Hydra - Enhanced Bambu Lab AMS 2 PRO
Description
PDFNotice!
This is only compatible with the AMS 2 PRO. Please view my other designs for designs supporting other AMS systems, there are plenty.
Update February 7, 2026
I've had a report of the rear roller positions being a bit tight and the rollers not rotating perfectly smooth in all positions so I've increased the tolerances between the rollers and the printed sockets so there's considerably more space for each roller.
The rear rollers are generally around 81.50 mm wide including the bearings and the cutout widths are now up from 82.30 mm to 82.70 mm. If you're still having issues please check your flow ratio and as always I recommend using the print profiles made by me that are tried and tested.
Happy printing!
Update January 26, 2026
Hydra has been updated to version 1.01, it's the first update of the series for the AMS 2 PRO and comes with some nice improvements.
Changes:
Rebranding, Hydra 2 AMS is now known as Hydra - Enhanced Bambu Lab AMS 2 PRO to avoid confusion and for which AMS system this is for.
Feeders tilted back to clear very full spools (avoids very full spools hitting the feeder or load button).
Larger and redesigned cutouts for the PTFE tubes (replaceable from top).
Improved rear roller positions, allowing for slightly larger diameter spools.
Improved drying capacity / larger vent holes.
Optimized Hydra tray position and placement of the front locking tabs.
New built-in support boxes, these prevent the side walls of the main print from warping. Previously, the supports were just low infill waste prints but these new boxes are very much usable (and stackable!), there will be containers and add-ons for these soon, see the second pic below, the orange boxes. You must still use some manual supports, see instructions below. If you're uncertain, please use the print profiles where all of this is prepared.
Buy Hydra
I've teamed up with a few different stores around the world offering the printed parts and everything you need for the build so you won't need anything outside of the kit:
Hydra has a strict non-commercial license, it can only be sold with licensing through Hume Beam Engineering Solutions.
Support
All my designs and mods on Printables are free to use and remix. They have a non-commercial license. If you enjoy this or any of my other designs you can send me a small donation using the link below. Thanks :)
https://www.paypal.me/humebeamengineering
If you prefer Crypto/BTC you can send me a message.
If you send a donation be sure to mention "Hydra - Enhanced Bambu Lab AMS 2 PRO" in the comments box so I know which design it's from and you will be added to the list below.
Official Supporters
If you have donated $5 or more you will be added to this list as an official thank you from me and you will also be assigned a serial number, the list will be updated as often as possible.
You can request a custom serial number if you send a $20 donation or more but please be aware it may take a couple of days before your custom silica box is uploaded as I need to make these manually. Cheers!
If you've bought Hydra from one of the authorized resellers you can also request a serial number by submitting a proof of purchase.
BioneYe #1001
Patrick McCarron #7777
Hume Beam #0001, Hume Beam #9999, Guy H #0002, Kevin Pereira #0003, Phill Tran #0004, int0this #0005, RifRaf #0006, M0CofBrix #0007, Markus P #0008, Ilya Tulchinsky #0009
Get a Silica Dry Box with your serial number here:
Hydra - Silica Dry Boxes / Serial Number Tags (Coming Soon!)
Thanks again!
If you want to remain anonymous, leave a note with your donation. If I've missed your donation let me know.
About
Hydra is an enhanced drop-in main body replacement for the Bambu Lab AMS 2 PRO, a multi filament companion to the Bambu Lab X1/P1, H2 and A1 series printers.
The Bambu Lab AMS 2 PRO internals are used, you just need to move over the parts; the four feeders, the two heaters, the rear motor, the front and rear rollers, the RFID coils and the main board as well as the PTFE tubing and cables and temp/humidity sensor.
Hydra supports all standard functions such as heating / drying and full RFID support as well as PTFE tubes replaceable from the top.
The name Hydra is inspired by the mythological creature which grew two new heads as one was cut off, similar to how the AMS's tend to duplicate if you don't keep a firm grip of your wallet. I have other designs with names from Greek mythology (Icarus / Hercules) so I thought it was fitting.
Hydra is fully 3D printed and no extra parts are required for assembly, it uses dovetail joints for assembly and utilizes the standard AMS outer casing as well as maintains RFID compatibility. 2 x 25 mm cap head M3 bolts are recommended to ensure the three parts interlock and won't slide apart.
The main changes / improvements over the standard AMS are:
Increased spool widths, up to 77 mm, meaning most 1 Kg spools will fit.
Increased spool diameters, up to 203 mm diameter spools fit.
Adjustable spool rollers in 10 positions for 120 mm to 203 mm diameter spools.
Optional front and rear spool guides, can be easily removed for even larger spools (max 77 mm wide).
Optional but recommended files to print:
Hydra - Silica Dry Boxes / Serial Number Tags (Coming soon!)
Adjustable Spool Holder for Silica Gel / Spool Weight - Compatible with both Hydra AMS and Bambu Lab AMS.
If you download the individual 3MF files in the files section, they are design files only and can be easily printed on any printer / slicer. If you get a warning that they do not come from Bambu Lab just ignore the warning, they were exported directly from my design software.
Leave feedback in the comments. Thanks!
BOM - Bill of Materials
You can print Hydra in just about any filament you like but if you intend to use the heaters / dryers I recommend printing it in ABS, ASA or higher. Around 600 g of filament is required at the recommended print settings.
I've printed most of the test builds in Prusament ASA and eSUN ABS, both brands and filament types work great.
Filament
Fasteners
You need just two M3 socket head bolts, 25 mm in length is ideal.
If you don't have any at home it's best to grab the kit below, it will have everything you need for this build and more:
Optional
Although not required these PEO/PEI/PEY bed sheets are great, I have most options myself, it gives a quite cool look on the first layer. There are a few shops offering different plates:
The Hex Tools are superb for any 3D printer, I've had a few different ones over the years, these are the ones I use now as they are quite compact with replaceable different hex bits, they're the ones you see in the assembly guide a few pages down:
Before Printing Hydra
Make sure you dial in flow correctly before you start, we've seen a few Hydra prints that were overextruded so avoid that. The problem then is you can't join the dovetail joints and assembly properly and the rollers can bind. Printed correctly, everything works just as stock but support for larger spools (among other advantages).
The Bambu Lab printers usually do a pretty good with automatic flow calibration but it's best to confirm flow anyway, sometimes it is inaccurate.
Once you have done that, print the Hydra AMS roller and dovetail test joints, more info here:
Print Settings
Print the parts in the direction I have set them. I recommend using a wide brim for improved bed adhesion and Nano Polymer if you have some. The parts are tall and quite narrow.
Hydra have built-in support boxes to prevent warping, do not remove these! Instead set the wall count to 1 wall and use an infill of 5% to save some material on these (using the Object settings in the slicer). If you're uncertain just print the Print Profiles I've made where this is all prepared.
I've marked them in red here:
I recommend using a minimum of 3 walls, top and bottom and an infill of 15% or higher. I've printed all my Hydra prototypes with a 0.40 mm nozzle and a layer height of 0.20 mm on my X1C with otherwise mostly stock settings. Some supports are required but I've limited it as much as possible. I recommend using automatic tree supports with these options; threshold angle 5 degrees, support critical regions only.
Please use a wide brim (I like to use 8 mm for these prints) to ensure bed adhesion.
Use dry filament.
If you're uncertain on how to print Hydra, please use the confirmed and tested Print Profiles made by me.
Warranty
Hydra does not void your warranty but be careful, especially with the AMS main board, use an antistatic wrist band. Also be very careful removing the humidity sensor and don't pull on the actual connector or it may come off require soldering. The rest of the disassembly and assembly is quite fast and easy.
Although the mod is completely reversible and you can't tell the parts have been installed in Hydra, I take no responsibility and you're on your own. Be careful and take it slow, read this page twice before you start.
Assembly Instructions
View the assembly guide directly on this page or by downloading the PDF in the files section.
Remove the Bambu Lab AMS internals from the standard AMS, follow this guide, it's not difficult:
https://wiki.bambulab.com/en/ams-2-pro/maintenance/disassembly-and-assembly
Be sure to mark all cables and connectors before you remove them. I recommend marking each connector on the board and corresponding cable with a thin permanent marker pen as pictured below:
Precaution: Always wear an antistatic wrist band when working with electronics.
Extra steps - RFID coils and humidity sensor removal
A few extra things to mention for the disassembly that the wiki above does not cover as these parts are at this moment not considered replaceable by Bambu Lab but instead part of the AMS 2 PRO main tray.
First off, after removing the feeders, hub motor, heaters and main board as per the wiki guide, flip the AMS tray upside down and you see two wide slots.
Remove RFID coils
The RFID coils are centered in the middle of these slots and secured with foam glue so just carefully cut around the coils with a sharp knife and they will lift straight out.
They're very quick and easy to remove, only watch out so you don't cut the black wire.
After removing the RFID coils, scrape off the extra foam with a fingernail.
Remove Temp / Humidity sensor
Next, remove the temp and humidity sensor. The temp and humidity sensor is a small wedge shaped PCB with the actual sensor near the tip. It reads the temp and humidity in the AMS box and use that information for the heating / drying and venting functions.
Be very careful and never pull on the actual connector as it's just surface soldered to the PCB and quite weak, if it pulls off you need to have a very steady hand to solder it back on as it's so small.
The connector sits in this location of the tray and is secured with glue and sits in a very narrow slot.
Looking a bit closer you will see some glue around the edges of the PCB.
Careful! When removing the PCB, never pull on the actual white plug / connector!
Instead, first score around the edge using a knife to remove most of the glue then pull straight out with pliers, you can wiggle it a little side to side while pulling straight up.
Don't worry about scraping the edges of the PCB, it will not damage the board.
Assembly Instructions - Continued
Once that is done, you should have all the parts as pictured below. If you are unsure on how to remove the parts, just follow the assembly instructions in reverse.
Here are all the parts just before assembly.
You need the following hex tools. The 1.5 and 2.0 mm are needed for the AMS parts and the 2.5 mm is needed for joining the three printed parts with the 25 mm cap head screws.
You can find these tools on AliExpress and I like to use them for my 3D printers but of course any hex tools will do but cheap L shaped ones are much more likely to strip the small black hex screws so it's best to use proper tools like the ones below.
Slide the printed parts together and secure them with two M3 cap head (socket head) screws. I've used 25 mm ones myself. There are three dovetails, the rearmost is just for alignment while the middle and front you use a socket head to lock it in place.
For the front dovetail, use the “Hydra logo” printed piece to lock it in place, there is a cutout to align it correctly.
The second dovetail is in the center middle, use a 25 mm M3 socket head here as well.
The rearmost dovetail is just for alignment, it doesn't have a screw.
Printed parts assembled.
Flip the assembly upside down and install the heaters. The rear of the heater goes below and long tab and it is then secured with two stock screws.
Middle screw:
Top screw:
Do the same for the other heater:
Heaters installed:
Install the rear motor / internal filament hub. Here you reuse the stock screws and they should be quite easy to align. Fully tighten but don't overtighten.
Guide through the motor cables through the slot, it's mostly to keep them away when installing Hydra in the AMS 2 PRO box later.
Install the RFID coils. They are friction fit. Unlike the original AMS, all the electronics for reading the spool RFID tags are now located on the main AMS board and it now uses bare RFID coils instead, I like!
First guide through the connector in the wider slot and pull it carefully on the other side then press down the coil to lock it, the top edge of the RFID coil should follow the curvature of the Hydra spool dividers.
Flip the assembly upside down and lock the RFID coil wire by bending it around the filleted edge towards the top of the assembly. Don't worry, it' is a copper coil and it bends in place very easily.
Do the same for the other side:
Both RFID coils in place:
Sort the front feeder motors. The ones placed in the middle of the AMS have a shorter piece of PTFE so keep that in mind. If you accidentally place them wrong you can just switch of the tubing.
Insert the PTFE tube in the top slot and the connector and cable in the slot below.
Before tightening any screw, make sure the tab of the feeder goes in the slot here:
And that the round screw “columns” of the feeder goes in the holes, circled in the red below. It should sit fully flat like pictured.
I recommend installing the front roller with the gear (circled in blue) at the same time as installing the feeder, it will be easier than pressing it in later. Take notice of the gear direction.
Tighten the feeder using two stock black screws from below using the 1.5 mm hex screwdriver:
Push in the PTFE tube into the AMS internal hub / motor and ensure it locks.
Confirm the front roller rotates freely and easily. If it doesn't, ensure the screws are properly tightened and that the front feeder sits in place.
Proceed to install the other three front feeders and rollers, make sure they all move smoothly.
Assembly should now look like this:
You should now also have four spare stock small screws as we've only used two instead of four for each heater. You'll also have two bumpers for the filament hub. Save these parts for later as spares.
Now we install the AMS main board. It is fastened with two small silver screws in the middle (use 1.5 mm hex tool) and there are two small columns to align it.
The connectors should face down and towards rear as per the picture:
Screw one:
Screw two:
Connect all the cables to the main board.
Each cable and connector is explained in step my step in the “Connecting Cables” section below.
Picture Source: Bambu Lab Wiki
Connecting Cables
Start by installing the Temp and Humidity Sensor in the small slot in the middle, it is angled about 45 degrees and the connector should face the rear:
Connect the plug here:
Connect Left heating unit, heater cable:
Connect Left heating unit, fan cable:
Connect Left heating unit, NTC cable:
Connect Feeder 1 cable:
Connect RFID coil 1:
Connect Feeder 2 cable:
Skip this plug for now, we connect it later. It's for the AMS Power Board in the rear of the AMS box.
Skip this plug. It's a debug plug not used by the end-user.
Skip this plug for now, we connect it later. It's for the communication cable from the AMS board to the AMS Power Board that is installed in the AMS box.
Connect the small plug from the Filament Hub, it's for the odometer.
Connect the wide (main) plug from the Filament Hub.
Connect the filament sensor plug from the Filament Hub.
Connect Feeder 3 cable:
Connect RFID Coil 2:
Connect Feeder 4:
Connect Right heating unit, NTC cable:
Connect Right heating unit, fan cable:
Connect Right heating unit, heater cable.
Now all cables except the two coming from the AMS main box are connected. If you like you can now use some zip-ties, there are four anchor points throughout the tray you can use.
Time to install Hydra in the Bambu Lab AMS 2 PRO box. Lean it towards you then fold it backwards.
Re-route Cables and tape down
This step is optional but recommended as it will ensure all cables are out of the way.
Start by removing the tape holding the inlet cable.
Re-route like this and tape it down.
Connect the black AMS power cable to the AMS main board here.
And connect the wide flat communication cable here.
Add some tape to hold the cable flat while installing Hydra in the AMS box later.
And do the same for the communication cable, have it diagonally next to the slot:
Next, place Hydra on its end in the box and connect the two cables to the AMS power board here.
Fold down the Hydra tray into the AMS box and ensure the slots in the front below feeder 1 and 4 lock with the tabs of the box. You can test it does in fact lock by lifting the front of the tray.
Fasten it with the two main frame screws. 2.0 mm hex tool is used.
Don't overtighten or you can twist the AMS box and it will no longer sit fully flat.
Install the four rear rollers. These can be moved to fit different sized spools if desired. The default position is the last slot and it will work with basically all 1 Kg spools, the other slots are for smaller diameter spools.
A new feature of Hydra is front and rear spool guides.
They can be rotated 180 degrees to center narrower spools but the default position is having the thin tab all the way towards the spool wall.
If you have extra wide spools you can remove the tabs, then up to 77 mm wide spools are then supported, as long as the spool thickness is wide enough for it to not jam between the roller and spool wall.
If you want to customize these for your specific spools, a step file is available of this part.
Next, install the PTFE tube release button, the spring goes on top and the plastic casing that engages the release button below.
Just press it in.
Test by installing a piece of PTFE fully and pull on it, it should not release.
However, if you press top of the button, the PTFE tube should release and you can pull it out.
All done!
Prelude, Precaution and some more tips
First of all, always have the printer fully shut down / off when plugging in the AMS. This is not mentioned nearly enough but a power spike or poor connection can damage the main board. So do yourself a favour and do that first.
Next, make sure the front feeders are fully inserted and tightened. Also make sure the bearings on the rollers are fully inserted over the shaft. Finally, 77.0 mm wide spools is the absolute max, else the spools will not turn like they are supposed to. If you use cardboard spools, add some electrical tape to the lip to get better grip.
Another good idea is to use my Adjustable Spool Holder for Silica Gel / Spool Weight that's compatible with both Hydra and Bambu Lab AMS.
This keeps the spools dry and adds some weight to them, preventing near empty spools to jump up and jam. It can still happen but is less likely.
That's it! Thanks for your support.
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Model origin
The author marked this model as their own original creation.