Bambu Lab P1S
A fully enclosed CoreXY printer with auto bed leveling, a direct drive extruder, and speeds up to 500mm/s. One of the best printers for beginners and pros alike.
P1S Specs
The enclosed speed demon
[■] [■] [■] [■] ◄── AMS (top)
┌─────────────────────┐
│ ╔═══════════════╗ │
│ ║ ┌─┐ ◄────────── Print Head
│ ║ │▼│ Nozzle ║ │
│ ║ └─┘ ║ │
│ ║ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ◄── Filament
│ ║ ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ ◄── Part
│ ║ ═════════════ ◄── Heated Bed
│ ║ ║ │
│ ╚═══════════════╝ │ Enclosure
└─────────────────────┘
How 3D Printing Works
FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) builds objects layer by layer from melted plastic filament. Here's what's happening inside your machine.
The Hot End
Filament feeds into the hot end — a metal block heated to 190–300°C depending on material. A thermistor monitors temperature precisely. The nozzle (0.4mm stainless steel on the P1S) melts and extrudes the filament into thin lines. The P1S uses an all-metal hot end with a bi-metal heat break, so it handles high-temp filaments like ABS and PA (nylon) without issues.
The Extruder
The direct drive extruder sits right above the hot end. A stepper motor with a toothed gear grips the filament and pushes it down. Direct drive (vs Bowden) means shorter filament path = better retraction control and ability to print flexible filaments like TPU. The P1S gear ratio gives precise extrusion even at high speeds.
CoreXY Motion
Two motors work together with crossed belts to move the print head in X and Y. The bed only moves in Z (up/down). This means less inertia, so the head can change direction faster without ringing artifacts. It's why the P1S can accelerate at 20,000 mm/s² while maintaining quality.
The Build Plate
A heated PEI-coated steel sheet held magnetically. Heats up to 100°C for materials like ABS. The textured PEI surface gives prints a grip while hot and releases them when cool. The P1S auto-levels using an eddy current sensor — no manual bed leveling ever.
Cooling
An auxiliary part cooling fan blows air on freshly extruded plastic to solidify it quickly. Critical for bridging (printing over gaps) and overhangs. The P1S has a powerful radial fan that can be adjusted per layer in the slicer. Some materials like ABS want minimal cooling; PLA wants maximum.
The Enclosure
The P1S is fully enclosed with a polycarbonate shell. This traps heat — crucial for ABS/ASA which warp in drafts. Chamber temp reaches ~40–45°C passively. The built-in camera lets you monitor prints remotely via Bambu Handy or the web interface. An activated carbon filter helps with fumes.
Filament Guide
Different filaments for different jobs. Here's what to use and when.
| Filament | Nozzle Temp | Bed Temp | Difficulty | Strength | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLA | 190–220°C | 45–60°C | Easy | Moderate | Figures, prototypes, decorative items, gifts |
| PLA+ | 200–230°C | 50–60°C | Easy | Good | Same as PLA but tougher — less brittle, better layer adhesion |
| PETG | 220–250°C | 70–85°C | Medium | Good | Functional parts, outdoor use, water-resistant items |
| ABS | 230–260°C | 90–110°C | Medium | Good | Mechanical parts, heat-resistant items, automotive |
| ASA | 240–260°C | 90–110°C | Medium | Good | Outdoor parts (UV resistant) — better ABS alternative |
| TPU | 210–230°C | 40–60°C | Hard | Flexible | Phone cases, gaskets, grips, vibration dampeners |
| PA (Nylon) | 260–290°C | 80–100°C | Hard | Excellent | Gears, hinges, structural parts — very tough and flexible |
| PA-CF | 270–300°C | 80–100°C | Expert | Excellent | High-strength structural parts — carbon fiber reinforced nylon |
| PLA-CF | 210–230°C | 45–60°C | Medium | Good+ | Rigid, lightweight parts with matte finish — stiffer than PLA |
| PC | 260–300°C | 100–120°C* | Expert | Excellent | Transparent parts, extreme heat/impact resistance (* P1S bed max is 100°C — PC may need external bed heater) |
Temperature Quick Reference
PLA
PETG
ABS / ASA
PA / Nylon
Your First Print
From unboxing to holding your first printed object in about 45 minutes.
Unbox & Assemble
The P1S comes nearly fully assembled. Remove all foam and zip ties. Attach the spool holder on top, connect the PTFE tube to the extruder, plug in power and (optionally) ethernet. Remove the foam block from inside the print chamber. That's it — no bed leveling, no belt tensioning.
Load Filament
Place a PLA spool on the holder (or in the AMS if you have one). Feed the filament into the extruder inlet. On the touchscreen, go to Settings → Filament → Load. The printer heats the nozzle and pulls filament in automatically. You'll see it extrude a small amount from the nozzle — that's normal.
Install Bambu Studio
Download Bambu Studio (free slicer from Bambu Lab) on your PC or Mac. It comes pre-configured with P1S profiles. Sign into your Bambu account and add your printer. You can also use OrcaSlicer (community fork with more features) — both work great.
Slice Your First Model
Bambu Studio ships with sample models. Or download one from Printables.com, Thingiverse, or MakerWorld. Import the STL, select your P1S printer + PLA filament profile, and hit Slice. The slicer converts the 3D model into G-code (layer-by-layer instructions). Start with default 0.20mm layer height — good balance of speed and quality.
Send & Print
Hit Print in the slicer. It sends the file wirelessly to your P1S. The printer auto-levels the bed, heats up, does a purge line, and starts printing. Watch the first layer — if it's sticking well and looks smooth, you're golden. The rest is automatic.
Remove Your Print
Wait for the bed to cool to room temp (~25°C). The print should pop off the PEI plate with a gentle flex. If it's stubborn, put the plate in the fridge for 2 minutes — thermal contraction releases it. Never use sharp tools to pry prints off the PEI coating.
Slicer Settings That Matter
The slicer is where you control quality, speed, and strength. Here are the key settings.
The thickness of each printed layer. Thinner = smoother but slower.
- 0.08mm — Ultra fine. Miniatures, detailed models. Very slow.
- 0.12mm — Fine detail. Good for visible decorative pieces.
- 0.20mm — Standard. Best all-around balance. Start here.
- 0.28mm — Draft. Fast prototypes, structural parts where looks don't matter.
With a 0.4mm nozzle, don't go thicker than 0.32mm (80% of nozzle diameter is the max).
The internal structure inside your print. More infill = stronger but heavier and slower.
- 10–15% — Decorative items, display models
- 20% — General purpose (default)
- 40–60% — Functional parts under moderate stress
- 80–100% — Maximum strength (rarely needed — use 4+ walls instead)
Pattern matters too: Grid and Gyroid are the best all-rounders. Gyroid is especially good — strong in all directions and prints fast. Lightning infill is great for saving material on decorative items.
The number of outer shells. More walls = stronger than more infill for most parts.
- 2 walls — Light decorative items
- 3 walls — Standard (default)
- 4-5 walls — Functional parts. Often better than raising infill.
Pro tip: 4 walls + 15% infill is usually stronger and faster than 2 walls + 60% infill.
The P1S can hit 500mm/s, but quality depends on material and geometry.
- Standard mode (~150-250mm/s) — Great quality, reasonable speed
- Sport mode (~300-400mm/s) — Faster, slight quality trade-off
- Ludicrous mode (500mm/s) — Maximum speed, best for simple geometries
Outer walls always print slower than infill for surface quality. The slicer handles this automatically — outer wall speed is separate from overall speed.
Temporary structures that hold up overhanging parts during printing. Removed after printing.
- When needed: Overhangs past ~45° from vertical, bridges longer than ~15mm
- Tree supports — Usually best. Less contact with the model, easier to remove.
- Normal supports — More reliable for heavy overhangs, harder to remove cleanly.
- Tip: Orient your model to minimize supports. A flat bottom = less support = cleaner print.
In Bambu Studio, you can also paint supports — manually mark exactly where supports go for fine control.
When the print head moves without extruding, it pulls filament back to prevent stringing (thin threads between parts).
- Default P1S retraction: ~0.8mm at 30mm/s (direct drive needs very little)
- Increase slightly if you see stringing (try 1.0–1.2mm)
- Decrease if you get gaps at the start of new lines after travel
The P1S's direct drive extruder means retraction is fast and responsive. You rarely need more than 1.5mm.
Extra first-layer structures to help prints stick.
- Brim — Extra rings around the base. Great for tall/narrow prints that might tip. Easy to remove.
- Raft — Full platform under the print. Nuclear option for adhesion problems. Uses more material and leaves a rough bottom.
- Skirt (default) — Lines around but not touching the print. Primes the nozzle. No adhesion help.
On the P1S's PEI plate, you rarely need brims or rafts for PLA. They're more useful for ABS or small-footprint parts.
Troubleshooting
Common problems and how to fix them fast.
🕸️ Stringing
- Increase retraction distance by 0.2mm increments
- Increase retraction speed to 35–40mm/s
- Lower nozzle temp by 5°C
- Enable "wipe while retracting" in slicer
- Print a temperature tower to find the sweet spot
🫠 Warping
- Increase bed temp by 5–10°C
- Add a brim (8-10mm)
- Close the enclosure door fully
- Reduce part cooling fan for ABS/ASA (0-30%)
- Clean the build plate with isopropyl alcohol
- Use glue stick for stubborn materials
🍝 Spaghetti / Layer Shift
- Check that the bed is clean and first layer stuck
- Enable the "spaghetti detection" feature (uses camera AI)
- Reduce print speed for complex geometries
- Check for loose belts (unlikely on P1S but possible)
- Make sure the model is properly oriented/supported
💧 Blobbing / Zits
- Set Z seam to "sharpest corner" (hides seam)
- Enable "wipe" and "coasting" in slicer
- Lower nozzle temperature slightly
- Reduce extrusion multiplier by 2-3%
📏 Poor First Layer
- Re-run auto bed leveling from the touchscreen
- Adjust Z offset: lower = more squish, higher = less
- Clean plate with IPA (90%+) — finger oils prevent adhesion
- Slow down first layer speed (20-30mm/s)
- Increase first layer temp by 5°C
🔇 Under-Extrusion
- Check for clogs — do a cold pull (heat to 250°C, cool to 90°C, yank filament)
- Increase nozzle temp (material may not be melting fast enough)
- Verify filament diameter (should be 1.75mm ±0.03)
- Check for a worn nozzle (replace if printing abrasives)
- Increase flow rate / extrusion multiplier by 2-5%
Pro Tips
Things you learn after a few dozen prints.
Post-Processing
Sanding: Start at 200 grit, work up to 600+. PLA sands well. Priming & painting: Use filler primer spray, then acrylic paint. Acetone vapor smoothing: Works on ABS/ASA only — gives a glossy, injection-molded look. UV resin coating: Apply thin coat + cure with UV lamp for a smooth, glossy finish on any material.
Design for Printing
45° rule: Overhangs past 45° need supports — design with this in mind. Chamfers over fillets on bottom edges (they print better). Minimum wall thickness: 1.2mm (3× nozzle width). Tolerance for fit: Add 0.2mm clearance for parts that slot together. Flat bottoms: Orient for the largest flat surface on the bed.
Calibration Prints
Print these periodically: Temp tower — find optimal nozzle temp per filament. Retraction tower — dial in retraction distance. Benchy — the classic calibration boat, tests everything. Flow rate cube — calibrate extrusion multiplier. All available free on Printables.com.
Where to Find Models
MakerWorld (Bambu Lab's own) — great quality, integrated with Bambu Studio. Printables.com — largest free library, Prusa's platform. Thingiverse — the OG, still huge. Thangs — good search engine across platforms. Cults3D — paid + free, good for designer models. MyMiniFactory — paid miniatures and tabletop gaming.
Maintenance
Weekly: Clean build plate with IPA, check nozzle for partial clogs. Monthly: Lubricate rods/rails with PTFE or lithium grease, check belt tension, clean the extruder gears. Every 500 hours: Replace the nozzle (sooner if printing abrasives). Carbon filter: Replace every 3–6 months if printing ABS/ASA regularly.
AMS (Automatic Material System)
If you have one: it holds 4 spools and auto-switches during a print for multi-color objects. Tips: Keep the desiccant fresh, only use similar materials in one print (don't mix PLA and ABS temps), and use the "flush into infill" option in the slicer to reduce waste during color changes. Single-color prints don't need the AMS — spool holder on top is fine.
Before You Print
Quick checklist to run through before hitting print. Saves time and filament.
Find 3D Print Designs
Search across 6 platforms simultaneously. Printables, Thingiverse, MakerWorld, Cults3D, MyMiniFactory, and Thangs — all in one place.
Search across 6 platforms to discover 3D printable designs
Toggle platform filters above to narrow results
Browse by Platform
MakerWorld
Bambu Lab's platform. Pre-sliced profiles for P1S, one-click print. Best integration with your printer.
Printables
Largest free library with 3M+ models. Community ratings, detailed print settings, and remixes. Prusa's platform.
Thingiverse
The OG model repository. Massive back catalog. Great for classic designs and well-documented prints.
Thangs
AI-powered geometric search engine. Searches across all platforms. Find models by shape, not just keywords.
Cults3D
Curated free + paid designs. High-quality designer models, unique art pieces, and functional engineering.
MyMiniFactory
Best for tabletop gaming miniatures and detailed figurines. Guaranteed printable models.
Design Your Own
Design custom 3D printable objects right in your browser, or use professional CAD tools.
Print Lab Editor ✨
Our built-in 3D editor. Add shapes, boolean operations, export STL. No downloads needed — design and export right in your browser.
TinkerCAD
Free, browser-based beginner CAD by Autodesk. Drag-and-drop shapes, boolean operations. Perfect for starting out.
Onshape
Professional-grade parametric CAD in the browser. Free for hobbyists. Steep learning curve but incredibly powerful.
Useful Links
📖 Bambu Lab P1S Wiki
Official documentation, firmware updates, and maintenance guides from Bambu Lab.
🌍 MakerWorld
Bambu Lab's model library. Pre-sliced profiles, one-click print from the app.
🖨️ Printables
Largest free STL library. Community ratings, print settings, and remixes.
🐙 OrcaSlicer
Community slicer fork with extra features. Great P1S profiles. Free and open source.