Hands On With The Panda Series, Part 1

By on November 7th, 2024 in Hardware, news

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Equipping a Bambu Lab P1S with BigTreeTech’s Panda Series [Source: Fabbaloo]

We had the opportunity to test BigTreeTech’s Panda Series of Bambu Lab upgrades.

This is part one of a two-part series, please read part two.

Panda Background

Panda is a brand of well-known Asian manufacturer BigTreeTech of a wide range of 3D printer components. They also produce their own line of desktop FFF 3D printers under the BIQU brand, one of which we tested many years ago.

Itā€™s tough to compete with Bambu Labā€™s inexpensive and high-quality 3D printers these days, so BigTreeTech has produced a series of third-party upgrades targeted at Bambu Lab desktop 3D printers, their ā€œPandaā€ series.

There are quite a few upgrades in the Panda portfolio, ranging from replacement build plates to hot ends to powerful control panels. While some of the components can be used on different Bambu Lab models, like the build plates, some are targeted at specific models.

Panda Upgrades

There were several upgrades in our test, all applied to one of our Bambu Lab P1S models.

The P1S is one of Bambu Labā€™s most popular devices. Itā€™s an enclosed, high-speed desktop FFF 3D printer that produces extraordinarily good-quality prints. However, the machine is less well-equipped than its sibling, the X1C.

The Panda series attempts to close the gap by modifying the device in positive ways. The upgrades we tested included:

  • Panda Touch: a replacement control panel with a large color touch screen
  • Panda Revo: a replacement hot end using the popular REVO standard
  • Panda Jet: a more advanced fan duct
  • Panda Lux: an in-chamber lighting upgrade
  • Panda Fur: a protective leather wrap to help insulate the build chamber
  • Panda Build Plates: multiple removable build plates with different properties

There are even more upgrades in the well-stocked Panda series, but this is what we were able to test.

Panda Lux

Preparing a Bambu Lab P1S for Panda Lux installation [Source: Fabbaloo]

Starting small, we began with the Panda Lux, the lighting upgrade. The P1S does have a wimpy light inside, but it doesnā€™t throw a lot of photons.

Parts for the Panda Lux [Source: Fabbaloo]

There arenā€™t a lot of parts for this one. Thereā€™s the light fixture itself, along with wiring and a plug port. The P1S must be powered off while this upgrade happens.

Opening the P1S for Panda Lux attachment [Source: Fabbaloo]

The installation is extremely straightforward. On the inner side of the top of the P1S, you must peel back some tape that hides the electronics. The LED light bar magnetically clips onto the top frame member.

Cabling the Panda Lux [Source: Fabbaloo]

The idea here is to unplug one of the boards to open up a port. Then that gets plugged into a new four-way port, making three new ports available. One is for the Panda Lux, while the others might be used later on. It is suggested to not plug the original LED bar into the adapter board, as this could draw too many amps on the circuit.

The Panda Lux is alive [Source: Fabbaloo]

The light is quite bright and has really changed the visibility in the build chamber. This is particularly notable from the onboard webcam; itā€™s much easier to see whatā€™s happening in the device.

Panda Revo

Parts for the Panda Revo [Source: Fabbaloo]

We moved on to the Panda Revo, a replacement hot end. This is more complex than the Panda Lux, but quite similar to swapping a hot end on any other machine.

Removing the stock hot end [Source: Fabbaloo]

The original Bambu Lab hot end must be removed, and this is easily done with a couple of bolts. The hot end slides out easily.

Attaching the fan to the Panda Revo [Source: Fabbaloo]

The hot end fan must be removed from the original hot end and re-mounted on the Panda Revo. BigTreeTech doesnā€™t include a fan with the Panda Revo.

Installing the Panda Revo [Source: Fabbaloo]

The Panda Revo is perfectly sized to fit into the P1Sā€™ toolhead. It mounts with the same bolts as the original.

After installation and testing, we found no issues with the Panda Revo, and prints came out with the same excellent quality. We believe the benefits of the Panda Revo would be most apparent when pushing the envelope on the machine with higher speeds and engineering materials.

Panda Jet

Removing the stock air duct from the P1S [Source: Fabbaloo]

Installing the Panda Jet involves removing the printhead cover, which must be unplugged. The lower portion must be removed, which is easily done with a couple of bolts. The original Bambu Lab duct is screwed AND glued into place and you need to carefully break the original duct free so you donā€™t break off a mount point for the new duct.

Assembling the Panda Jet [Source: Fabbaloo]

The Panda Jet duct is then simply bolted on as shown here.

Panda Jet and Panda Revo installed [Source: Fabbaloo]

Finally, the printhead cover is then plugged back in and remounted. Youā€™ll note the ā€œBQā€ logo on the front of the toolhead ā€” and the Panda Revo hot end peeking out from the bottom.

The duct provides better airflow, which is slightly noticeable on high-speed prints. We are getting extremely good-quality prints from the P1S now, somehow even better than with the original equipment.

Panda Fur

Preparing to install Panda Fur [Source: Fabbaloo]

The Panda Fur was perhaps the most challenging upgrade of the bunch, but BigTreeTech provided great instructions and even some custom tools to get the job done.

Parts for Panda Fur [Source: Fabbaloo]

There arenā€™t a lot of parts here: just a roll of ā€œfurā€, a cutting blade, and a smoothing card. Thereā€™s a QR code to get the detailed instructions, which we highly recommend you use. The ā€œfurā€ isnā€™t really fuzzy, but is a thick vinyl with a sticky surface on one side.

Applying Panda Fur to the P1S [Source: Fabbaloo]

Applying the fur is straightforward, but you must be careful to ensure things are lined up properly. Start on one edge and carefully roll it out. Use the card to take out bubbles as necessary.

Trimming Panda Fur [Source: Fabbaloo]

There will be lots of fur slopping over the sides, and that requires trimming with the supplied blade. For some of the trimming spots, itā€™s easily done with the blade.

However, there are a number of curves and weird angles that would make it pretty difficult to get a clean cut. BigTreeTech recognized this and has a solution.

Jigs for cutting Panda Fur [Source: Fabbaloo]

They provide 3D models for some jigs to help guide the blade for these difficult cuts.

Printing the jigs for the Panda Fur kit [Source: Fabbaloo]

You must print these out yourself, so youā€™ll need the machine operating to do so. They are an easy print.

Trimming Panda Fur [Source: Fabbaloo]

This is how it works: the blade is mounted in the guide, which slides along the machineā€™s contours to perfectly cut the fur.

Trimming Panda Fur [Source: Fabbaloo]

This guide was the most interesting, as it wrapped around the main curve of the P1Sā€™ body.

In the end, the work required to install the fur wasnā€™t that difficult due to the terrific instructions and tooling provided by BigTreeTech.

Completed installation of Panda Fur on a P1S [Source: Fabbaloo]

The fur provides an extra insulating layer for the build chamber, which captures a little bit of extra heat. That reduces the thermal gradient between the hot end and the ambient air in the build chamber, which increases print quality.

This is part one of a two-part series, please read part two.

Via BigTreeTech

By Kerry Stevenson

Kerry Stevenson, aka "General Fabb" has written over 8,000 stories on 3D printing at Fabbaloo since he launched the venture in 2007, with an intention to promote and grow the incredible technology of 3D printing across the world. So far, it seems to be working!