Bambu Lab released a statement early Sunday morning that’s concerning for anyone who purchased an A1, the company’s super-fast bed slinger we reviewed in December. A flaw has been discovered in the cable that provides power to the heated bed, which could cause damage if put under stress. The cable is preinstalled at the factory and connects the heated bed to the base of the machine. Note the smaller A1 Mini is not part of this recall.
A user on the Bambu Lab community forum reported on January 24th that his A1 had caught fire, destroying the printer and knocking out the power to his home after only six days of use. The user posted a photo of a scorched cable on the back of the printer.
It is unknown if this problem is related to the cable damage that Bambu Lab has been investigating. A company representative said in a blog post that the issue is not immediately dangerous, as fuses on both the power supply and heat bed provide protection from overheating. However, a damaged cable could cause temperature reading errors, leading to a short circuit and power loss.
Bambu Lab recommends A1 owners stop using the printer and inspect the cable, located on the back of the case near the power switch, and check for signs of wear. A damaged cable will have a wrinkled appearance, as seen below. If your cable is damaged, you can reach out to customer support immediately via this link and provide a picture of the cable at the root.
If your A1 3D printer is confirmed to be damaged, you can request a replacement heat bed assembly. Bambu Lab will also provide compensation for making the repair yourself, though that figure was not listed in the blog post. If you are unable to make the repair on your own, you can request a replacement printer.
The company is also providing a file for a 3D printed cable protector for anyone with an undamaged cable.
Bambu Lab states that few printers have been affected, and blames rough handling during shipping for the damage. But it claims there is one culprit that the user could have brought on during assembly.
“During installation, if the base is vertically placed on the table with the cable side at the bottom, all the weight of the printer will be concentrated on the root of the cables and cause damage.”
Bambu Lab’s assembly instructions clearly show placing the printer on the edge of a table to complete the wiring under the printer’s base. If you found that placement unhandy – as I did – and didn’t want to risk the printer falling on your foot, you may have simply tipped it backward and accidentally damaged the cable.
I inspected the A1 that Tom’s Hardware reviewed, and have continued to use in my workshop, and found that it also shows signs of stress. In fact, a photo I took while assembling the A1 for its review shows the tell-tale signs of a bent cable before it was ever plugged in.
A quick look at the Bambu Lab website shows that the A1 3D printer is temporarily out of stock. Hopefully, the company is already working on a built-in fix for future A1 buyers.
