A1 mini vs A1 vs P1S: Picking a School 3D Printer

Choosing a classroom 3D printer is really a timetabling decision. The machine that suits a Stage 4 Technology Mandatory rotation of 28 students on a 55-minute period is not the machine that suits a Stage 6 major project running across a term. Here is how the three Bambu Lab printers we most often put into NSW schools — the A1 mini, the A1 and the P1S — differ once there are students in the room.

The three machines at a glance

	A1 mini	A1	P1S
Build volume	180 × 180 × 180 mm	256 × 256 × 256 mm	256 × 256 × 256 mm
Frame	Open, moving bed	Open, moving bed	Fully enclosed CoreXY
Multi-colour	AMS Lite (4 spools, sits alongside)	AMS Lite	AMS 2 Pro (enclosed, dries filament)
Realistic materials	PLA, PETG, TPU	PLA, PETG, TPU	PLA, PETG, TPU, ABS, ASA, filled filaments
Best for	Junior rotations, several printers per room	Batching a whole class on one plate	Senior projects, functional parts
Shop	A1 mini · Combo	A1	P1S · AMS 2 Pro Combo

Work out throughput before you look at features

Build volume is rarely about part size in a school. A name tag, a keyring, a gear train, a phone stand — all of it fits on any of the three. Build volume matters because of batching.

On the 256 mm plate of an A1 or P1S you can nest roughly 20–30 small student parts in one job and leave it running overnight. On the A1 mini's 180 mm plate you'll typically fit 8–12 of the same parts, so a class of 28 becomes three plates instead of one. That is three set-ups, three removals and three chances for a failed job to cost you a lesson.

The working rule: for junior rotations, two or three A1 minis beat one larger printer — parallel machines mean a failed print loses one student's part, not the class's. For senior and elective classes, one larger printer beats two small ones, because the jobs are bigger, fewer and more valuable.

Enclosure and what you'll actually print

About 90% of school printing is PLA, and PLA is happy on an open machine: roughly 190–230 °C at the nozzle and a 45–65 °C bed. PETG, which students reach for when a part needs to flex or survive a bag, runs around 230–260 °C with a 70–80 °C bed and is still fine in the open.

ABS and ASA are the reason to consider the P1S. They want roughly 240–270 °C and a 90–100 °C bed, and they warp or split badly without a warm, still chamber. The P1S gives you that chamber plus a small activated-carbon filter in the exhaust. If your Stage 6 students are making parts that live in a car, outdoors or near heat, that is the machine. If they're printing concept models and prototypes, it isn't necessary.

Stock PLA as your default and keep one or two rolls of PETG for the students who need it. PETG and nylon absorb moisture in a humid NSW summer — a filament dryer fixes stringing that otherwise looks like a printer fault.

Noise, and where the printer lives

Noise is what teachers most often underestimate. The A1 and A1 mini throw the bed back and forth, so you get a rhythmic low-frequency motion you'll notice while you're talking over it. The P1S's panels muffle the mechanism, but the enclosure means its fans work harder. Both have a silent print mode that trades speed for quiet — useful during theory, useless if you need the part by recess.

Put printers on a solid bench, not a wheeled trolley or a hollow table that acts as a drum, and ideally against the wall furthest from where you teach. A printer in the prep room with a camera feed on the board is often better pedagogy than a printer at the front of the class.

Supervision and WHS

Be conservative here. The nozzle sits between 200 °C and 270 °C and the bed between 45 °C and 100 °C, and neither looks hot. The P1S's door and lid are a physical barrier, not a safety interlock — don't assume opening the door stops anything, and set the rule that nobody reaches into a machine that is powered on.

FDM printing releases ultrafine particles and VOCs. PLA is the lowest-emitting common filament and ABS and ASA the highest, which is another argument for keeping those materials inside an enclosed printer. Ventilate the room, don't site a printer in a sealed store cupboard, and run the machine through your school's own risk assessment and WHS process before term starts — your WHS coordinator makes that call, not a supplier. We'll supply the product documentation you need for the paperwork.

What a term actually costs

Filament is the real consumable. Our house-brand NE Filament PLA+ runs at about A$16–25 per kg at the time of writing, and a 10-roll carton is the sensible unit for a faculty. A typical junior part uses 8–15 g, so:

• One student part: roughly 20–40 cents of filament
• A class set of 28: roughly 250–420 g, or about A$5–10
• Four classes through a 10-week rotation: commonly 4–6 kg, so around A$80–150 per printer per term

Electricity is cents per hour and not worth modelling. Budget separately for wear items — a spare build plate, the odd A1-series hotend or P1-series hotend, glue sticks and scrapers. A couple of hundred dollars a year per printer is a realistic planning figure, and it's the line item schools most often forget.

Matching the printer to the stage

Stage 4 — Technology Mandatory

High student numbers, short periods, small parts, every student needs an outcome. Multiple A1 minis, PLA only, one shared spare plate.

Stage 5 — Design and Technology, iSTEM

Fewer students, more iteration, projects that benefit from colour and better finish. An A1 (with AMS Lite if you want multi-colour) or a P1S.

Stage 6 — Engineering Studies, D&T major projects

Functional parts, tighter tolerances, materials beyond PLA, prints running unattended overnight. A P1S, ideally with AMS 2 Pro.

What to buy

Tight budget, junior classes: two or three A1 minis and a carton of PLA+. More machines beats more build volume.

One printer for a whole faculty: the A1. The 256 mm plate batches a full class in one overnight job, and PLA and PETG cover almost everything a Stage 4–5 class needs.

Senior projects or engineering materials: the P1S, or the P1S AMS 2 Pro Combo if multi-colour and filament drying matter.

We sell Bambu Lab hardware at Bambu AU's pricing. What you get by buying from us is local: we're in Casula in south-west Sydney, warranty is handled here rather than offshore, spare parts sit on our shelf, and orders placed before 12 pm go out the same day (freight is quoted at checkout).

Schools can request a formal quote or raise a purchase order on our Schools & STEM page, see what's in the Starter classroom kit, or apply for a trade account for NET30 on an approved account. If you'd rather talk it through before term planning closes, get in touch — and if you're still building the case for your head teacher, our piece on 3D printing in Australian schools is a good place to start.