REVIEW – I love all the Bambu Labs printers I’ve bought for my print farm from A1 Minis all the way up to the latest H2Ds, but on my P1S and P1P printers with the AMS units I have to dry filament before printing (which takes 4+ hours to do correctly in my environment). If I don’t plan ahead, this can mean lost time where the printers sit idle while the dryer works. Coincidentally, I’ve been using the Sunlu FilaDryer S4 filament drying box which does a great job of drying said filament, so when SUNLU reached out to see if I wanted to review their new AMS Heater unit, I gladly accepted.
︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $119.99 ($109.99 sale at time of review)
Where to buy: SUNLU
What is it?
The SUNLU AMS Heater is a heating/drying unit that dries out filaments, in a clever form factor that replaces the top cover of Bambu Labs AMS (not AMS 2) units. This allows the AMS unit to continue to function as a filament feeder for the printer, while also drying the filament simultaneously. If you live in a humid climate or are using moisture sensitive filaments like PETG, a filament dryer is a must. Even in a dry climate with mostly PLA prints, older rolls need to be dried before using or you’ll get stringing and potential defects in your prints.
What’s included?
- SUNLU AMS Heater
- AC cord
- Installation screws and hex wrench
- Manual
Tech specs
Dimensions: 363mm × 278mm × 131mm (LWH)
Weight: 1.7 kg
Temperature range: 35°C–70°C
Drying time range: 0-99 hours
Power Input: AC 110V 60Hz or AC 220V 50Hz
Max operating power: 390 watts
Rated power: 220 watts
Protection systems: real-time temperature monitoring, alarm for over-temperature, auto-shut-down
Design and features
The SUNLU AMS Heater is a rectangular slab of plastic with a control panel display on the front right. The unit I was sent appears to be an engineering sample, I assume the vinyl wrapped exterior with bubbles and defects is not the final design. If so, they could do better here, but the website and marketing materials show a semi-translucent front panel so I’d imagine the final version will look a bit better. Functionality isn’t affected by this vinyl wrapped exterior, except for the fact that I can’t see through it to visually gauge filament levels.
On top is a manual vent, you should open this while heating/drying to allow moisture to escape and close it when the heating is done to prevent moisture from seeping back in quickly.
Around back we have the power switch and AC input.
The hinge design is a 1:1 match to the Bambu Labs AMS top cover.
Inside, you can see the heating elements and fans in the top. Warning signs are there to remind you not to touch the hot air outlets during use.
The control panel is touchscreen and shows humidity level, desired and current temperature, and time remaining while heating. There are also filament presets like PLA, PETG, ASA, and ABS or you can manually set an exact temperature/desired humidity/time.
Assembly, Installation, Setup
The original Bambu Labs AMS unit is shown above. To install the SUNLU AMS Heater you’ll need to remove the top cover.
First, you flip over the AMS unit, and unscrew four screws using the provided hex wrench.
With these removed, the top cover lifts right off. There are two plastic pieces on either end of the hinge that you’ll transfer to the SUNLU AMS Heater (SUNLU also includes extras if you lose one).
You then set the SUNLU AMS Heater on top of the AMS unit and screw the four screws back in. The final step is to plug in the AC cord and the unit springs to life. The height is just an inch higher than the original lid.
Performance
The SUNLU AMS Heater performed just as well as the Sunlu FilaDryer S4 filament drying box that I’ve also been using. It heats up quickly and dries out filament like it’s supposed to. I used it mostly for PLA but also dried-while-printing PETG during the test period, and everything was as good as it gets on my printers.
Final thoughts
The SUNLU AMS Heater is a great addition to anyone already using a Bambu Labs printer with an original AMS unit (X1C, P1S, and P1P users). It’s cheaper than the new AMS 2 unit that includes drying functionality while accomplishing the same result. The only minor annoyance was the fact that it’s got smooth surfaces all around so it’s not as easy to open one handed as the original cover. I will probably add two more of these to my other P1X series printers that are now envious of the one that got the SUNLU unit.
What I like about the SUNLU AMS Heater
- Easy installation
- Great drying and airflow
- Simple touchscreen controls
What needs to be improved?
- Can be a bit hard to lift one handed, a handle or groove be better than the all smooth surface
- Can’t see the filament rolls from above so I have to lift the lid to check levels
Price: $119.99 ($109.99 sale at time of review)
Where to buy: SUNLU
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by SUNLU. SUNLU did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
