How to load filament into a Bambu Lab P2S (AMS 2 Pro and the spool holder)
Loading a new spool into a Bambu Lab P2S Combo: cut the end at an angle (below the tape, if it’s taped), feed it into an AMS 2 Pro slot until the feeder grabs it, set the type and colour on the screen if it has no RFID tag, then Load. Plus unloading, and the spool holder for filament the AMS can’t take, with a step-through.
HanaHow5 minute readThe P2S Combo comes with the AMS 2 Pro on top: four slots, each with its own feeder. Loading a spool takes about a minute: get the end ready, feed it into a slot, tell the printer what it is if the spool has no RFID tag, then load it. The step-through below takes you through whichever route you need, including taking a spool out and the spool holder at the back for filament the AMS can’t take.
Which spool are you loading?
Taking a spool out instead?Get the end ready
- If the end’s taped down, don’t peel the tape off. Snip the filament just short of the tape, and the tape goes in the bin with the offcut.
- Cut it at an angle, for a clean, sharp tip, and below any part that’s bent or marked.
Feed it into a slot
- With the printer on, sit the spool in an empty slot of the AMS 2 Pro.
- Push the tab at the slot’s inlet back, then feed the end in about 2 cm, until the feeder grabs it.
- It pulls the filament in, then back, which tightens the spool. The slot’s light stays white while it works.
Did the feeder take it?
See this in the guideIf the feeder won’t take it
- Check the printer’s on and the AMS isn’t in the middle of a print. It only pre-loads a new spool while it’s idle.
- Pull the filament out, cut off any part with wear marks, cut a fresh angled tip, then push the tab back and feed it in again.
- Still nothing, or the slot’s light goes off? Bambu’s troubleshooting points to the feeder: clean it as their feeder unit guide shows, try another filament, and contact Bambu Lab support if it keeps happening.
Get the end ready
- If the end’s taped down, don’t peel the tape off. Snip the filament just short of the tape, and the tape goes in the bin with the offcut.
- Cut it at an angle, for a clean, sharp tip, and below any part that’s bent or marked.
- On a cardboard spool? Bambu’s general AMS advice is to fit a spool adapter ring first, so it doesn’t slip or leave debris inside.
Feed it into a slot
- With the printer on, sit the spool in an empty slot of the AMS 2 Pro.
- Push the tab at the slot’s inlet back, then feed the end in about 2 cm, until the feeder grabs it.
- It pulls the filament in, then back, which tightens the spool. The slot’s light stays white while it works.
Did the feeder take it?
See this in the guideIf the feeder won’t take it
- Check the printer’s on and the AMS isn’t in the middle of a print. It only pre-loads a new spool while it’s idle.
- Pull the filament out, cut off any part with wear marks, cut a fresh angled tip, then push the tab back and feed it in again.
- Still nothing, or the slot’s light goes off? Bambu’s troubleshooting points to the feeder: clean it as their feeder unit guide shows, try another filament, and contact Bambu Lab support if it keeps happening.
Check the slot on the screen
- On the printer’s screen, open the Filament page. The slot shows the type and colour, read from the spool’s RFID tag.
- Nothing there? Tap the slot, then Re-Read. To have it read every spool as it goes in, turn on Read Filament on Insertion in the screen’s AMS settings.
- You can view a tagged spool’s details under Edit but not change them. That’s expected.
Set the type and colour yourself
- On the printer’s screen, open the Filament page, tap the slot, then Edit.
- Choose the filament, by brand and type, and the colour, then tap Confirm. If your brand isn’t listed, pick the generic version of the material, such as Generic PLA.
Tap Load, or just start a print
- Tap the slot, then Load, and the AMS feeds the filament through to the toolhead.
- Or start a print, and the AMS loads the filament it needs by itself.
- When a print finishes normally, it unloads by itself. If you cancel a print, tap Unload yourself.
Move the spool holder so it skips the buffer
On a Combo, the spool holder ships where its tube feeds the filament buffer. That spot is for spools too big for the AMS. For filament the AMS can’t take, Bambu says not to load through the buffer.
- At the back, undo the holder’s base plate with an H2.0 Allen key and fit it in the position used on a P2S without the AMS.
- Connect its tube straight to the printer’s PTFE tube coupler, not the buffer, and trim the tube if it’s too long. A long tube can affect loading.
- Hang the spool on the holder.
Soft TPU (85A or 90A) is different: Bambu’s TPU guide for P series printers loads it from above, straight into the extruder rather than through a tube, and it needs a suitable nozzle. Follow that guide instead.
See this in the guideLoad it from the spool holder
- On the Filament page, tap the external spool, then Edit. Choose the type and colour, then tap Confirm.
- Push the filament into the tube until it stops. The toolhead on the screen shows its colour once the extruder detects it.
- Tap Load, wait for the nozzle to heat up, then push the filament again.
- Watch the nozzle. If filament comes out, tap Filament extruded, continue. If not, tap Filament not extruded, retry.
Unload it, then secure the end
A print that finishes normally unloads by itself. A cancelled one doesn’t.
- On the Filament page, tap the slot, then Unload. It pulls the filament back to the AMS.
- Pull the end out of the slot’s inlet and lift the spool out.
- Tape the end down, or tuck it through a hole in the spool’s rim, so it can’t unwind. Next time, snip just short of the tape.
- On the spool holder instead? Tap the external spool, then Unload, and pull the filament out of the tube when the screen asks.
What you’ll need
- Flush or side cutters
To snip the end at an angle for a clean, sharp tip. Bambu’s guide for its X1 printers says to cut at about 45 degrees.
Flush cutters on Amazon - A bit of tape
To hold the end down when a spool comes out. A hole in the spool’s rim does the same job.
Amazon links are affiliate links. If you buy through one, HanaHow gets a small commission and you pay the same. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Get the end ready
- If the end’s taped down, don’t peel the tape off. Snip the filament just short of the tape, and the tape goes in the bin with the offcut.
- Cut at an angle for a clean, sharp tip. Bambu’s own guide for its X1 printers says about 45 degrees. Cut below any part that’s bent or has wear marks.
- On a cardboard spool? Bambu’s general AMS advice is to fit a spool adapter ring first, so the spool doesn’t slip or leave debris inside.
Feed it into a slot
- Make sure the printer’s on and the AMS isn’t printing. It pre-loads a new spool while it’s idle.
- Sit the spool in an empty slot.
- Push the tab at the slot’s inlet back, and feed the end in about 2 cm, until the feeder grabs it.
The feeder then pulls the filament through to the AMS’s hub and back again. Bambu calls this pre-loading, and it tightens the filament on the spool. The slot’s light stays white while it’s pre-loading, reading the tag or loading.
If the feeder won’t take it
- Pull the filament out, cut off any part with wear marks, cut a fresh angled tip, then push the tab back and feed it in again.
- If nothing happens at all, or the slot’s light goes off, Bambu’s troubleshooting points to the feeder unit. Its feeder unit cleaning guide shows how to check it for wear and clogs. If it keeps happening, contact Bambu Lab support.
- If one spool keeps failing, try a different filament to rule the spool out.
Set the type and colour
Open the Filament page on the printer’s screen.
- A Bambu Lab spool has an RFID tag, so the slot shows its type and colour by itself. If it doesn’t, tap the slot, then Re-Read. You can view a tagged spool’s details under Edit, but not change them. To read every spool as it goes in, turn on Read Filament on Insertion in the screen’s AMS settings.
- Any other spool: tap the slot, then Edit. Choose the filament, by brand and type, and the colour, then tap Confirm. If your brand isn’t listed, pick the generic version of the material, such as Generic PLA.
Tap Load, or just start a print
Tap the slot, then Load, and the AMS feeds the filament through to the toolhead. Or skip that and start a print: the AMS loads the filament the print needs by itself.
Swap a spool out
- When a print finishes normally, the filament unloads by itself. If you cancelled a print, or want to swap now, tap the slot on the Filament page, then Unload.
- Pull the end out of the slot’s inlet and lift the spool out.
- Tape the end down, or tuck it through one of the holes in the spool’s rim, so it can’t unwind. Next time, snip just short of the tape.
If you print several plates in a row with the same filament, Bambu Studio can be set not to unload at the end of each print. Bambu’s guide to stopping the AMS unloading shows how.
Filament the AMS can’t take
Bambu’s general AMS advice is to keep flexible filaments such as TPU and TPE, and PVA that absorbs moisture, out of the AMS, along with hard or brittle third-party fibre-filled filaments. They go on the spool holder at the back instead.
On a Combo, the spool holder ships where its tube feeds the filament buffer. That spot is for spools too big for the AMS. For filament the AMS can’t take, Bambu says not to load through the buffer:
- Undo the holder’s base plate with an H2.0 Allen key and fit it in the position used on a P2S without the AMS, so its tube connects straight to the printer’s PTFE tube coupler. Trim the tube if it’s too long, since a long tube can affect loading.
- On the Filament page, tap the external spool, then Edit. Choose the type and colour, then tap Confirm.
- Push the filament into the tube until it stops. The toolhead on the screen shows its colour once the extruder detects it.
- Tap Load, wait for the nozzle to heat up, then push the filament again.
- Watch the nozzle. If filament comes out, tap Filament extruded, continue. If not, tap Filament not extruded, retry.
To take it out, tap the external spool, then Unload, and pull the filament out of the tube when the screen asks. Tuck the end into a hole in the spool so it can’t unwind.
Soft TPU (85A or 90A) is different. Bambu’s TPU guide for P series printers loads it from above, straight into the extruder rather than through a tube, and it needs a suitable nozzle. Follow that guide instead.
Sources
- Bambu Lab wiki, P2S: first print, AMS and external spool loading and screen operation.
- Bambu Lab wiki, AMS 2 Pro: introduction, setup, loading and unloading, LED status, loading and unloading failures and installing it on a P1S, which shows the feeder tab.
- Bambu Lab wiki, general: notes on using the AMS, securing the loose end in the spool’s holes, loading filament on the X1 for the 45 degree cut, and the TPU 85A and 90A guide for P series printers.
- The taped end tip is our own.
Read the video transcript
Got a new spool for the P2S? Here's how to load it properly. The P2S Combo comes with the AMS 2 Pro on top: four slots, each with its own feeder. If the end's taped down, don't peel the tape off. Snip the filament just short of the tape, at an angle, for a clean, sharp tip. The tape goes in the bin with the offcut. It knew the risks. With the printer on, sit the spool in a slot. Push the tab at the inlet back and feed the end in about two centimetres, until the feeder grabs it. It pulls the filament in, then back, which tightens the spool. On the screen, a Bambu Lab spool shows its type and colour from its RFID tag. For a spool without a tag, tap the slot, then Edit, and set them yourself. Then tap Load, or just start a print, and it feeds through to the toolhead. To swap it, tap Unload. A print that finishes normally does that for you. Pull the end out of the inlet, then tape it down or tuck it through a hole in the rim, so it can't unwind. Filament the AMS can't take goes on the spool holder at the back, moved so its tube goes straight into the printer. Set the type and colour on screen, push it in until it stops, then tap Load and follow the prompts. Our written guide walks you through each route. That's HanaHow. See you next time.
Something not quite right?
Let us know
