmed easily, do you mean that the first stage rollers are grinding against the filament? Because that's what I saw seeing. However, the thing I realized is where was the rest of the filament? It's not that the first stage couldn't move, it's that something else was preventing the filament from moving. You almost don't want those motors too powerful or they'll grind right through when something else goes wrong.

[@halil_irmak]

Sorry for my ignorance but don’t they have serial numbers ? I don’t understand it would be so easy to figure it out with serial number which version Ams you have without going all those hassle!

[@3dpprofessor]

Yeah, they didn't ask for that as early as they definately should have. If they had, the absense of one on this should have been a tip off.

[@MrKornnugget]

The people claiming parts they are not entitled to is a process issue from Bamboo. People have taken advantage of businesses forever and there are well established customer service processes that mitigate this without impacting customer service. Also, shrink is normally calculated in when repairing manufacturing defects or providing replacement parts.

[@3dpprofessor]

I'm curious what well established customer service process mitigate those issues for others.

[@MrKornnugget]

​@@3dpprofessor This is only my individual viewpoint based on my work in production and not aimed to contradict your stance. I value your work and expertise. ISO 9001 is the industry standard for quality management system standard that covers product traceability, such as identification, documentation, verification, and validation. I think Bamboo Labs should have a better system for tracking their products and verifying their customers. Many other industries use unique identifiers, such as service tags or VIN numbers, to track the product life cycle, manage customer expectations, and handle warranty requests. It seems surprising that Bamboo Labs does not have a way to link the serial number of their products to the version of the equipment. If they encounter a defect or need a recall, they should be able to identify who is affected by the issue. This is not a new idea, and it is a testament to their poor product tracking that they could not tell what version of equipment you had by the serial number. Having a prototype mode or preproduction model is alarming because prototypes normally do not have the same testing as production models to ensure reliability and safety. You could have had a fire hazard in your home, and they were not even tracking where their prototypes went? Bamboo Labs is not ISO 9001 certified, compared with Anker and PRUSA which are ISO 9001 certified. Considering they are competing in the level of competition they should also have the same quality and product tracking as their direct competitors. They are a multi-million dollar company and at that level there is no excuse not to be ISO 9001 or GS1 certified.

[@adbellable]

i think i might be a prototype

[@motionsick]

Cant believe those feeders are only $35.

[@wyannick888]

Would it be fair to say that they missed the problem (that specific part was apparently overlooked) during the initial support? Or is this a specific problem of that prototype and couldnt they have known (its difficult to trace a problem of something that shouldnt be on the market)?

[@3dpprofessor]

Part of it was probably how I was describing the problem. While I considered it might have been the hub feeder, the first stage feeders were apparently a more common problem. I don't know. Prototype unit. Unusual problem. Who knows if there was a better way to get to the bottom of it.

[@tjCooper88]

Why does nobody talk about the fact that the motor they use is just not up to scratch in the ams. 90% of most people's issues is due to this weak baby motor. Glad you got it sorted. It's highly frustrating.

[@3dpprofessor]

I'm not one to criticize an engineer's decision. Maybe that one motor in isolation is insufficient, but taken as part of the whole system it's more than enough. Or maybe your right. I don't know.

[@tjCooper88]

@@3dpprofessor I just don't think it has enough torque tbh.

[@Billybobble1]

Honesty always works wonders with me, we all make mistakes, it's how we deal with them that counts.

[@kodeypatterson8973]

"Lemme talk about how I don't talk to normal customer service like you have to do, for only 18 minutes of your life." "When they found out I am THE...one and only.... 3d printing professor, lemme tell you."

[@3dpprofessor]

I haven't. What problems are you having?

[@kyleb2044]

No issues why, but i found the story interesting. Saw part one as i was waiting to receive my P1S a few days ago. Thanks for the details. Sounds like their support is decent and getting better. I'm sure their growth has been ridiculous.

[@ZaniZandiani]

No matter what I do I get spagetti from the get go.....what am I doing wong. Please help

[@3dpprofessor]

Pictures would help. If you're able, jumping on the troubleshooting section on my discord could help.

[@joell439]

Fascinating story 👍😎👍

[@Adam-qr4jj]

I really don't understand how this isnt Bambu's fault....there was no way for you to know that you got a prototype. If you were a normal customer and got a prototype how would you have communicated that to Bambu? I just dont get how this isnt their fault.

[@3dpprofessor]

Their assertion is that no paying customer got the prototype units. Once they started shipping Kickstarter units, these prototypes were not sent out any more.

[@sliverbaer]

​@@3dpprofessor​ Aren't the prototypes also serialized? Even the parts? They should know when each part was shipped?

[@Adam-qr4jj]

@@3dpprofessor Thank you for the reply. I understand now. Still wishing we could've seen how this would've played out had they not connected the serial # to your channel.

[@jjptech]

He explained it by the end of

[@zerog2000]

@@sliverbaerwhy it’s important for hardware manufacturers to either explicitly list out hardware revisions on the nameplates, and/or encode the information into the serial numbering system, so at least manufacturer can identify it during support engagements. Furthermore, for something which communicates as an accessory, the hw rev should be communicated to the parent device.

[@kenlee224]

I had a 3d printer from another supplier. My case of obtaining technical support from the customer services requires me to send a picture of my machine bearing the serial number (S/N).

[@tedo3332]

I bought a Kickstarter eBike and they do that too. Then they send a whole bunch of parts that could be the fault and ask you to call them when you get them to go a part at a time. I'm cool with it. Hard to troubleshoot an eBike when it doesn't turn on at all, but they obviously cared and wanted me to enjoy the bike. It's a good bike (my kid finally said he broke it). C3 Strom

[@atoomnet]

Awesome followup video.

[@keithdriggers9578]

Isn’t the Bambi AMS the same thing as the “mosaic” machine that was conceived a few years back? Same prime tower and waste. Thanks professor.

[@3dpprofessor]

The AMS has a number of fundamental differences from the Mosaic that make it... actually work. As opposed to the Mosaic that never really did. First of all, the Mosaic fused the ends of filaments together to attempt to make a specialty filament that transitioned between colors at specific times. the AMS removes and replaces the filament at the hot end. The Mosaic attempted to be a solution for all, the AMS only works on Bambu 3D printers. The Mosaid resulted in frequent jams because their fused filament was either slightly bulbus or frequently snapped and it got worse if you tried using unlike materials. The AMS just works. However, they both have to purge way too much, though for different reasons. The Mosaic had to purge both a regulars transition and the merged transition. The AMS cuts it off way too high above the nozzle.

[@keithdriggers9578]

@@3dpprofessor thanks professor.

[@rsilvers129]

I mean it is a long video just to say "Hey, that time I thought my AMS had a problem - turned out it was a prototype."

[@3dpprofessor]

Aw, but it's a good story.

[@OspreyLanthrax]

You were right about Bambu Lab's customer care treating normal people differently than popular you-tubers, though.

[@3dpprofessor]

Yeah. Marketing vs Customer Service. Kinda have to expect that.

[@Thfeyhvfdetyhbvcd]

It makes complete sense for them to treat customers differently than KZbinrs! Customers range from experts to novices. Arguably, KZbinrs (at least those with established channels) are much more experienced than the average Joe. Hopefully, they are less likely to make stupid mistakes leading to a problem with the unit. Also, you have good days and bad days, pleasant customers and unreasonable ones. You do your best but can’t please everybody. But! With a KZbinr, you’re not trying to please just one person; you’ve trying to please the thousands, tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands who watch that video.

[@OspreyLanthrax]

@@Thfeyhvfdetyhbvcd I don't know which part of asking them to add a simple VAT number to my invoice made me look like a novice to them. This was due, after all, to them not allowing me to enter that data in the first place while making the order. There was absolutely no such problem with Prusa. The fact is, their customer service is as bad as it sounds.

[@Thfeyhvfdetyhbvcd]

Sorry. That was intended as a general response to the main thread, and not as a specific response to any of your comments. In fact, I later tried to look for my comment and wondered where it went. I’ll try to be more careful in the future.

[@judith_pp]

interesting follow up video thanks for making it

[@donkeymarco]

Bambu voided the warranty because the Hydra install (You paid for the parts), and now we know that they had the knowledge that of potentially 2k defective units. So their customer service took the excuse of Hydra, and was their right to do so, even if You could be potentially oone of the customers with a unit that they knew had a defective AMS. Not a so great aptitude towards "normal" customers, they didn't knew at that time You were one of the "customers" labeled as "marketing tools" internally. I am interested to know how they deal with the warranty claims. From what I see they extended to many, too much, parts the "parts subject to wear" not covered by the warranty, that in U.S.A. is 12 months, but here in Europe is 24 months for private users.

[@3dpprofessor]

Oh, yeah. I gave them what for for that and they backpedaled quickly.

[@fitybux4664]

For an AMS that's basically $350 or so, how much shipping costs, human customer service costs, etc. do you think you chewed through with them? 😆

[@antariuswolfonso8035]

i saw your first video and i was very angry about your assume "breaks after 1 year. - after warranty is off." Thank you for your correction. Bambu support is very good. I have had serveral questions and in max. 3 days i get an answer that helps in all points. I am wondering why the support didnt ask your serial number of the AMS - so they could find out your hav a wrong AMS......

[@warslead1023]

Hello, I want to print and sell things on internet but I don't design. I would like to pay commercial use licences but there are pretty rare (and pretty expensive). What can I do If I want to make printing business, without designing ?

[@3dpprofessor]

Never been an easier time to learn design. Free tools like TinkerCad and Blender mean the only thing you have to lose is a little time. For a longer answer: kzbin.info/aero/PLVybj_7VBHRL9DGGQKzAZ_pgDnHlGDDEr

[@darkracer1252]

so what you're saying is you got 2 new ams's and a new printer. for a user error?

[@3dpprofessor]

No, for having outdated beta tech.

[@vmjr748]

Respect!✌for taking responsibility.

[@timf7354]

A sample size of 1 doesn't tell you the average lifetime of all units. Lol. I worked in tech support for a computer company many years ago and there is a reason the warranty is set for a specific period of time. It's because all movable parts wear out over time. Nothing is going to last forever and nobody should expect it to.

[@3dpprofessor]

And I was definitely a higher usage scenario.

[@martin_minds]

great response by bambulab

[@redherring5532]

I went to a vendor event as a seller of my own 3d print designs. There were two others selling 3d printed things but downloaded from other creators on patreon. Basically pokemon figures printed multicolor on a Bambu with AMS. They didnt do to well, and i just dont see the point in buying this great technology with the thought of opportunity to make copies of figures one could buy at a store, to turn a profit. I sold out of my stuff. And realized this bambu trend is a play on our propensity to consume, its an entire culture, good? Bad? Idk, just speculating.

[@3dpprofessor]

My take on 3D printing that it's much lower volume and print on demand nature means that most of them time people only print what they want, and they don't have to commit to 10000 of a thing to amortize the cost of making a mold. I think, even when it is a mistake, 3D printing is at least a step in the right direction. We still get the useless stuff we want, but we only get the useless stuff we want, and little more.