Mako® 65W Hotend for Bambu Lab Upgrade Kit Installation Instructions
How to Install the Mako® Hotend for Bambu Lab Upgrade Kit
Compatibility
- Bambu Lab P1P
- Bambu Lab P1S
- Bambu Lab X1
- Bambu Lab X1C
- Bambu Lab X1E
What You Need
- 2 mm Hex Key
- Mako Hotend For Bambu Lab
- Heater & Thermistor
- If using the Mako® 65W High-Power Hotend for Bambu Lab, you'll need the Mako® 65W High-Power Electronics.
- Air Dam (Used to prevent external cooling on the Mako Hot Block)
- Optional
- Torque Wrench or 6 mm Wrench
- Plastic Repellent Paint™
Before Starting
- Unload any filament.
- Go to the Temperature settings and make sure your nozzle temperature is at 30°C or below, then turn the power OFF
- Turn off and unplug the printer.
Don't forget to optimize your printing performance! Access our custom material profiles for the Mako Hotend here to get the best results from your upgraded setup. Read Importing Mako Hotend Custom Material Profiles to learn how to import them.
To avoid clogs while printing with the Mako, especially using filaments that melt at lower temperatures like PLA, make sure to read these instructions.Removal
Step 1: Open the magnetic cover and move it aside
Step 2: Disconnect the hotend fan and the heater connectors from the board, and remove the wires by sliding them out of the clip.
Step 3: Use the 2mm hex key to unscrew the 2 screws that are near the top of the hotend's heatsink
Step 4: Carefully and gently move the wires out of the plastic wire clip and remove the complete hotend assembly.
Prepare hotend
The instructions below are only for users with Mako Hotends that were not pre-assembled by Slice, for those upgrading their 48W heater to a 65W heater, or for doing repairs.
Step 1: Apply thermal grease onto the hotend where the heater will be placed.
Note: We highly recommend using our Thin Film Thermal Grease for this application. It provides exceptional heat transfer in electronics up to 360°C and is specifically optimized for PTC ceramic heaters. This is what we use when we ship out newly assembled Mako Hotends.
We recommend applying a generous amount of grease, although the exact pattern is not critical. The heater must be adequately embedded in the grease to properly heat the hot block and hold consistent temps.
Step 2: Apply grease to the thermistor hole.
Make sure you fill the hole sufficiently. Having an excess come out is acceptable and can be cleaned up afterward. Better safe than sorry when applying thermal grease!
If you don't have a syringe tip or a way to completely fill the sensor hole with thermal grease, then you can compensate by putting a blob of grease directly on the sensor itself. This is not ideal, but as long as the sensor is encapsulated enough with grease, you will not get thermistor-related errors from the printer.
Step 3: Insert the thermistor into the hole in the side of the hotend.
Push the sensor in as far as it will go, but be careful not to push too hard and bend the wires.
Step 4: Route the wire through the center channel of hot block.
If you are using the Mako with the stock electronics from Bambu, a heater adapter will be needed. If you are using our Mako® 65W High-Power Electronics, you do not need the heater adapter since the heater will occupy the entire footprint of the heater slot for maximum thermal performance.
Step 3: Insert your heater into the heater adapter
Step 5: Place your heater down onto the thermal grease with the wires facing up and towards the top of the hotend.
Step 6: Slide the retaining clip onto the bottom of the heater to hold it in place while you complete the next step.
Step 7: Using tweezers or some kind of dull tool, gently pull the thermistor wire down so it aligns with the channel on the retaining clip.
Try not to squeeze the wire or pull down too hard.
Step 8: Slide the retaining clip up all the way.
Be careful not to pinch the thermistor wire with the clip!
Step 9: Making sure the thermistor and heater wires are properly placed such that they won't get pinched by the air dam, slide the air dam up from the bottom over the wires.
Ensure your air-dam is flush with the bottom of the heatsink
Step 10: If a nozzle is not already installed by Slice, you can install one now. If a nozzle is already installed and torqued, slide the boot on.
Nozzles must be installed and torqued while hot. See the Nozzle Swapping Guide for proper installation and nozzle replacement instructions.
Step 11: Now screw your fan into the heatsink with a 2 mm hex key.
Be careful that the heater and thermistor wires are not pinched between the heat sink and the fan!
Installation
Now that you have removed the stock hotend and assembled your Mako, you are ready to install your new Mako hotend!
Step 1: Position the complete hotend assembly so that the 2 screw holes will be behind the bracket
Step 2: Gently push the 2 screws in and then tighten them equally.
Be careful not to over-tighten!
In some cases, the right screw must be fully tightened before the left screw to ensure proper hotend alignment. Start by threading both screws in slightly, then fully tighten the right screw before tightening the left.
Step 3: Route the fan cable through the plastic wire clip.
You can try to squeeze the heater/thermistor cable through the clip as well, but it's easier to route them along the side. There is less of a chance of either cable being damaged while trying to get both to fit.
Step 4: Plug in the hotend fan connector to the board, then the heater/thermistor connector.
The heater/thermistor connector (bottom socket) must be plugged in first, otherwise you will not be able to get the fan connector in (middle socket).
Step 5: Plug in the toolhead cover cable and let the magnetic cover snap back on
Step 6
1. Plug in your printer and turn on the power
2. Set your nozzle diameter in the printer options under "accessories" (P1/P1S) or "nozzle and extruder" tab (X1E, X1C)
3. Heat the nozzle to at least 280 °C and torque to 1.5 Nm (See our Nozzle Swapping Guide)
4. Slide the silicone boot on
5. Import the custom profiles (see the downloads section of our Mako page)
6. Run a full printer calibration!
Optionally, apply a coat of Plastic Repellent Paint to your hotend to improve the performance!
It is essential to run a full printer calibration after changing from the stock Bambu hotend to the Mako Hotend. It is also necessary to run the calibration when going from a 48W heater Mako to a 65W heater Mako.
Step 7: Have fun printing!
This is the end of the Mako Hotend for Bambu Lab Upgrade Kit Installation Instructions.
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