This week, as a group project, we tested the design rules of our 3D printers. We printed a test design using our four different types of 3D machines and compared the differences between
the printed products. We used the design that Fab Lab Barcelona used in 2024 to conduct the test because we thought their design covered most of the different designs that could
be tested for a 3D printer. Also, they took their test design from this site. The image of the test is the
following.
The 3D Test Design
We used the Creality Hyper PLA to prevent the material type from affecting our test. Also, we tested each design with automatic three support and without any support. Our final products
look like the following image.
Our Final Products
The blue products were printed by the Bambu Lab A1 mini 3D printer. The white ones were printed by the Bambu Lab A1 3D printer. The yellow ones
were printed by the Creality K1 3D printer. The orange ones were printed by the Bambu Lab P1S 3D printer.
Bambu Lab A1 Mini: The walls are sturdy with the intended rectangular structure.
Bambu Lab A1: The walls are sturdy with the intended rectangular structure.
Creality K1S: The walls are sturdy, but their corners are rounded and deformed.
Bambu Lab P1S: The walls are sturdy with the intended rectangular structure.
Overhang
Bambu Lab A1 Mini: It hangs successfully up to 80 degrees. However, it is sagging at 80 degrees and shows some deformation at 60 and 70 degrees.
Bambu Lab A1: It hangs successfully up to 80 degrees. However, it shows some deformation at 80 degrees.
Creality K1S: It hangs successfully up to 80 degrees. However, it is sagging at 80 degrees and shows some deformation at 60 and 70 degrees.
Bambu Lab P1S: It hangs successfully up to 80 degrees. However, it is sagging at 80 degrees and shows some deformation at 60 and 70 degrees.
Engraving
Bambu Lab A1 Mini: Except 60, 70, and 80, the numbers can be read properly.
Bambu Lab A1: Each number can be read clearly with some tiny distortions.
Creality K1S: Except 60, 70, and 80, the numbers can be read properly.
Bambu Lab P1S: Except 70 and 80, the numbers can be read properly. Also, number 60 is deformed.
Horizontal Bridges
Bambu Lab A1 Mini: All bridges are in tact and sturdy.
Bambu Lab A1: All bridges are in tact and sturdy.
Creality K1S: All bridges are in tact and sturdy.
Bambu Lab P1S: All bridges are in tact and sturdy.
Holes
Bambu Lab A1 Mini: The small hole has some distortions.
Bambu Lab A1: Holes are not distorted much.
Creality K1S: Holes are not distorted much.
Bambu Lab P1S: Holes are not distorted much.
Tower
Bambu Lab A1 Mini: It shows slight deformation.
Bambu Lab A1: It doesn't show any deformation.
Creality K1S: It shows more deformation than the others.
Bambu Lab P1S: It shows slight deformation.
Half Spheres
Bambu Lab A1 Mini: Ones with 0.25 mm and 0.5 mm radii are not in circular motion and are distorted.
Bambu Lab A1: All the spheres are in circular shape.
Creality K1S: The one with 0.25 mm radius is not there, and the one with 0.5 mm radius is not in circular motion and is distorted.
Bambu Lab P1S: Ones with 0.25 mm and 0.5 mm radii are not in circular motion and are distorted.
Cubes
Bambu Lab A1 Mini: The one with length of 0.5 mm is deformed. The ones with length of 1 mm and 1.5 mm are circular.
Bambu Lab A1: The ones with 0.5 mm, 1 mm, and 1.5 mm are circular.
Creality K1S: The one with 0.5 mm is not there. The ones with 1 mm and 1.5 mm are circular.
Bambu Lab P1S: The ones with 0.5 mm and 1 mm are circular.
Conclusions
Bambu Lab A1 Mini: In general, it is sturdy and in good shape. However, when it comes to smaller parts, and greater angles, it shows some distortions.
Bambu Lab A1: In general, it is the best performing 3D printer we tested. It shows the least deformation.
Creality K1S: In general, it is the worst performing 3D printer we tested. It shows the most deformations. But, other confounding variables might be the cause
of these issues, such as the condition of the plate. However, unless it is proven otherwise, we wouldn't recommend using this 3D printer.
Bambu Lab P1S: In general, it is sturdy and in good shape. However, when it comes to smaller parts, and greater angles, it shows some distortions.
Bambu Lab A1 Mini: The walls are sturdy with the intended rectangular structure.
Bambu Lab A1: The walls are sturdy with the intended rectangular structure.
Creality K1S: The walls are sturdy, but their corners are rounded and deformed.
Bambu Lab P1S: The walls are sturdy with the intended rectangular structure.
Overhang
Bambu Lab A1 Mini: It hangs successfully up to 80 degrees. However, it is sagging at 80 degrees and shows some slight deformation at 60 and 70 degrees.
It's better than the unsupported version.
Bambu Lab A1: It hangs successfully up to 80 degrees. However, it shows tiny deformation at 80 degrees. It is the best version among all tested products.
Creality K1S: It hangs successfully up to 80 degrees. However, it is sagging at 80 degrees and shows some slight deformation at 70 degrees.
It's better than the unsupported version.
Bambu Lab P1S: It hangs successfully up to 80 degrees. However, it is sagging at 80 degrees and shows some slight deformation at 60 and 70 degrees.
It's better than the unsupported version.
Engraving
Bambu Lab A1 Mini: The numbers can be read properly with deformations at 60, 70, and 80 degrees.
Bambu Lab A1: The numbers can be read very clearly, and there is only tiny deformation.
Creality K1S: The numbers can be read but with deformations.
Bambu Lab P1S: The numbers can be read properly with deformations at 60, 70, and 80 degrees.
Horizontal Bridges
Bambu Lab A1 Mini: The bridges were in tact. However, while removing the supports, we broke one leg of the long bridge.
Bambu Lab A1: The bridges are in tact and sturdy.
Creality K1S: The bridges were in tact. However, while removing the supports, we broke one leg of the long bridge.
Bambu Lab P1S: The bridges were in tact. However, while removing the supports, we broke two legs of the long bridge. So, there is no long bridge left anymore.
Holes
Bambu Lab A1 Mini: The small hole has some distortions.
Bambu Lab A1: Holes are not distorted much.
Creality K1S: Holes are not distorted much.
Bambu Lab P1S: Holes are not distorted much.
Tower
Bambu Lab A1 Mini: It was in tact. However, we broke it while removing the support.
Bambu Lab A1: It doesn't show any deformation.
Creality K1S: It was in tact. However, we broke it while removing the support.
Bambu Lab P1S: It shows slight deformation.
Half Spheres
Bambu Lab A1 Mini: Ones with 0.25 mm and 0.5 mm radii are not in circular motion and are distorted.
Bambu Lab A1: All the spheres are in circular shape.
Creality K1S: The one with 0.25 mm radius is not there, and the one with 0.5 mm radius is not in circular motion and is distorted.
Bambu Lab P1S: The ones with 0.25 mm and 0.5 mm radii are not in circular motion and are distorted.
Cubes
Bambu Lab A1 Mini: The one with length of 0.5 mm is deformed. The ones with length of 1 mm and 1.5 mm are circular.
Bambu Lab A1: The ones with 0.5 mm, 1 mm, and 1.5 mm are circular.
Creality K1S: The ones with 0.5 mm, 1 mm and 1.5 mm are circular.
Bambu Lab P1S: The ones with 0.5 mm and 1 mm are circular.
Conclusions
Bambu Lab A1 Mini: With a broken leg of the long bridge and a broken tower, we recommend not using supports or using custom support. However, it shows important
improvements in the angle test.
Bambu Lab A1: It passed all the tests almost perfectly. However, we still caution the designer to be careful to not break some parts when removing the supports.
Creality K1S: With a broken leg of the long bridge and a broken tower, we recommend not using supports or using custom support. However, it shows important
improvements in the angle test.
Bambu Lab P1S: With a broken long bridge, we recommend not using supports or using custom support. However, it shows important
improvements in the angle test.
Conclusions
This week, we tested four of our 3D printers using both three support and without any support. We used Creality Hyper PLA as our filament in all our tests. In general, we found that
supported versions showed essential improvements. However, some parts of the supported versions were broken due to our failures while removing the supports. Therefore, we recommend
using custom support and not using support when necessarry. When comparing the four printers, we found out that the Bambu Lab A1 machine was the best and the Creality K1S machine
was the worst in terms of rigidity and printing the intended design.
