Transcription
They said it couldn't be done, but I figured it out. I figured out how to print TPU using the Bambu Lab AMS, so you can get really nice looking prints like these, fully automated using the AMS. My name is Julian from Noozle3D, and I'd like to show you how you can print TPU using your AMS.
So, from what I understand, the reason why the AMS doesn't usually work with TPU is that the AMS is trying to feed filament into the hot end of your printer. And the way that the AMS knows when to stop is the pressure buildup from that filament hitting the extruder gears of your printer. Now, this is a problem for TPU because TPU doesn't just stop; it'll just kink up and try to find the path of least resistance.
So, the solution to this is that we're just going to loosen the gears inside of the AMS. This will allow the TPU to slip instead of deform from that pressure buildup. Now, it's not going to be as reliable as, say, an unmodded AMS using the supported filaments, but it will get your AMS working with TPU. The cool thing is that the mod is really easy to do, and everything you need already comes with your AMS. So, if you're ready to get started printing TPU with your AMS, let's get started with a tutorial.
Hey guys, it's Julian from the future. So, I forgot to mention something really important, and that is if you do this mod, it's going to remove compatibility with any other hard filament. So, uh, this will turn your AMS into like a TPU-only mod. But also know that everything about this modification is completely reversible. So, if you want to try it out and then you realize that you want to go back to your original filaments, you can just undo the mod, and you should be set.
So, these are all the tools you'll need. You'll need a 2mm Allen wrench, a 1.5mm Allen wrench or hex bit. I'm using a little hex bit here, and something to pull out some springs with. I'm using tweezers, but you could use something like a flathead screwdriver or anything really.
So, first thing you're going to want to do is take your AMS, and we're going to open it up. Inside, there's going to be two screw holes, which you'll take your 2 mil bit and unscrew it. And if you're using an Allen key, it might be easier to, uh, remove these rollers. They just pull right off, and you have a little bit of extra space to turn the Allen key.
So, to take this out, you're going to want to, uh, grab it and, um, angle it from the back side. Just pull the back side out first. And this is important because on the inside, there's a couple of, um, there's a couple of wires that you don't want to yank. So, essentially, the way to remove these is you just grab them and you pull them up, and you want to do that with both of them. And that's it. Now we have the inside of the unit. So, we can get rid of the box.
And this unit is made up of four motors, which we're going to want to remove the springs on all four motors. And just, uh, don't forget that you still have the screws in here, so don't lose them. So, I'm going to go ahead and turn this upside down and remove the screws. So, here they are. So, here are the screws, and you just want to go ahead and save those.
Now, you want to grab your driver, and you're going to so want to remove four screws on each one of these motors. I recommend you remove the motors one at a time because it makes it easier just to remember where the cables go. So, remove all four screws, and then you can remove the PTFE by pushing on this and just removing that. And then you can go ahead and remove the cable. This is for the first, first motor, and you can just take it out.
Now, inside, we're there's going to be another one of those buttons, and you can just push on it and remove the PTFE. It just makes it a little bit easier. And inside, you'll see a spring. We need to remove that spring. So, I'm going to go ahead and take my tweezers, and this might be a little difficult, especially on camera. Go ahead and pop this out. There we go. Hopefully, you saw that. And you can go ahead and remove that spring.
So, there's going to be four of these, and you're going to want to remove all four. So, you can now take your PTFE tube, push it back in, put it back into the AMS. Make sure you line this up properly, or the screws won't go in properly. And you can push the PTFE back in and plug in your connector. Essentially, you want to do this to all four.
So, so now, if you see, um, these guys, we just, we just modified this one. So, this one's going to be kind of loose, but it still works. And this one is going to be a lot more stiff. So, essentially, the reason why that happens is because the PTFE still has some tension. Now, just so you know, um, this one, the first PTFE tube, it, it might be a little bit looser, at least it was on mine. So, all I did was I snipped off just about a millimeter or two. And what that does is it, um, shortens the PTFE tube and increases the tension. So, if you find that you need a little bit more tension, uh, all you have to do is is cut a little bit of the PTFE tube. Alternatively, you could get a weaker spring and replace it, but I find that this works just fine.
So, I'm going to go ahead and do the second one. Move the PTFE and the connector cable, and then you can remove the whole motor. There we go. You just pull on it. The spring comes right out, and put it back inside the AMS. Be careful without tightening these screws too much. They're just going right into plastic, so they can strip pretty easily. So, just take your time. I'm using a little motorized screwdriver, which helps. It has like an automatic torque sensor. So, make sure you plug everything back in, tuck the cable back in. And for the sake of the video, I already did the last two, but you would go ahead and just do the same thing for these two.
This is the most important spring that we're going to loosen. This is the spring that will cause the entire print to jam. So, we're going to go ahead, remove this plastic piece, and we're going to remove the six silver screws. Once you have all those screws out, get your flat sharp object, and you want to pry the plastic case, and it should come right off like that. And be careful, there's a coupling that likes to fall off.
So, this piece right here is made up of a lever, and it pushes that gear onto the filament. And this is the one that has way too much pressure for TPU. We're going to take our thumb and put a little bit of pressure right here on that lever. And that's going to serve two purposes. One, that's going to keep the spring from jumping around once we get it out. And also, since it's a lever, it's going to reduce the strain on this, on this, uh, pin just a little bit.
So, take your Allen key, and there's a hole right here on the PCB. And what you're going to want to do is push the Allen key through the PCB, and that's perfectly in line with the pin. So, make sure to put pressure on that spring and start pushing the pin out, and then it'll just fall right out. And then carefully remove the spring. And this is the one we want to get out. So, we're going to be replacing that thick spring with two of these light springs.
So, all you're going to want to do is try your best to mesh these two together to make something like this, and it'll fit right here inside this pin right here. So, on the other end, it's just like a cup, so it'll just cup the springs. And we put a little bit of pressure on there again. We just do the same thing in reverse. Just grab the pin, and it'll be soft enough where you can just grab the pin and just push it right in.
So, we're just going to put it back together. Remember to get your coupling and put it back in here, and the two PTFE tube couplings on the top. Make sure everything is nice and lined up before you put this back together, and it'll be kind of simple because it's, uh, like a clip-in place. So, you could just, after everything's nice and lined up, you could just press, and it should click back into place.
So, since we loosened this spring, um, and the filament, it will slip when it's loading, and you will hear it. It'll make an audible noise every time, uh, the filament loads, and it'll sound a little bit weird at first, but don't worry, that's exactly what we want. That's just the sound of the filament slipping instead of jamming the print.
So, remember to put your plastic piece back on, and then we can put this back inside the case. Take your two cables. At this point, might be a good idea beforehand to make sure all your connections are good, but essentially, you want to take these two cables and you want to plug them back in. Now, we just take this, put it back inside. Be careful with this, it'll want to pop out. So, push on it. There you go. Don't forget your screws. The first two screws are removed, are just going to go back into place. Screw everything back in, and that's pretty much it. Your AMS will now work with TPU.
So, um, this is all that you should be left with: one thick spring and two light springs. And remember to save those in case you want to undo the mod of your AMS. So, just close it back up and put it back on your printer.
There's one more really important step to do. We're going to go to Bamboo Studio, click this, uh, carrot, and then go to preferences. And right here, there is a "Skip AMS Blacklist Check." And by default, Bamboo Studio is not going to let you send TPU to your AMS, but by checking this box, you'll be able to send any kind of filament that's unsupported.
As you can tell, the process is pretty easy, and if you followed all the steps, your AMS should now be compatible with TPU. If this video is helpful, remember to leave a like. Also, if you want to help support me, you can do so by joining my club on my Printables page, where I post many of my STL files for free to download. Link down below. Thanks a lot for watching. Until next time.