When Bambu Lab first launched the original AMS back in 2022, multi-material desktop printing went from being a tinkerer's experiment to something you could hand to a beginner. The new AMS 2 Pro takes that foundation and fixes almost everything the community asked for: better drying, faster swaps, RFID-tag recognition, and quieter operation. If you own an X1C, H2D, or H2S, this upgrade is more meaningful than it first looks.
What Is New in the AMS 2 Pro
By Inno Uncle
The headline change is the integrated filament drying chamber. Instead of relying on an external dry box, the AMS 2 Pro keeps all four spools at a stable 40 to 55 degrees Celsius while printing. For PLA that matters less, but for PETG, PA, and PVA it is the difference between a perfect first layer and a stringy mess. The second change is RFID: each Bambu Lab spool now carries a small tag that the AMS reads on insert, automatically loading the right temperature, speed, and drying profile. You can still override manually, but for newcomers it removes a major source of frustration.
Swaps are faster too. The new motor and feeder design cuts color change overhead from around 12 seconds down to roughly 6 seconds in single-nozzle mode, which makes multi-color prints with 8 or 10 color stops finally feel practical rather than gimmicky.
Why Multi-Material Still Has Limits
Even with these upgrades, single-nozzle multi-color printing has a fundamental constraint: only one filament is in the melt zone at a time, so transitions are mechanical, not magical. Purge towers, purge volumes, and wipe movements still take time and waste material. If you want zero waste and clean transitions, the H2D with its dual-nozzle setup is the better answer, especially for engineering parts where mixing PLA and PETG in the same print would be a structural disaster anyway.
For makers who stick to PLA-only multi-color prints — signs, cosplay accessories, color-coded functional parts — the AMS 2 Pro is the smoothest experience on the market right now. Browse the latest Bambu Lab printers and accessories to see which configurations ship with it.
RFID and Third-Party Filament
RFID tags are an open question. Bambu Lab has started licensing the RFID system to selected partners, but most third-party spools will not have a tag out of the box. The AMS still works with any 1.75 mm filament, you just have to enter the profile manually. For European makers looking for a wide range of compatible spools, the InnoStation 3D filament collection covers PLA, PETG, ABS, TPU, and specialty blends that all run cleanly on Bambu hardware with the right profile.
Who Should Upgrade
If you already own an X1C and you print multi-color regularly, the AMS 2 Pro is a worthy upgrade. The drying alone justifies it for engineering materials. If you are buying a new printer today, the H2D combo with the new AMS is the most balanced entry point: fast, quiet, multi-material, and supported by a large and active community. If you mostly print single-color functional parts, you can safely skip the AMS entirely and put the savings toward better filament or a proper dry box.
Multi-material printing used to be a luxury. With the AMS 2 Pro it is starting to feel like a default. That is a real shift, and worth paying attention to even if you do not need four colors on every print.