Bambu X1C with AMS: Four Units, Sixteen Filaments
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The X1 Carbon runs the sealed four-slot AMS and chains up to four units for sixteen filaments, which is the configuration most X1C owners end up with. The AMS 2 Pro also works and adds 65 degC drying, but connecting one to an X1 needs an AMS Hub (part SA002-N) plus a switching adapter per unit for drying. Since the X1C is enclosed with a 60 degC chamber, multi-colour ABS and ASA are genuinely on the table here, unlike on open machines.
Of all Bambu’s printers, the X1 Carbon is the one where a changer makes the most sense. The machine already holds a 60 degC chamber, reaches 300 degC at the nozzle and 120 degC at the plate, and ships with a hardened steel nozzle. Adding four slots of automated filament turns it into something closer to a small production cell than a hobby printer.
Where to buy
The standard configuration
One AMS gives four filaments. Chaining to the maximum of four units on a P1 or X1 series printer gives sixteen. RFID tags on Bambu filament are read automatically, so each slot arrives with its profile already set, and the printer tracks how much of each spool it has consumed.
The X1C’s Micro Lidar, at 7 micron resolution, is the other half of what makes this reliable in practice: it inspects the first layer and measures flow, which matters more when the machine is switching between materials that behave differently.
What the AMS refuses to feed
The sealed path is not kind to soft or brittle filament. TPU and TPE should be treated as unsupported and fed from an external spool holder into the extruder. Wet PVA and BVOH are out. Carbon and glass filled filaments feed, but they are abrasive, so accept that you are wearing the path and keep spare hardened nozzles on hand.
Warped cardboard spools and out-of-spec spool widths cause a large share of the load errors people attribute to the changer.
Drying: Gen 1 versus AMS 2 Pro
The Gen 1 AMS is an airtight box with desiccant, so it slows moisture uptake but cannot remove moisture already in a spool. The AMS 2 Pro dries up to 65 degC, rotates the spools during the cycle so heat is even, vents automatically and then reseals, and reads RFID to choose the drying settings for Bambu filament. It measures 372 x 280 x 226 mm and weighs 2.5 kg, and chains as four AMS 2 Pro units plus eight AMS HT units for twenty-four filaments.
On an X1C the practical decision is usually about jam handling rather than drying. Clearing a snapped strand from a Gen 1 unit means pulling every spool and undoing two screws, three to five minutes by Bambu’s own account. The AMS 2 Pro opens from the top with no tools. If you print multi-colour weekly, that is the difference you will feel. Our AMS 2 Pro versus AMS page has the rest.
Multi-colour in ABS and ASA
This is the X1C’s specific advantage. On an open machine, colour changes add purge and dwell time while the part sits cooling, which is exactly what makes ABS warp. Inside a 60 degC chamber that risk drops sharply, so multi-material engineering prints become realistic rather than aspirational.
Plan purge waste into your expectations: every colour change wastes filament, and multi-colour ABS wastes it at ABS prices. Print colour where it earns its place rather than everywhere. For the machine itself, see our X1 Carbon overview.
Frequently asked questions
How many AMS units can an X1C take? Four, for sixteen filaments.
Can I use an AMS 2 Pro with an X1C? Yes, with an AMS Hub (SA002-N), plus a switching adapter per unit if you want drying.
Does the X1C AMS handle TPU? No. Use an external spool holder for flexibles.
Is multi-colour ABS practical on an X1C? More so than on any open printer, thanks to the 60 degC chamber. Budget for purge waste.
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