What is a hotend heating assembly?
Some of you might have noticed that Bambu Lab started to use a different hotend heating assembly on the H2D printer. The A1 series hotend is quick and easy to swap and is simple in structure, which must be the reason to move it to H2D. Couldn’t imagine it was the hotend on the X and P series. So, the new hotend heating assembly must mean something. Well, this article will show you everything.
Removing the front cover, take off the silicon sock, unlock the hotend clip, cut the remaining filament, remove the hotend, you will see the hotend heating assembly, a low-profile part that causes a lot of issues.
If you remove its four screws and flip it over, you will see its back, where the hotend heating assembly connects to the thermistor sensor. So, it heats the hotend. Removing the four screws on the back, you can detach it from the thermistor sensor and check it closely.
The hotend heating assembly on my A1 Mini has been used for 288 days. The whole thing becomes the same color and has some gaps between layers, and some areas start to break. My A1 Mini cannot handle overhangs and some other small details.
The hotend heating assembly on my A1 was 188 days only, but it breaks more than it does on the A1 Mini. The other side is newer, by which we can tell it’s 188 days. I use the A1 more because of its larger build volume and print PETG most time.
Finally, here comes the brand new hotend heating assembly I found to replace. It is more solid, can heat up to 400 °C, and has been proven to be better than the original one. I haven’t seen such a part selling outside China, so you might need to check with the official and buy the hotend heating assembly of the H2D. Yes, it is compatible with the A1 series.
Why should you replace thehotend heating assembly?
If your printer does not act well on the first layer or the top surface, and you are sure it is not the hotend issue, the hotend heating assembly is the part you should check.
According to the real results on my A1 Mini and A1 printers, we can find that this part is not very durable. It breaks down earlier and more seriously after heavy use. What’s worse, it causes issues and ruins your prints.
First, the first layer issue. The screws on it may get loose after a period, then the hotend becomes wobbly, which makes the bed leveling no longer precise. The nozzle prints too close or too far to the build plate. And it starts to have heating issues, you will find three situations: ugly or failed first layer, rough middle layers with scratch sound (sometimes wrap layers), top surface with ugly lines (rough and random spots, scratches). These issues will ruin your prints, especially when it is transparent.
I print a lot of transparent PETG. A1 wasted a lot of them while the P1S is doing well. But the hotend heating assembly was not included in the reply I got through a ticket. So, I went to check that and found the four screws on the back were loose. After tightening the screws, all the issues disappeared.
Then I tell the story to the engineer. He told me that the H2D uses a different hotend heating assembly because of its enclosure structure. Use a third-party or H2D hotend heating assembly on the open structure A1 series might have heating issues.
That saying seems to be untrue. The H2D hotend heating assembly is keeping no stock in China, since A1 series users found the secret. I couldn’t get it. So, I found a third-party one, the one I showed in the comparison photo. The truth is no issues at all, the open structure doesn’t make a difference.
How to replace thehotend heating assembly?
Bambu Lab sells the whole unit, which includes a hotend heating assembly, the thermistor sensor, and the heater, which is more expensive and unnecessary. Replacing the heater and thermistor sensor is more complicated and only necessary when the filament covers the entire hotend. You can replace the hotend heating assembly separately.
Alright, prepare your stuff and follow my steps.
Step 1, Remove the hotend
Remove the front cover, take the silicon sock down, press the cutter to cut the filament, unlock the clip, and then you can remove the hotend.
Check the nozzle carefully, see if it is necessary to replace. You should replace the hotend about every 3 months to keep the high printing quality.
Step 2, Lose the hotend heating assembly
Remove the three screws in the front, then the hotend heating assembly can be detached from the toolhead.
Flip it over, and you will see the four screws that attach the hotend heating assembly to the heater and thermistor sensor.
Step 3, Remove the hotend heating assembly
Remove the four screws, then push the hotend heating assembly gently, you should be able to remove it.
Step 4, Install the new hotend heating assembly
After that, install the new hotend heating assembly and tighten it with the original screws.
Put everything back, and you are all set. Remember to replace the hotend if necessary.
Step 5, Do a full Calibration
After that, turn the printer on and do a full calibration.
When it is done, you are ready to enjoy it.
