Bambu Lab A1 for printing functional parts compared to old generation of 3D printers like Ender 3

In this video I show you how 3D printing technology has developed over the last few years.

As an example, I use my old Ender 3 for comparison with the new Bambu Lab A1.

Ever since reasonable 3D printers became affordable for home users, I've been using an Ender 3.

Over the years I have done a lot of printing with it all the time.

Mainly mechanical parts for my workshop and my engines, up to a fully printed gearbox for my half rhombic Stirling engine.

But also lots of figures and fun prints, just for the kids of course ;-).

The technology was still quite new at the beginning and I had a lot of fun tinkering and tweaking to get the best out of the 3D printer.

I tried almost every material available, which required extensive experimentation and rebuilding of the Ender 3.

Nozzle replacement, filament change, bed levelling, print bed adhesion and clearance removal all required a great deal of effort and experimentation.

All these years I have not paid much attention to developments in the 3D printing world and have been happy with the results of my Ender 3.

When a costly hot end repair was required and the prints were no longer the best due to the number of uses, I considered whether the investment was still worthwhile.

So I took a look at the current market for 3D printers.

Of course I was immediately hooked.

So many great improvements, simplifications and features came as standard on affordable models.

I just had to have such a new printer.

I looked at the various models on the market and chose the Bambu Lab A1 because it offered for me the best value for money.

It offers all the features of a modern 3D printer, including an automatic material system with four filaments, which I didn't buy because of the very high filament consumption.

Thanks to sophisticated vibration compensation, the Bambu Lab A1 is incredibly fast and produces a truly beautiful prints.

But what I like most are the convenience features and the reliability with which everything works perfectly.

Nozzle replacement, filament change and print bed levelling all work automatically or with just a few simple steps.

No tinkering or trying out, all standard filaments give reliable and beautiful results.

Out of habit, I still watch the first layer in its entirety, even though it is usually no longer necessary.

I find some things exaggerated or I don't like them very much.

My Bambu Lab A1 runs without wifi, cloud or mobile connectivity, but fortunately everyone can decide for themselves.

3D printing is now really accessible to everyone and has become very easy and convenient.

Hopefully I'll be happy with my new 3D printer for the next 5 to 8 years and we’ll see what's possible in 3D printing technology at affordable prices by then.

So if you don't have a 3D printer yet, it has never been so easy and convenient to get started with this fascinating technology.

Many thanks for watching!