Bambu Lab is expressing concern about some “unstable temperature readings” on its A1 series 3D Printers.
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Bambu Lab is officially recalling all of its A1 3D printers (excluding the A1 Mini). The company is “strongly recommending” owners stop using them for safety reasons, following its notification of “unstable temperature readings” it discovered a week ago, as reported by Tom’s Hardware. After further investigation, Bambu says that “less than 0.1% of all A1 printers sold” are affected by the issue, but it can’t say with 100% certainty what the cause is, so it’s offering a full refund to any A1 3D Printer owner who requests it.
Bambu Lab is not recalling any other 3D Printers from its line, so if you own a printer from the X1, P1, or A1 Mini series that Sean Hollister calls “almost the easy printer button,” don’t worry.
Here is a brief summary of what is happening:
- A week ago, Bambu Lab discovered that the design of the A1 3D printer's temperature cable could lead to malfunction and possible short circuits.
- This week, it says there may be a separate issue causing heat issues in some printers.
- As a precaution, the company is recalling all A1 printers it has sold, and Micro Center is no longer offering them for sale – Bambu is offering a full refund, $80 vouchers to choose a replacement, or a $120 voucher for its store if you choose to repair it yourself with free parts.
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And a few more details:
The company wrote last week that it had improperly designed the strain relief mechanism of the temperature cable — the thickest part of the cable that is meant to prevent any malfunctions where it connects — making it too easy to damage and potentially cause a short circuit. But Bambu now believes there may be another, unknown issue causing heat issues in some printers, leading to the decision to recall the A1.
Bambu Lab says it will take up to 15 business days to process each return, but if you want to apply the return to another of its printers, it will give you an $80 voucher to use towards that purchase – or towards a redesigned A1 printer when it becomes available “around May”.
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Alternatively, you can choose to repair the A1 yourself when the new temperature cables are ready around the end of March and receive a $120 voucher for anything from Bambu's online store (provided that self-repair is legal in your country). Bambu has uploaded a video of the replacement process and outlined it in a written manual to help you decide if you're comfortable with the DIY process.
Finally, Bambu is asking A1 printer owners to inform the company of their choice on this registration pageso that it can order the correct number of parts in preparation. The self-repair option will actually extend the A1’s warranty by six months. Bambu says its authorized dealers “must” offer the same terms to those who purchased through them.
In its blog post last week, Bambu included some photos. Here's what it says a damaged cable will look like:
And here is a healthy cable:
Source: theverge
