Hardware
Multi-material system (AMS)
Also known as: ams · multimaterial · multicolor · mmu · cambio de filamento automatico
Short definition
A multi-material system is an accessory that loads several spools and swaps them automatically during a print to produce parts in several colours or materials.
Full definition
Bambu Lab calls it the AMS and Prusa called it the MMU; the principle is the same: a selector pushes the chosen filament to the extruder and, at each change, purges the previous material so it does not contaminate the new one. That purge waste is the real cost of multicolour and can exceed the weight of the part itself on models with many changes. Beyond colour, the serious use is printing soluble support — PVA or HIPS — alongside the part, which enables internal geometry impossible any other way.
Related terms
- FilamentFilament is the plastic thread wound on a spool that feeds FDM-type printers, normally 1.75 mm in diameter.
- SupportsSupports are temporary structures the slicer adds under overhangs so material is not printed into thin air, and which are removed once the print is done.
- SlicerA slicer is the program that cuts a 3D model into horizontal layers and generates the G-code with the paths, temperatures and speeds the printer will execute.
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