After weeks of testing, I happily introduce the A3X Driven Support Shaft!
I was tired of seeing tangles in my AMS randomly at the worst possible times, so I set out to find the cause and hopefully, a solution. What I found was my AMS driven support shafts on slots 2 and 4 were not always “gripping” the spool as the machine began to roll the filament back up. The timing was, ever so slightly, off which would cause a bird nest of filament inside the AMS. Sometimes the machine could recover, however, other times, it could not. Therefore, I would be left with an error code and a paused print job. To remedy this, I installed a brand-new driven support shaft from Bambu Lab, but it did not fix my issue and slot 4 (I used it exclusively to determine the fix) continued to give me trouble. Thus, I set off to create my own driven shaft and to be quite honest, I was surprised when it actually worked out after having the issues for so long.
The A3X Driven Support Shaft was born. Featuring flexibility of TPU 95A, 693-2Z bearings, smaller outer diameter to better suit larger spools, and quick-change grab for easy removal. This thing has worked wonders for me. Bambu spools just glide during loading and unloading and other, smaller 1kg spools work just as well. The smaller OD allows for cardboard spools with printed rings to move much more fluidly. With the stock shaft, there is barely any clearance between the spool ring and the lid. Check out the pictures and you will see an example of such. I had ditched the rings because of this and was just buying extra spools to transfer to but now I can actually use them and be worry free.
I strongly suggest using TPU 95A. I tested both PLA and TPU 95A thoroughly and found the TPU versions were much more efficient and quieter. For me, I used it as an excuse to print with the new TPU 95A HF from Bambu Lab and it prints great and is much faster than standard TPU.
PARTS LIST
Assembly Tips
Special Notes and Findings
Give it a try! See how you like it and get back to me!
HAPPY PRINTING!!
Check out some of my other projects below!
Bambu Tough Case by Aesth3tix - MakerWorld
Swatch Box MAX by Aesth3tix - MakerWorld
Bambu Lab Coupler Adapter (Splitter Mod) by Aesth3tix - MakerWorld
The Original AMS PTFE Guide by Aesth3tix - MakerWorld