Printed this model recently, it took 60 hours! 7 colors (8 including support filament) on Bambu X1C with 2x AMS. 0.1mm layer height, every single layer had like at least 3 color changes.
If I had to do it again I probably wouldn’t do it multicolor lol - single-color test prints only took about 6 hours.
Fuuuuuu... This is what keeps me from solutions like the AMS. That is a lot of waste. I feel bad when I have to reprint a failed print. It looks great though, not gonna lie. But I think I'll stick with single colour in 1/10 of the time and then take some hours to paint.
Ya know… yeah, you’re right, it IS a lot of waste, no way around that. BUT, the AMS comes in way handier than just multi-color print-in-place prints - so handy, in fact, I bought a second one.
Example: doing a multi-color, multi-part print - it’s super convenient to just load up all the filaments up front, then just slice a plate of all the parts of a single color and print, slice the next and print, etc.
My first AMS has found itself to be permanently loaded with Black, White, and Support filaments. Those three filaments get used often enough that they just never leave the AMS. Then I just load and unload the remaining 5 slots as needed.
I also just chalk up the waste as a recurring cost of the hobby - it is what it is. Fun hobbies aren’t cheap 🤷♂️ Fuck it lol
Edit: there’s ways to reduce the waste. For example, printing this model at 0.2 instead of 0.1 would cut it in half. Printing a second copy on the same plate (or more) would have the same amount of waste as a single copy. You can reduce the purge volume between colors (but might cut too low and have color bleed.) So it can be reduced some, but not eliminated altogether unless you step up to multiple-extruder machines.
Edit edit: I also hate painting lol
That's just not true. I ordered a Prusa XL with two toolheads and... Ah shit, you might be onto something 🙄
The Bambu is impressive and everything around it as well. Prusa just fits me better.