Complete hotend assembly for Bambu Lab 3D printers

Even though a durable and long-lasting part, the hotend assembly of an FDM 3D printer is subject to wear and tear over time, especially with repeated heating and cooling cycles. This is why it needs to be properly and regularly maintained, and eventually replaced to ensure optimal performance.

The complete hotend assembly for the Bambu Lab X1 and P1 3D printer series can work at extrusion temperatures of up to 300 ºC. It contains the following elements for the X1 series (compatible with X1 and X1C only):

Image 1: The components of the complete hotend assembly for the X1 serie. Source: Bambu Lab.

The components of the complete hotend assembly for the P1 series (P1S and P1P) are the following:

Image 2: The components of the complete hotend assembly for the P1 serie. Source: Bambu Lab.

This complete hotend assembly comes with different nozzle diameters (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 mm) and materials (hardened steel or stainless steel), depending on the user's printing needs. For example, when fiber-reinforced filaments are used, the best choice would be a hardened steel nozzle with a diameter of at least 0.4-0.6 mm to avoid excessive nozzle wear and clogging. More about material compatibility can be read in this article on the Bambu Lab Wiki.

Image 3: Smaller nozzle diameter is best for achieving detail. Source: Bambu Lab.

As a general rule, smaller nozzle diameter is associated with slower printing and higher risk of clogging but significantly higher detail on the prints. Thus, 0.2 mm nozzles are recommended for the 3D printing of miniature models, texts or molds. 0.4 mm nozzles are ideal for toys, mechanical parts or decorative objects, and 0.6 mm and 0.8 mm nozzles will be best for large structural parts, functional parts and industrial or engineering parts.

Video 1: How to replace the complete hotend assembly on the X1 printers. Source: Bambu Lab.

If the nozzle needs to be replaced within this complete hotend assembly, it can be done through replacing the hotend with nozzle or the whole complete hotend assembly.

Video 2: How to replace the complete hotend assembly on the P1 printers. Source: Bambu Lab.

For the user's convenience, the Bambu Lab complete hotend assembly comes with a retaining clip and a silicone sock to ensure a safe and clean 3D printing process. Each package also contains two M3-14 step screws for the installation.