Looking for recommendations on a 3D printer setup - £1K budget

[cyber69]

Hi all, i'm looking for recommendations for getting started in 3D printing for our students and have a £1K budget to start out with and depending on what
we produce take it from there really.

The Bambu Labs P1S with AMS 2 PRO is topping the list at the moment as it looks easy to use and would probably purchase the model with the hub to possibly
add more AMS 2 PRO units.

Would this be a good start into 3D printing? And our budget can stretch to 2 AMS units, would 8 colours be beneficial to start with?

Just dipping my toe into this area so any advice would be great thanks, I work for a charitable organisation so getting it right first time is essential.

 

[Tackle_Berry]

P1S is still a good printer for the price, I have had a few issues with mine but it's been very reliable recently. It really comes down to what you / they would be using it for. I would maybe have a look through Makerworld and see what kind of things you're likely to print and if 2 AMS's would actually be worth it. Typically majority of models are 4 colours and some are even printed in multiple coloured separated parts which I personally much prefer as it saves on print times and wasted filament.

 

[cyber69]

P1S is still a good printer for the price, I have had a few issues with mine but it's been very reliable recently. It really comes down to what you / they would be using it for. I would maybe have a look through Makerworld and see what kind of things you're likely to print and if 2 AMS's would actually be worth it. Typically majority of models are 4 colours and some are even printed in multiple coloured separated parts which I personally much prefer as it saves on print times and wasted filament.

Thanks, i'm thinking maybe to buy the hub version with one AMS, that gives us the option to expand with more AMS if we need to.

We will be printing a range of tactile objects and some for braille use as assistive tech costs a fortune to buy from suppliers.

Students will be learning how to create simple designs and also download one that they like and have an object they can take home with them at the end of the day.

So I think a Bambu labs looks like a good entry level step into 3D printing and see how we go from there really.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

P1S with your choice of AMS

End of thread.

In all seriousness, for sub £1k for a turn key solution which is accessible to ‘normal people’ you can’t get any better IMO. Im not sure what pricing is like at the moment but you may get a better price come Black Friday.

If all you are doing is PLA or PETG and in an education environment that would be my recommendation, also consider the Bambu A1 with AMS. If you are content with the filament restrictions, there is nothing the P1S can do that the A1 can’t.

You may even be able to get 2 A1’s for under £1k.

 

[cyber69]

P1S with your choice of AMS

End of thread.

In all seriousness, for sub £1k for a turn key solution which is accessible to ‘normal people’ you can’t get any better IMO. Im not sure what pricing is like at the moment but you may get a better price come Black Friday.

If all you are doing is PLA or PETG and in an education environment that would be my recommendation, also consider the Bambu A1 with AMS. If you are content with the filament restrictions, there is nothing the P1S can do that the A1 can’t.

You may even be able to get 2 A1’s for under £1k.

Thanks, we are ordering the P1S with AMS unit today.

I see there are lots of colours available for filament, which ones will we be needing the most of? i’m thinking to get a few black ones

 

[b0rn2sk8]

I don’t think anyone can really say on that front. Go for the one that makes the most sense to you.

 

[Nikumba]

My vote would be P1S as well, for filaments I like the e-Sun and Sunlu brands, but getting white, grey and black for starters would not be a bad shout.

Also some filament companies provide settings that you can import into Bambu Studio so when you tell the printer what filament your using it can have best settings.

 

[Trig]

I started off looking at the X1C, then decided for what I wanted, the P1S/P1P would do the job, then I ended up getting the Kobra S1 Combo.

The Kobra S1, isnt perfect, and, I'm not sure I'd recommend it as an absolute beginner machine, but, as I'd had printers before, I was more than happy to do any tinkering that was required, and, at the time, the AMS Pro 2 or whatever its called, wasnt available, so the Ace Pro on the S1c was a better option, and, all in, it was £519 delivered, and, if you can find the right code, you can now get it for less than £500.
There have been a few changes since I got mine, the new hot ends are bi-metal, the filament sensor now has a metal 'flap' thing rather than the original plastic, so it is better than it was, there is also the ability to run it in LAN mode and put Klipper on it, but that might make no sense, or difference to you..

In short, the BambuLabs machines are much more mature, and you get what you pay for, the AnyCubic machines are cheaper, and the QC doesnt seem to be as high as BambuLabs, that said, mines been pretty good, and the CS guys are pretty helpful, however, if they do need to send you parts, they come from China, which can take 10 days, where BambuLabs parts are easier to pick up in country, from Amazon and other 3d printer shops online, so you can get them faster if you decide to go outside of the CS team..

 

[Zaf]

The P1S is a great printer, I have one, but as prints can take a long time(days) I would look at getting 2x A1’s instead so more students can get involved and not feel left out etc

 

[Samueltastic]

The P1S is a great printer, I have one, but as prints can take a long time(days) I would look at getting 2x A1’s instead so more students can get involved and not feel left out etc

I was going to say this too. I'm not clued up on what the p1s has to offer but you can pick up 2 a1s with AMS lite for that money. I have one as it's my first printer and I've been super impressed with it

 

[Funky-Melon]

Sorry if this is a hijack but as we're talking about the printers I'm currently looking at......Has anyone got both the P1S and the A1? I'm looking to upgrade from a Sovol SV06 and I'm so torn between the 2 it's driving me mad.

On the one hand the A1 has AMS, quite a bit quieter, almost the same print speed, nicer display (not that it's needed when you can use phone/PC) but needs quite a bit of space and looks a complete mess IMO. Not to mention prone to dust being an open frame.

P1S looks really nice but is noisier, naff looking display (though not really needed) and needs another £300+ for AMS.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

If you want to print anything other than PETG or PLA there is only one answer, P1S.

If you only want to print PETG or PLA the A1 is all you ‘need’ and saves you a bunch of cash.

P.S. you will rarely touch the screen once it’s set up.

 

[Funky-Melon]

If you want to print anything other than PETG or PLA there is only one answer, P1S.

If you only want to print PETG or PLA the A1 is all you ‘need’ and saves you a bunch of cash.

P.S. you will rarely touch the screen once it’s set up.

Hmm, I'm kinda tempted by the elegoo centauri carbon now. I just do the odd print here and there and want something good quality, seems to do most of what the P1S does at the fraction of the price.

It's a minefield finding a new printer

 

[cyber69]

Just an update, our P1S is now churning out accessibility aids for our students and getting to grips with using Bambu studio to create custom models etc.

Having the door is a bonus as the students can’t interrupt the printing by mistake and the AMS is great, we might add a second one at some point so buying the optional hub was a smart choice.

Next thing is printing some flexible models with TPU, anyone have experience with this?

 

[Zaf]

Sorry if this is a hijack but as we're talking about the printers I'm currently looking at......Has anyone got both the P1S and the A1? I'm looking to upgrade from a Sovol SV06 and I'm so torn between the 2 it's driving me mad.

On the one hand the A1 has AMS, quite a bit quieter, almost the same print speed, nicer display (not that it's needed when you can use phone/PC) but needs quite a bit of space and looks a complete mess IMO. Not to mention prone to dust being an open frame.

P1S looks really nice but is noisier, naff looking display (though not really needed) and needs another £300+ for AMS.

I have both…

I would say the P1S is no noisier than the A1 and it’s about 10% faster!

I actually prefer the display on the P1S than the A1 as it’s smaller and more discrete.

Personally I would wait until the P2S is released 14th October and see how that effects the prices before making a decision.

 

[Funky-Melon]

I have both…

I would say the P1S is no noisier than the A1 and it’s about 10% faster!

I actually prefer the display on the P1S than the A1 as it’s smaller and more discrete.

Personally I would wait until the P2S is released 14th October and see how that effects the prices before making a decision.

Thanks but I went and purchased an Elegoo Centauri Carbon

80% of a Bambu for a fraction of the price. It's great so far.

 

[Zaf]

Thanks but I went and purchased an Elegoo Centauri Carbon

80% of a Bambu for a fraction of the price. It's great so far.

Can that do multi filament? My mate is looking at getting an enclosed printer to complement his A1

 

[b0rn2sk8]

Bambu P2S (refreshed P1S) is launching next week.

 

[Funky-Melon]

Can that do multi filament? My mate is looking at getting an enclosed printer to complement his A1

It supports it and has the hardware ready for it but Elegoo haven't launched their AMS yet. It was supposed to be coming Q3 this year but that's been and gone, so who knows now.