New in the Studio: A Bambu Lab A1 Mini for Rapid Prototyping
Every commission we take on now passes through one extra step before it reaches the production fleet: a quick test print on a Bambu Lab A1 Mini we've added to the studio specifically for prototyping.
Why add a dedicated prototyping printer
Our Creality Hi Combo and K1 Max printers are built for volume — multi-colour, multi-material, CFS-equipped production. Running a single untested prototype through them works, but it ties up a machine that could otherwise be printing a real order, and any sizing or slicing mistake gets caught only after using production time and filament.
The A1 Mini exists purely to catch those mistakes first. It's fast, low-cost to run, and small enough that a test print never competes with an actual job for machine time.
How it fits into our process
Once a model is sliced, it gets a pass on the A1 Mini before anything else happens:
- Fit and scale checks — does the part actually fit what it's meant to fit, at the size we've sliced it at?
- Slicer settings — supports, orientation, and layer adhesion get verified on a cheap test piece, not a production run.
- Fast turnaround — a prototype comes off the A1 Mini in a fraction of the time a full production print would take, so we're not waiting long to know if something needs adjusting.
Only once a print checks out does the job move to the CFS-equipped fleet for the real run.
Nothing else changes
The materials, colours, and finish you get are exactly the same — this is purely a step we added internally to catch problems before they reach a finished piece. Full specs for the A1 Mini and the rest of the fleet are on our printer setup page.
Want something printed?
Send us a WhatsApp for a quote — every job still gets test-printed before it's produced, at no extra cost to you.