Kraken - Revolutionary Bambu Lab AMS 2 Pro
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Kraken - Revolutionary Bambu Lab AMS 2 Pro
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Updated at source:
Model information
- Source
- Printables
- Category
- Bambu Lab Parts & Upgrades
- License
- Creative Commons — Attribution — Noncommercial
Notice!
This is only compatible with the AMS 2 Pro only. Please view my other designs for designs supporting other AMS systems, there are plenty.
Buy Kraken
I've teamed up with a few different stores around the world offering the printed parts and everything you need for the build so you won't need anything outside of the kit:
Kraken has a strict non-commercial license, it can only be sold with licensing through Hume Beam Engineering Solutions.
About
Kraken is a revolutionary, highly reliable and enhanced drop-in main body replacement for the Bambu Lab AMS 2 Pro, a multi filament companion to the Bambu Lab X1/P1, H2 and A1 series printers. It combines the advantages of both Hydra and Python and uses a similar spool system as Python. You could say Kraken is a compact version of Python, fitting inside the original AMS 2 Pro box.
The Bambu Lab AMS 2 PRO internals are used, you just need to move over the parts; the four feeders, the two heaters, the rear motor, the RFID coils and the main board as well as the PTFE tubing and cables and temp/humidity sensor.
Kraken supports all standard functions such as heating / drying and full RFID support as well as PTFE tubes replaceable from the top.
It features self-centering Double Helical gears from the small drive gear on each feeder to the enlarged spool gear. It's using the Bambu AMS 2 Pro internals only, no modification or additional parts are required, it's fully reversible.
As the spools fully rest on standard 608 bearings on both sides of the spool holder, both the feeders and the AMS hub motor are offloaded, avoiding premature wear or AMS overload errors.
Cardboard spools, refills and various size spools are all compatible including 250 g sample spools and other odd-sized spools. Maximum spool width is around 70 mm with Kraken.
Kraken is fully printable; no extra parts are needed apart from the screws that come with your AMS.
The name Kraken is inspired by the mythological creature from Norse Mythology. I have other designs with names from Greek mythology (Hydra / Python / Icarus / Hercules) so I thought it was fitting.
The main changes / improvements over the standard AMS are:
"Compact Python" - Uses Python tech but inside stock AMS box
Compatible with all types of spools and sizes, up to around 70 mm wide.
All spool diameters fit, from tiny sample spools up to 202 mm diameter spools.
No need for spool weights.
No need to rely on roller grip or worry about stuck spools.
High torque self-centering double helical gears.
Fully supports RFID in all spool slots.
Perfect for odd-sized spools and cardboard spools
If you download the individual 3MF files in the files section, they are design files only and can be easily printed on any printer / slicer. If you get a warning that they do not come from Bambu Lab just ignore the warning, they were exported directly from my design software.
Leave feedback in the comments. Thanks!
Recommended Add-ons
These are all optional but recommended to maximize the capability of your Kraken AMS.
There is also a Kraken spool holder with a TPU edge for even more quiet operation made by official Kraken tester RifRaf:
Discord Support
If you need any help with the build or want to leave feedback you can join us on Discord:
Our server is named “(Unofficial) QIDI Tech 3D Printers” so don't get confused when you join as it was initially setup for that brand of printers but we've expanded it to other brands and 3D printing in general as well as channels for some of my mods, it's where I generally hang out.
Support
All my designs and mods on Printables are free to use and remix. They have a non-commercial license. If you enjoy this or any of my other designs you can send me a small donation using the link below. Thanks :)
https://www.paypal.me/humebeamengineering
If you prefer Crypto/BTC you can send me a message.
If you send a donation, be sure to mention "Kraken - Revolutionary Bambu Lab AMS 2 Pro" in the comments box so I know which design it's from and you will be added to the list below.
Official Supporters
If you have donated $5 or more you will be added to this list as an official thank you from me and you will also be assigned a serial number, the list will be updated as often as possible.
You can request a custom serial number if you send a $20 donation or more. Cheers!
If you've bought Kraken from one of the authorized resellers you can also request a serial number by submitting a proof of purchase.
Hume Beam #0001, Hume Beam #9999, Eleventeen #6677
Guy H #0002, Kevin Pereira #0003, RifRaf #0004, eibo68 #0005, Vitek #0006, SirataXero #0007, David Andrizzi #0008, 3D Creations of Rhode Island #0009
Get a Silica Dry Box with your serial number here:
Thanks again!
If you want to remain anonymous, leave a note with your donation. If I've missed your donation let me know.
FAQ and Technical Specs
“Does this work like an AMS?”
Absolutely, it works just like the stock AMS except the spools are sitting in spool holders, driven by double helical gears rather than on top of rollers. This highly increases the reliability and versatility.
“Can I use multiple Krakens?”
Yes, you can daisy chain up to four of them for a 16 spool AMS.
“Can I hot plug an AMS to a printer?”
Normally this works fine but to be sure please shut down your printer before plugging in Kraken (or a stock AMS for that matter!), it is much safer for the electronics. It avoids electricity spikes that can potentially happen if there is a poor connection between the AMS bus cable (black cable from printer to AMS) and the AMS power board, which in turn can damage the AMS main board.
Hot-plugging can actually damage the electronics (AMS main board) so plug everything in before you boot up the printer.
“Do I need a stock AMS?”
Yes. You use those parts and transfer over to Kraken. All of the parts can be bought individually but it might be cheaper to just get an AMS rather than sourcing the parts individually, I haven't compared the prices.
“Does it support RFID tags?”
Kraken fully supports the Bambu Lab spool RFID tags in all four spool slots.
“Can I use “AMS Savers / Filament Guides" with Kraken?”
Absolutely, all AMS Savers and so called Filament Guides are supported.
“My spools do not retract fully and I get an error”
This is not related to this mod but a general AMS issue but we get the question quite often. This is due to the yellow retract gear inside the feeder slipping so it won't fully retract the spool.
Please join us on Discord and view the stickies for a video walkthrough on how to fix it, it's easy.
“I get an AMS overload error”
It could be that the feeder screws are overtightened, forcing it too close to the roller. If so, untighten a few turns.
Check so that your spools run freely in the spool holder without restriction.
Check the spool holder slots (at the spool holder columns) for debris from printing it and clean it.
Make sure the bearings rotate normally. If you use the printed version, ensure they rotate smoothly as well.
Ensure you don't get any binding between the large spool gear and small feeder gear.
If you still can't sort it, please join us on Discord and we'll be happy to help.
“Can I get the source design files in step format?”
The main Kraken step files are not available publicly. However, some files are available in step format, please view the remix tab.
BOM - Bill of Materials
You can print Kraken in just about any filament you like but if you intend to use the heaters / dryers I recommend printing it in ABS, ASA or higher.
For this reason and for reliability I recommend placing the AMS next to the printer.
Around 1100-1400 g of filament is required at the recommended print settings for the full build including four spool holders, depending on which filament you use.
I've printed most of the test builds in Prusament ASA.
Filament
Bearings (Optional, you can use the 3D printed version instead)
PTFE tubes (Optional)
You need about 1.5-2 m PTFE tube to cut to length but if you're upgrading you can just keep the old PTFE tubes, make sure they're not worn though. I recommend the stock Bambu PTFE tube which has an inner diameter of 2.5 mm and an outer diameter of 4.0 mm. Go for the AMS Hub / Custom Cut which is a single piece 4 m tube.
The Hex Tools are superb for any 3D printer; I've had mine for years. They are particularly useful for the Kraken assembly.
Warranty
Kraken does not void your warranty but be careful, especially with the AMS main board, use an antistatic wrist band. Although the mod is completely reversible and you can't tell the parts have been installed in Kraken, I take no responsibility and you're on your own. Be careful and take it slow, read this page twice before you start.
Before Printing Kraken
Make sure you dial in flow correctly before you start so that you are not over extruding. The problem then is you can't join the dovetail joints and assemble properly.
The Bambu Lab printers usually do a pretty good with automatic flow calibration but it's best to confirm flow anyway, sometimes it is inaccurate. There are ways to do manual flow calibrations directly from Bambu Studio and Orca Slicer so you can use those.
Once you have done that, print these dovetail test joints. They're intended for another design but the tolerances are the same so it will work well:
Print Settings
Most parts print without supports and I recommend using 4 walls and 30% infill for the main parts and 3 walls and an infill of around 15% for the rest of the parts. The spool rings can be printed with 2 walls and 10% infill to save some material.
The support boxes should be printed with 1 wall only and 5% infill. All this is prepared in the Print Profiles, including supports so you I recommend using these. There's a version without the support boxes available as well, in case you want to create your own custom supports or you can just delete them from the available print profile as per below.
Both versions of the front roller sleeves are included, if you know which version you have you can delete the extra set from the print profile. The same goes for the printable bearings, if you use real 608 bearings you can of course delete it as well.
Tip: The drive gear sleeves can be printed in TPU 95-98A (tested by me) for a much more silent operation but normal “hard” filament is fine too but will be slightly louder when it's switching spools, you might not notice a difference though as the AMS box is quite well insulated.
Support Boxes
Although the support boxes may seem wasteful, they are highly recommended as they prevent warping of the tall thin parts, especially the sidewalls of Kraken. They're set to just 1 wall and 5% infill in the Print Profiles and do not waste too much filament but of course add to the print time. And once you've completed the full Kraken print you don't have to throw them away, they're usable, stackable boxes you can store things in.
Assembly Instructions
Remove the Bambu Lab AMS internals from the standard AMS, follow this guide, it's not difficult:
https://wiki.bambulab.com/en/ams-2-pro/maintenance/disassembly-and-assembly
Be sure to mark all cables and connectors before you remove them. I recommend marking each connector on the board and corresponding cable with a thin permanent marker pen as pictured below:
Precaution: Always wear an antistatic wrist band when working with electronics.
Extra steps - RFID coils and humidity sensor removal
A few extra things to mention for the disassembly that the wiki above does not cover as these parts are at this moment not considered replaceable by Bambu Lab but instead part of the AMS 2 PRO main tray.
First off, after removing the feeders, hub motor, heaters and main board as per the wiki guide, flip the AMS tray upside down and you see two wide slots.
Remove RFID coils
The RFID coils are centered in the middle of these slots and secured with foam glue so just carefully cut around the coils with a sharp knife and they will lift straight out.
They're very quick and easy to remove, only watch out so you don't cut the black wire.
After removing the RFID coils, scrape off the extra foam with a fingernail.
Remove Temp / Humidity sensor
Next, remove the temp and humidity sensor. The temp and humidity sensor is a small wedge-shaped PCB with the actual sensor near the tip. It reads the temp and humidity in the AMS box and use that information for the heating / drying and venting functions.
Be very careful and never pull on the actual connector as it's just surface soldered to the PCB and quite weak, if it pulls off you need to have a very steady hand to solder it back on as it's so small.
The connector sits in this location of the tray and is secured with glue and sits in a very narrow slot.
Looking a bit closer you will see some glue around the edges of the PCB.
Careful! When removing the PCB, never pull on the actual white plug / connector!
Instead, first score around the edge using a knife to remove most of the glue then pull straight out with pliers, you can wiggle it a little side to side while pulling straight up.
Don't worry about scraping the edges of the PCB, it will not damage the board.
Assembly Instructions - Continued
Once that is done, you should have all the parts as pictured below. If you are unsure on how to remove the parts, just follow the assembly instructions in reverse.
Here are all the parts just before assembly.
You need the following hex tools. The 1.5 and 2.0 mm are needed for the AMS parts.
Main Parts Assembly
Slide the printed parts together. No screws are needed; the rear motor will keep the parts together as well as align them together with the screws for the AMS box. If you want to, you can add some silicon glue that's non-permanent to the dovetails but in our testing it's not been needed. If there's a small gap it's nothing to worry about, it will sort itself once installed in the AMS box.
There is one thinner, long dovetail near the middle and one shorter and more robust below.
Flip the assembly upside down and install the heaters. The rear of the heater goes below the long tab and it is then secured with two stock screws.
Then do the same thing for the other side's heater.
Mounting the motor
Next install the motor, it secures with three (stock) screws and rubber bushings. Fully tighten but do not overtighten them.
Guide through the motor cables through the slot, it's mostly to keep them away when installing Kraken in the AMS 2 PRO box later.
RFID coils
Install the RFID coils. They install on a friction fit plate. Unlike the original AMS, all the electronics for reading the spool RFID tags are now located on the main AMS board and it now uses bare RFID coils instead.
The flat side of the RFID coil should face up like in the picture below. There's an identification ring around it to pinpoint the direction of the RFID coil, ie. flat side at the top.
Carefully guide bend and guide through the copper wire and black cable under the table tab near the "exit".
Do the same for the other RFID holder.
Install the RFID coil by first guiding through the connector with the thin two-pin twisted cable in the slot.
Then slide it down fully, you may need to gently pull on the cable so it can slide all the way in.
The flat side of the RFID coil should be facing the top, as pictured above.
Install the other RFID coil and holder as well.
The cable will exit below the tray; you can move it out of the way a little and secure it with a cable-tie later if you want.
Front Rollers
Remove the rubber sleeve from the passive side of the front rollers, meaning the side without the gear. Do this for all four front rollers.
It's very easy. Just insert a thin pin between the rubber and the plastic casing and rotate the pin all around it. I'm using a 1.5 mm hex tool, it takes less than 30 seconds to do one. Save the rubber sleeves in case you revert to stock later.
Now there are two different hardware versions of the front rollers and rubber sleeves, identify yours below:
Pic source: Scott Marcy
If yours look like the one on the left of the pic just above, you have the newer version and if so, use this sleeve:
kraken-ams-feeder-sleeve-new-version-print-4pcs-1.00.3mf
If it looks like the one on the right with smaller teeth you have the older version and you should use this sleeve:
kraken-ams-feeder-sleeve-old-version-print-4pcs-1.00.3mf
The instructions below are identical for both versions.
Continuing with the front rollers, grab the front roller sleeves and install it by pushing it fully in. It's a good idea to hold the plastic casing so it doesn't slide off the steel shaft as it's just pressed on.
You shouldn't need to use any glue but if you want to, use silicon glue that's non-permanent.
Install the feeders
Sort the front feeder motors. The ones placed in the middle of the AMS have a shorter piece of PTFE so keep that in mind. If you accidently place them wrong you can just switch the tubing.
Slide the PTFE tube through the hole in the middle of the section:
At the same time, guide through the cable in the slot below, just above the hex tool tip here:
When installing the feeder, I find it easier to install the front roller at the same time by tilting like below:
Before installing the screws, I find it easier to place the front roller with the printed gear at the same time as guiding the feeder in place, then installing the screws after. Take notice of the small drive gear! It must face the correct direction.
Once the front roller is in place, cross tighten the four small screws with a 1.5 mm hex tool.
Once done, connect the PTFE tubes to the rear motor (internal filament hub)
Proceed to install the other three front feeders and rollers, make sure they all move smoothly.
AMS main board
Now we install the AMS main board. It is fastened with two small stock silver screws in the middle (use 1.5 mm hex tool) and there are two small columns to align it on each side.
The connectors should face down and towards rear as per the picture:
Each cable and connector is explained in step by step in the “Connecting Cables” section below.
Picture Source: Bambu Lab Wiki
Connecting Cables
Start by installing the Temp and Humidity Sensor in the small slot in the middle, it is angled about 45 degrees and the connector should face the rear:
Connect it here:
Connect Left heating unit here with the thick black heater cable at the top, the fan cable at the middle and the NTC (temp sensor) cable at the bottom.
Connect Feeder 1 cable:
Connect RFID coil 1:
You can wrap the cables around here if you like or use a cable tie:
Connect Feeder 2 cable:
Skip this plug for now, we connect it later. It's for the AMS Power Board in the rear of the AMS box.
Skip this plug. It's a debug plug not used by the end-user.
Skip this plug for now, we connect it later. It's for the communication cable from the AMS board to the AMS Power Board that is installed in the AMS box.
Connect the small plug from the Filament Hub, it's for the odometer.
Connect the wide (main) plug from the Filament Hub.
Connect the filament sensor plug from the Filament Hub.
Connect Feeder 3 cable:
You may want to route it below the others you just connected so it reaches.
Connect RFID Coil 2:
Connect Feeder 4:
Connect Right heating unit here with the thick black heater cable at the top, the fan cable at the bottom left and the NTC (temp sensor) cable at the bottom right in the circled area.
Now all cables except the two coming from the AMS main box are connected. If you like you can now use some zip-ties, there are four anchor points throughout the tray you can use.
Re-route Cables and tape down
This step is optional but recommended as it will ensure all cables are out of the way.
Start by removing the tape holding the inlet cable.
Re-route like this and tape it down.
Another option is like this:
The main objective is to not have them just below the flat areas of the heaters, preventing the Kraken tray from sitting fully flat.
If not already removed from the AMS box, unplug these two cables from the AMS box and remove them (circled in red) as well as the filament release button (circled in blue)
Connect the black AMS power cable to the AMS main board here.
And connect the wide flat communication cable here.
Add some tape to hold the cable flat while installing Kraken in the AMS box later.
Next, place Kraken on its end in the box and connect the two cables to the AMS power board here, don't worry if the tape let's go a little, it's just to keep it flat when installing the Kraken tray.
Now starting folding down Kraken, ensure you get the feeders just below the edge at the front and under the locking tabs in front on both sides.
Fasten it with the two main frame screws. 2.0 mm hex tool is used.
Don't overtighten or you can twist the AMS box and it will no longer sit fully flat.
Next, install the PTFE tube release button, the spring goes on top and the plastic casing that engages the release button below.
Just press it in from the outside of the box in.
Test by installing a piece of PTFE fully and pull on it, it should not release.
However, if you press top of the button, the PTFE tube should release and you can pull it out.
Spool Holders
Just like Python, Kraken uses a geared spool holder system, rather than having the spools running on top of rubber and plastic rollers. This greatly increases reliability and you can use smaller spools and cardboard spools without worry.
To install, just press in the printed bearing (or 608ZZ/RS bearing, if you have some) on each side of the spool holder with the "peg" facing outward.
If you use the genuine 608 roller bearings, first press in the bearing then press in the plug, it snaps in place and secures on its own.
You can use either version.
Spool Rings
With Kraken that's very compact, it's especially important for the spools to sit flat in the spool holder columns so the large gear doesn't scrape the side. The spool holder columns have slots where the bearing pegs align the spool horizontally.
Since it's so compact, it's also important that the spools are centered on the holder so I recommend using the spool rings to have them perfectly centered (concentrically) on the holder. They snap onto the spool holder top and bottom and can easily be removed when switching spools.
If the spool is not centered, it could scrape the bottom or the lid. Using the spool rings ensure it is in fact perfectly centered.
I recommend printing a bunch of spool rings for the spools you normally use, perhaps in different colours.
Bambu Lab uses the 55 mm spool ring and Prusament usually the 51 mm rings.
Using the Spool Holder
Measure the inner diameter of your spool. For example, Bambu Lab uses 55 mm inner diameter of the spools. Install the 55 mm spool ring to the top and bottom:
The spool ring should fit snugly over the top and bottom. If it doesn't, you can scale it a little without worry or increase the flow ratio.
Installing the spool on the holder
Install the spool and tighten the spool holder top, it should also have a matching spool ring.
Notice: Don't overtighten or you can deform the large gear and get rubbing.
Install the spool in Kraken
Place the spool in the AMS and line up the large spool gear with the small gear on the front roller. It's using a self-aligning double helical gear so it will stay centered.
Kraken Adaptive Spool Holder
Rather than using Spool Rings, you can use the Kraken Adaptive Spool Holder:
All done!
Precaution and some more tips
First of all, always have the printer fully shut down / off when plugging in the AMS. This is not mentioned nearly enough but a power spike or poor connection can damage the main board. So do yourself a favour and do that first.
Next, make sure the front feeders are fully inserted and tightened. Also make sure the bearings on the rollers are fully inserted over the shaft. Finally, 70.0 mm wide spools is the absolute max, else the spools will not turn like they are supposed to.
I recommend using the High Capacity Silica Gel Box to keep humidity at a minimum, it's compatible with Kraken as well as all other AMS mods made by me as well as stock AMS:
This keeps the spools dry and adds some weight to them, preventing near empty spools to jump up and jam. It can still happen but is less likely.
That's it! Thanks for your support.
Renders
Just to showcase the different spool holder options, the two spool slots on the left use the spool rings while the right use the adaptive spool holder that's an optional add-on, it's linked near the top of the page.
The install also shows the set with heat deflecting covers for the feeders, PTFE tubes and the motor, these can be useful when a top mounted dryer is installed and running, for example the Eibos Tetras or Sunlu AMS heater. The cover set is also an optional add-on linked from this page near the top.
