Multi-coloured printing

Bambu Lab printers specialise in multi-coloured printing. The printers are single extruder but have 4 slots within an AMS (Automatic Material System) that can all be used within the same print. 

With multicolour printing comes some wasted filament, Bambu poop! See here for advise on how to reduce or reuse Bambu filament poop. 

When setting up your print, you can choose which sections of your model are printed in which colour.

To colourise your model and print it as one model, you will need to have an STL file, containing different parts, that are already aligned.

However, if you are importing an aligned file from Tinkercad, align all of your pieces, export them as separate components and import them into Bambu Studio at once. Exporting your model as one STL from Tinkercad sometimes produces a model that cannot be split for colourisation. 

We do NOT recommend trying to align models in Bambu Studio as it does not allow users to raise models up off the buildplate.

To colourise different parts of your model in Bambu Studio:

1. Open up your project and ensure all of your filament colours are set correctly. Having all of the colours correct will help you visualize what your final model will look like. 
2. Right-click on your object and select 'Split > To parts'. Do NOT click 'To objects' as this will misalign all of your components. 
3. In the components list on the left-hand side you will now see that your one model is split into multiple parts. 
4. Change the filament number of each part to match the required colour.

This video explores the basics of multicolour prints using modifier shapes. This technique allows for precise colouring of models where the shapes overlap. They can also be used to edit print settings in particular areas. 

The modifier shapes need to be 3d modelled around the object you are colouring for them to line up properly. For more information on 3d modelling and CAD software, please visit the 3D modelling section of the knowledge base.

Here are some test objects for using modifier shapes.

sisoQR-Base.stl

sisoQR-Modifier.stl

When setting up your print, you can import a model and then use the 'Colour Painting' tool to add colour to your model. 

This can be useful when you want to print a model with multiple colours, but you are not able to split it into different parts. It can also be used for a more free-handed colouring style. A great first colour painting project is decorating and printing your own plant pot. 

To use the 'Colour Painting' tool in Bambu Studio:

1. Open up your project and ensure all of your filament colours are set correctly. Having all of the colours correct will help you visualize what your final model will look like. 
2. Click on the object you would like to colour paint.
3. Select the 'Colour Painting' tool from the top horizontal menu. This will open the colour painting workspace.
4. Use your mouse to paint onto your object. You can change the colour you are using and type and size of brush using the menu on the right-hand side. Erase brush strokes by holding down the shift key. 
5. When you are happy with your design, return to the main prepare screen. 

Filament painting uses thin layers of melted filament in different colours like coloured paint.

Filament painting can be done on the Bambu Lab printers through using the colour painting function to assign different colours to different heights of a model or through importing a model as multiple objects and assigning each of the objects a different colour. For more information on this, see the two sections directly above. 

A lithophane is a translucent artwork that displays an image when illuminated from behind.

For guidance on how to create a lithophane, see the document attached below. 

Creating lithophanes guide.