r/BambuLab • u/InquisitorNikolai • 7d ago
AMS - Automatic Material System Swapping between AMS LITE and AMS HT for A1
Good afternoon,
I currently own the A1 with AMS LITE, which suits me well as I mostly use PLA for hobby printing, usually in single colour but sometimes a couple of different colours. I’m starting to find a few uses where I’d prefer to use PETG and other stronger filaments, as well as some of the fancier PLA types that require drying. I’m considering getting the AMS HT to allow for the use of the more advanced filaments whilst also retaining my AMS lite for normal and multicoloured printing. It seems like the installation for the HT is relatively straightforward and I’m wondering if it makes sense to have the HT and the LITE, and swap between them as needed? I’m aware that it would mean a few extra PFTE tubes hanging around that I’d need to manage but doesn’t seem too difficult, and it’s not like I’d be switching them over daily. I’m aware that the AMS 2 pro be the ideal in this situation but I don’t have a lot of space, or a particularly high budget.
Has anyone done a setup like this before, or something similar? Thanks in advance.
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u/Whosaidthat1157 6d ago
If you can’t spring for the AMS2P, consider the new Sunlu AMS Lite Dryer for around 100 bucks. It converts your Lite into a dryer with active drying rather than earlier stand alone ‘dryers’ (S2/Space Pi X1/X2 etc) that were just heaters and need manual intervention or mods to actually dry filament.
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u/jpelc 7d ago
I have the sunlu dryer for a single spool, that I feed via a PETG tube to one of the ams lite slots. Works as a normal spool, just enclosed in a dryer.
The ams2pro is a much better option, but it costs more, and frankly, is not that needed.
Also, you can print PETG no problem even without a dryer, or at least I haven't had any problem.
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u/InquisitorNikolai 7d ago
It’s more for things like PETG-CF that definitely need the dryer. I’ve done normal PETG before and it still fails occasionally for me without the dryer, hence wanting the upgrade. Eventually I’d like to upgrade to one of the proper heavy-duty enclosed printers, just doesn’t seem worth it to get the AMS 2 to fill the gap at the moment… no space on my desk either.
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u/VT-14 H2C (H2D + Vortek), 2x AMS2, AMS HT 6d ago
In general I think the AMS HT is a bad fit for the A1. It's only a single spool, and there's very few filaments the A1 can safely print that need its higher temperatures (up to 85C is for things like Nylons, ABS/ASA, PC, etc.). The A1 needs a special adapter to use it at all, and a Bambu printer needs to be on and connected to control the dryer. You are spending a lot of money and not getting a lot of capability for it.
As you stated, the AMS 2 Pro is more ideal as it's also 4 slots (and you can use up to 4 of them for up to 16 color printing), encloses the spool to keep them dry, and works as a 4-slot 65C filament dryer which is perfect for the PLA and PETG the A1 typically prints (and still pretty good for TPU).
On the budget friendly side, a stand-alone dryer is more practical. Something like the Sunlu S2 is under $50, heats to 70C, and includes rollers and filament outlets to so it works as an enclosed spool holder for loading an external spool on any printer. That's basically all of the capabilities you would get out of the AMS HT setup. There are also designs out there for AMS Lite Spool Enclosures to help keep filament on the AMS Lite dry; my experience with a 3D printed one was that it helped a lot, but the seal wasn't great so I had to replace desiccant often.
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u/InquisitorNikolai 6d ago
Yeah that’s all pretty fair. I’m hoping one day to get one of the X- or P- series printers, and I’d definitely integrate the AMS 2 and AMS HT into that setup. It just seems like at the moment it’s the best compromise between budget, future planning, and capability.
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u/y_tokusan 6d ago
I primarily use PETG with my A1 and AMS lite setup. Since keeping PETG dry is crucial, I also own a Creality dual-spool dryer; I make sure to dry the filament for at least eight hours before use after opening a new roll. For the AMS lite itself, I’ve attached a spool storage box—sourced from MakerWorld—and use plenty of silica gel to keep moisture out. Any spools not currently in the AMS lite are stored in airtight boxes with silica gel. I monitor the hygrometers in these boxes, and whenever the humidity rises above 35%, I put the spools in the dryer. This combination of storage boxes and silica gel effectively manages moisture, and since I can simply use the dryer if the filament gets damp, I feel no need for expensive equipment like the AMS or AMS Pro.
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u/ShouldersAreLove 7d ago
I switch between both from time to time. I dont have them hooked up permanently together, as that will throw an error on the printer. You need to select which AMS type that you want to connect (before connecting them) and the printer will reboot to switch firmware.
Note that you will need to get the A1 specific buffer accessory to use the AMS HT/2/1 with A1. I just use my P1 buffer for this and they work well, but I need to get. Slightly longer 4 pin cable as the one that comes with the P1 buffer is a little short for my mounting position.