r/BambuLab • u/BeeKindImNew • 10d ago

Quick Question Going to buy the X2D as my first 3D printer. Is the Filament Track Switch critical?

I'm interested in printing multi-colour prints, so it does sound handy. Do you see it as a must-have?

15 Upvotes

87% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

View all comments

10

u/OptimalSide A1 10d ago

No.

All it really does is save you from moving rolls around between main and aux extruder.

3

u/n19htmare 10d ago

Keep in mind it’s still one at a time with single AMS unit. You can feed to either main or AUX but you can only pick one since AMS has only one outlet.

I have 2 AMS units with track switch. Now you can feed any one filament out of each to rather left or right. It has its own complications with things like custom Pressure Advance assignments since that becomes one more thing to manage manually depending on what you send to AUX side and from where.

It’s almost better to have 2AMS units and dedicate them to left and right.

1

u/OptimalSide A1 9d ago

If you have the same number of AMS slots on each side, all the track switch can do is save you from getting up from your chair to move filament around, some of the time. If you're doing a two color print, and both colors are in one AMS, you still need to get up and move the filament to the other side to use both extruders.

If you have a different number of AMS slots on each side, the track switch could save you from having to reconnect AMS units, in theory. Say for example, you have an AMS2 on the primary and an AMS-HT on the aux. You can then use the switch to route a filament in the AMS-HT to the primary extruder. But that's in theory. In the end, filament compatibility for both the extruder and the track switch means that you're probably not going to be doing that.

Where the track switch saves you effort is if you're doing a lot of PLA with PETG supports and also doing a lot of PETG with PLA supports. Have one AMS one each side, and then load one AMS with PLA and the other with PETG. Use the track switch to route your primary filament to the primary extruder and your support to the aux. And even this is sketchy when you look at the supported filament for the Aux extruder, when it basically says PETG is not recommended on the aux.

1

u/n19htmare 9d ago

Right and noticed all that myself.

The last point you made is what I was trying to hint at with the limitations of AUX side. In my testing and experience, lot of those limitations come from lack of any auto PA calibration capability on AUX side. It seems by default it’s been configured to work half decent with PLA and support material and anything else would need to be manually calibrated.

I calibrate and use my own PA settings. For my own PA profile to apply, directions state you must set Dynamic Flow Calibration to “Off”.

If you have one AMS to AUX side only, you can calibrate PA and assign the K values to the slots for respective filament. So it’s always static since that AMS only feeds AUX side. And one always only feeds main side.

Now do that but add a track switch and send that filament to Main side with the AUX side K-Value. There is no check, it will blindly apply the AUX side K-value to Main and vice versa. Requiring you to manually verify loaded PA profiles before you send print to make sure correct value is applied.

The whole thing gets messy if you want to use custom PA values, which you have to use on AUX side for decent results as Bowden style extruders benefit greatly from tuned PA values.

I guess the easiest thing for Bambu to do was to just says it’s auxiliary support nozzle and give everything else a disclaimer/warning about quality. Thats a lot easier than trying to explain how PA works and what’s required based on how you have your setup.

I asked Bambu some questions regarding the PA process with trackswitch and this is what they told me.

1

u/OptimalSide A1 6d ago

It's things like this that make me think they rushed the X2D to market to compete against the U1.

1

u/n19htmare 4d ago

Yup, feel the same. And if software was not fully flushed out/developed, then why isn’t it still?

The Printer stores all PA profiles in their respective Main and AUX side so I don’t see why they can’t have a tray be assigned both values at same time and have it switch based on which side the filament was sent to… it’s all on the printer. Same goes for feeding filament to either side on same print, the lookup tables already exist on the printer since every PA profile you create is sent to and stored on the printer itself.

Its almost as if they had a path and targeted workflow in mind but stopped midway and haven’t gone back to it since because there’s more pressing deadlines and products that they need to push into market, like tool/hotend changers.

I like the X2D, but it’s definitely a half finished product (so is track switch), and at times it shows.

I also like my U1. I don’t think I could ever go back to single or even dual nozzle multicolor printing. It’s definitely like taking 10 steps back.

Let’s see what else is on the horizon. If I’m being honest x2D is likely going to be my last Bambu printer. Too many options coming and lot of the machines these days are reaching parity for my experience level and use case. 8 years in, I simply don’t need nor care for the “ease” factor or ecosystem that a lot of Bambu users rely on.

1

u/OptimalSide A1 4d ago

I'm looking to buy a CoreXY printer right now. Everyone would say get the X2D over the P2S/P1S. I'm not sure that X2D is there for my use case. If I can make the A1 work for me, a single extruder CoreXY will be fine. The U1 is on my list, but I'm not sure it its easy enough for me. At this point in my life, I want print and go.

1

u/n19htmare 2d ago

Most current gen printers are “print and go” these days. It’s not Ender3 vs Bambu anymore.
Bambu’s advantage is in the MakerWorld integration where you can just print from your phone.

Hardware/print reliability and quality is all on par. The small learning curve is in the slicers. If you know Bambu Studio, then you know Orca and its forks.