HOW IT WORKS
The printer's own extruder motor mechanically drives the active filament slot through a crown-gear docking interface. Scroll to watch a real toolchange play out, step by step.
Lower pulley is driven by the printer's extruder; upper pulley sits on the crown-gear shaft. Orange dashes show the torque path.
Bambu A1 frame, slot bank, print bed. Slots have no motors — they're powered only when the toolhead reaches up and engages them.
The first material lays down. Toolhead at print height, extruder pushing orange through the nozzle onto the gold PEI plate.
One axis at a time. The printer's pin pushes a spring-loaded trigger on the toolhead, driving its internal blade through the filament.
Travel left to the currently-loaded slot. Lift into the dock. Male crown gear engages the female crown gear hanging under the slot.
Extruder reverses. The slot's meshing drive gears pinch the filament between them and pull it back up through the PTFE.
Drop out of the dock, travel left to the wipe pad. The little black wiper bar slides the opposite direction as the nozzle passes over it.
New slot, same dock sequence. The crown gears engage and the slot's drive train comes alive.
Extruder forward. The slot's drive gears grip the parked white filament between them and feed it down through the PTFE into the nozzle.
After wiping, the toolhead extrudes a small purge blob. As it moves away, the blob falls off the pad into the bin below the printer.
Toolhead returns to print position. The next layers go down in white. Same firmware. Same nozzle. No purge tower.
Z up off the part, travel home to the wipe chamber, raise to standby. The MechAMS waits for the next job with all slots primed.