Python - Ultimate Bambu Lab AMS 2 PRO - Actively Heated Enclosure
Description
PDFNotice!
This is only compatible with Python for the AMS 2 PRO. Please view my other designs for designs supporting other AMS systems, there are plenty.
Buy Python
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:
If you're interested in the panels only for the enclosure, you can buy them from LaserFoundry.
Python has a strict non-commercial license, it can only be sold with licensing through Hume Beam Engineering Solutions.
About
This is an actively heated enclosure for Python. It can be used with up to four PolyMaker PolyDryers. There is also an Passively Dried Enclosure available. The printed parts are actually the same, it's just the front and rear panels that are different but I prefer to keep them apart for different reasons.
For most user cases, one or two dryers should be sufficient but it depends on what type of filament you often print as well as the humidity of the area where you like.
Support for more types of heaters may be added later on.
It's a good idea to also use the Python - Silica Gel Boxes to maintain low humidity inside the box when the dryers are inactive.
The size of the enclosure is 460.0 mm (width) x 390.5 mm (depth) x 293.0 mm (height).
How effective is it?
In my experiment, with three fully dried silica gel containers, a near full Prusament PETG spool in a Python spool holder dropped from 1233 g to 1171 g, 62 grams! Two PolyDryers used at the max setting for 6 hours, one rear mounted and one front mounted.
Just using the dryers without the silica gel boxes is not nearly as effective so don't forget to use those with dried silica gel.
Likewise, having silica gel in the enclosure will keep the relative humidity at a minimum and keep the spools dry but to actually dry the spools, both dry silica gel and heaters must be used.
How many dryers should I use?
It depends on your usage. For most, two PolyDryers should be sufficient.
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
BOM - Bill of Materials
I recommend using two PolyDryers, this should be sufficient for most. For Python you actually only need the dryer and not the plastic container so you can save some money that way:
You can later add in up to two more PolyDryers.
Filament
I suggest printing the enclosure in PETG, ABS, ASA, PA or PC as it can get pretty hot inside the enclosure when the dryers have been running for a while so PLA will likely deform due to the heat.
Around 1 Kg of filament is required at the recommended print settings.
I've printed most of the test builds in Prusament ASA and Prusament PC-CF.
Panels
3 mm Acrylic or PC panels cut according to the included DXF drawings.
Fasteners
The following M3 socket heads are required:
Top screw holes (with the edges): 16 x M3-12 mm
Middle screw holes 8 x M3-10 mm
Lower screw holes : 20 x M3-10 mm
Bottom of the enclosure (dovetails): 8 x M3-25 mm
Handle: 4 x M3-16 mm
Attaching the bottom panel: 6 x M3-8 mm
Optionally securing Python to the enclosure: 4 x M3-16 mm
Front vent: 4 x M3-12 mm
Rear vent: 4 x M3-12 mm
To summarize, the follow M3 socket heads are needed:
6 x M3-8 mm
28 x M3-10 mm
24 x M3-12 mm
8 x M3-16 mm
8 x M3-25 mm
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:
Magnets
8 pcs of round 6 x 3 mm Neodymium Magnets are required.
AMS hub cable (1500 mm)
As the enclosure is quite large I recommend using the longer hub cable that comes with the AMS hub, it can be bought individually as well:
Tools and others
Print Settings
Notice! If using heated inserts, print the files in the heated-inserts-version instead.
All parts print without supports and I recommend using 3 walls and an infill of around 15%. Print all parts in the direction I have set them.
The handle has the text “Python AMS” hidden in the first layer that you can paint with your AMS if you like, use the Paint Bucket Tool in Bambu Studio:
Print one of each part except for the M14 plugs (see section at the bottom), polydryer-cutout-gasket-lock-1.00.3mf, enclosure-cutout-seal-rear-1.00.3mf and enclosure-cutout-seal-front-1.00.3mf.
The gasket lock installs on the inside of the enclosure to lock the PolyDryer in place so for one dryer you need two of these, depends on the number of dryers you use of course:
polydryer-cutout-gasket-lock-1.00.3mf
Be aware that the gasket locks may not fully support the weight of the PolyDryer as the “tabs” on the dryers are so short so in addition to the gasket locks I would suggest using double sided tape on the dryer against the panel, I use 3M 4229P VHB myself.
What about the enclosure cutout seals? They're used in the enclosure cutouts where you don't use any dryer, it's to fully seal the enclosure. Let's say you just want to try with two PolyDryers first and place them in the front of the enclosure. You then must seal up the rear cutouts with the cutout seals. So print as many of these (front + rear of each) you need for your setup.
The cutouts in the panels are also compatible with the airlocks that come with the PolyDryer, two of them are included with a single Polydryer.
Assembly Guide
The pictures below in the assembly guide are for an earlier version of the enclosure where heated inserts were used but the currently version you just screw the M3 socket heads directly to the printed parts. But the assembly is identical.
Press in a round neodymium magnet in each corner of the edges, this will hold the top panel once assembled. Take notice of the magnetic direction so it matches with the top panel.
The holes in the male dovetails of the bottom parts are threaded with an M3 thread. Use 8 x 25 mm socket heads to screw together the bottom of the bottom panels.
Go from the female dovetail side into the male dovetail side as pictured below. Do the same for all eight dovetails. Do not fully tighten yet, you might need to adjust a little later.
Next, place the bottom panel and screw it with six screws to the bottom panels. If you're having difficulties aligning with the holes it you can carefully hand drill the holes of the panel with a 4.0 mm drill bit to expand them a little. Do not fully tighten yet.
Panel alignment of bottom panel: Looking at the enclosure from the front (with the cutouts in the rear), the rear left of the bottom panel should have a chamfered edge.
Next, slide in the left, right, rear and front panels.
Panel alignments:
The left panel should have a chamfered edge in the bottom left:
The right panel should have a rounded edge in the bottom left:
The rear panel should have a rounded edge in the bottom left and the screw hole and PTFE passthrough hole in this location (looking at it from the rear).
The front panel should have a chamfered edge in the bottom left, looking at it from the front:
Your build should now look like this:
Now with all the panels place, place the four top parts of the panels. Each side is marked with the direction it is facing so left, rear, right and front.
Next, press in the four remaining magnets in each corner of the top panel. They are press fit, make sure to match the magnetic direction with the edge parts. This step is not pictured.
If the magnets are too tight to press in, please use a 6.0 mm drill bit and drill carefully in each corner to ensure there are no defects in the laser cut holes.
Screw the handle to the top panel.
Screw the four “edges” to the top panels. This provides a seal and is also used for the top panel to rest on. It can be a little difficult to align everything here but take your time and you should be able to screw everything together. Take notice of the direction of the printed parts, just like the “top” parts, each part is marked with the direction it should be facing.
If you're unsure, they should look like this:
Screw in the rear M14 plugs as per your configuration to seal the enclosure.
The AMS cable plug comes in two halves. Place the cable in the middle, route through the AMS connector inside then screw the plug in. But you can connect it later, just showing what it looks like here.
Place your Python AMS inside the enclosure. You don't have to unscrew anything of the enclosure, just carefully bend the sides and it will slide inside.
Seal up the enclosure holes for the PolyDryers you're not using. For example, I'm using two front mounted PolyDryers so I seal up the four rear holes. You can then add additional dryers later if you like.
The enclosure is also compatible with the seals that come with the PolyDryer (two seals are included per PolyDryer), just showing both options here.
Finally, tighten all M3 socket head screws fully.
Removing the inlet/outlet vents from the AMS 2 PRO Box
If you've done the Python 2 build you've probably already done this step but if not, unplug both cables from the rear AMS power board.
Next, unscrew the vents. The one in the rear left sits with a 1.5 mm hex screws and the one in the front right sits with 2.0 mm hex screws.
Finally remove the tape holding the cables and lift out the vents including cables.
Installing the inlet/outlet vents and PTFE route
The AMS 2 PRO comes with inlet and outlet vents for controlling the humidity inside the box. They are mounted to the Python 2 enclosure using a few printed parts and four M3-12 mm socket head screws.
Begin with the front mount as shown below:
The front mount and bracket does not have a hole for the PTFE tube.
Place the vent in the printed part, it can only be placed in one direction.
Place the bracket on the outside and screw it from the outside with four M3-12 mm socket heads.
For the rear vent, press in the PTFE tube coming from your printer.
If it's too tight to fit through, untighten the four bracket screws a little, this should allow you to perfectly align the holes of the panel, vent holder and bracket. Still to tight? Quickly run a 4 mm drill bit in the PTFE hole.
Nevermind the extra M14 plug next to the bracket in the picture below, this enclosure is an early beta unit. :)
It should now look something like this, the front is to the right and the rear to the left:
The cables to the vents connect to the AMS power board, in the rear of Python 2. This is the location, the two white plugs & connectors:
The left is for the long cable, going to the front vent. The right is for the short cable, going to the rear vent.
Guide through the cable for the rear vent next to the AMS rear motor / Filament hub and for the front vent you can just pass it through any of the lower cutouts, keep it centered so the cable reach.
Place your Python inside the enclosure. You don't have to unscrew anything of the enclosure, just carefully bend the sides and it will slide inside.
Connect the front vent cable:
And connect the rear vent. Also press in the PTFE tube into the AMS rear motor / Filament hub.
Fasten Python to the enclosure with four M3-16 mm screws (two on each side) from the outside in.
Finally, connecting the AMS bus cable, power cable for the heaters (center rear connector of Python 2) and any optional PTFE tubes for the external spool function.
All done!
Which M14 Plugs to use?
You need to decide which setup for the rear plugs you will use. There are plently of M14 holes and unless you use the external spool function for all four spool slots like the render below, most of them you should seal with M14 solid plugs (m14-solid-1.00.3mf).
One plug you must use is the M14 plug for the AMS cable, it comes in two parts and you install it over the cable like this before inserting and tightening it. It's a good idea to route it like the render above.
Tip: If you're using the external spool function I recommend using the M14 with PC4-M10 or PC4-M10 couplers both inside and outside the enclosure, then you can just disconnect the PTFE tubes and lift out the whole Python AMS assembly for easy maintenance.
For the rest of the M14 holes use the PTFE or solid plugs to have the enclosure fully sealed.
Tags
Model origin
The author remixed this model.
Differences of the remix compared to the original
Optimized for Python 2.