New Multi-Color Printing Battle: AMS Lite vs Anycubic ACE Pro

The year is 2025, and the world of desktop 3D printing has become full of color. Bright, multi-material models are no longer something only expensive industrial machines can make; they are now a common feature for hobbyists and creators. This change is being led by two major companies in the industry, each with their own way of making multi-color printing easy to use. On one side, we have the Bambu Lab AMS Lite, the system that works with the A1 series. On the other side, the new Anycubic ACE Pro, designed as the perfect match for the Kobra 3. This is more than just comparing hardware; it's a battle of different ideas. We will examine every part of Bambu's smooth, connected system versus Anycubic's flexible, open-platform approach. This guide is for 3D printing fans ready to move beyond single-color prints and will help you make a smart decision for your workshop.

At a Glance

For those who need the facts first, this table breaks down the main features of each system.

The Core Technology

Understanding how these systems work shows their basic design ideas. They both reach the same goal—feeding multiple colors to a single nozzle—but take very different paths to get there.

Bambu Lab AMS Lite

The AMS Lite is built around one main idea: simplicity. Its system uses four separate, motorized spool holders that sit on a stand away from the printer. Each motor actively feeds filament through a long, clear PTFE tube. These four tubes come together at a filament switching hub mounted on the printer's X-axis gantry, just before the direct-drive extruder. When a color change is needed, the current filament is pulled all the way back to the AMS unit, and the new filament is fed through its tube to the print head.

The system's "magic" lies in its RFID integration. When using Bambu Lab's own filament, an RFID tag on the spool tells the printer and slicer about the material type, color, and how much is left. This automates the entire loading process and profile selection, creating an experience that "just works." The open-air design allows for quick visual checking of spools and easy access for untangling, but it also leaves filament exposed to dust and humidity in the air. The entire system is built to remove user guesswork and make the path from idea to multi-color print smooth.

Anycubic ACE Pro

The Anycubic ACE Pro is a direct answer to the AMS Lite, but with a focus on flexibility and user control. Its design features a more compact, side-mounted hub that attaches directly to the Kobra 3's frame. This hub manages four filament inputs, but unlike the AMS Lite, it is designed with shorter PTFE tube paths to the extruder. This shorter travel distance is designed to reduce filament change times and minimize potential problems with brittle or flexible materials during retraction.

Importantly, the ACE Pro does not use RFID technology. This is a deliberate choice. The lack of an automated tag system means the user must manually select the filament type and color in the Anycubic Slicer. While this requires more initial setup in the software, it gives complete freedom. Users can load any brand, material type, or spool size without needing printed adapters or worrying about compatibility. The system's more contained filament paths may also offer better protection from environmental factors compared to the AMS Lite's open-air design. The ACE Pro is built for the user who values choice, broad compatibility, and hands-on control over their printing process.

Head-to-Head

With the core ideas established, we can dive into a direct comparison across the areas that matter most in day-to-day use: setup, software, performance, and the surrounding ecosystem.

Round 1: Setup and Slicing

Getting Started

The initial setup experience highlights the clear difference between the two systems. Unboxing the AMS Lite is a true plug-and-play experience. The unit comes fully assembled. The user simply places it on the desk, plugs a single power and data cable into the A1 printer, and routes the four PTFE tubes to the print head. The printer automatically recognizes the device, and you are ready to load filament within minutes.

The Anycubic ACE Pro, in contrast, requires minor assembly. The process is straightforward but hands-on. It involves mounting the central hub to the Kobra 3's frame with a few screws, connecting its electronics to a dedicated port on the printer, and then cutting and routing the PTFE tubes from the hub to the extruder. While tools are included and the process takes less than 30 minutes, it is a more involved setup that aligns with Anycubic's user base of tinkerers and builders.

The Software Workflow

In the digital realm, the battle continues. Bambu Studio offers a remarkably easy workflow for multi-color printing. Its "painting" tools are simple and powerful, allowing users to apply colors to a model's surface as if using a digital brush. The integration is seamless; if you're using RFID-tagged filament, the slicer already knows which colors are loaded in which slots, making color assignment a simple point-and-click process.

Anycubic Slicer, a version of the popular PrusaSlicer, is equally capable but more manual. It features strong tools for assigning different filaments to model parts or for creating multi-color layers. However, the user is responsible for manually creating and assigning filament profiles for each of the four slots. You must tell the software what material and color is in slot 1, slot 2, and so on. This provides detailed control, particularly over purge tower settings and filament change G-code, but it lacks the polished, automated feel of the Bambu ecosystem.

Round 2: Performance and Waste

The Purge Battle

Filament waste is the unavoidable cost of single-nozzle multi-color printing, and each system manages it differently. This is a critical pain point for users, as waste directly translates to material cost.

The AMS Lite is known for its material efficiency. During a color change, it purges a small amount of filament directly from the nozzle, which is then cut and dropped out of a "poop" chute at the back of the printer. For prints with many small, detailed color regions, it may also generate a small, slender prime tower to stabilize pressure. The amount of purged material is computer-optimized and is generally considered one of the most waste-efficient methods on the market.

The Anycubic ACE Pro relies more heavily on the traditional prime tower method. A prime tower is a separate object printed alongside the main model, onto which the printer purges old filament and primes the nozzle with the new color before moving back to the model. While the slicer provides extensive control over the tower's size and density, it is naturally more wasteful for prints with frequent color changes. However, for prints with very few changes (e.g., a model with a different colored base), the total waste from a small prime tower can sometimes be less than the accumulated "poop" from dozens of changes with the AMS Lite. The verdict on waste depends heavily on the specific model being printed.

Reliability and Failures

No system is perfect, and both have potential failure points. With the AMS Lite, the most common issues stem from its filament path and spool compatibility. The long retraction distance can cause brittle filaments to snap inside the PTFE tubes. The open-air design can lead to spool tangles if filament isn't perfectly wound. Furthermore, its intolerance for cardboard or oversized spools can cause loading and unloading errors without user-made modifications. Troubleshooting is generally straightforward due to the system's simple design and good error reporting.

For the Anycubic ACE Pro, potential failure points center on its switching mechanism and filament handling. A more complex mechanical hub for switching could be a point of failure if filament debris accumulates. The shorter filament path is a theoretical advantage, but its ability to handle a wide range of filament diameters and stiffness levels during the critical load/unload sequence will determine its long-term reliability. How gracefully the system reports and recovers from a filament jam within the hub will be a key test of its design.

Round 3: The Ecosystem

Filament Freedom

This is where the two systems are most clearly divided. The AMS Lite's reliance on a specific spool geometry is its most significant limitation. Standard 1kg plastic spools from most major brands work well, but cardboard spools slip against the drive rollers, and wider spools simply do not fit. This has created a vibrant community of users who design and print adapters or even re-spool their filament onto compatible spools. While workarounds exist, it is an extra step that complicates the workflow.

The ACE Pro is positioned to make this a primary strength. Its design, which does not rely on motorized spool holders, should be universally compatible. Whether the filament is on a wide cardboard spool, a narrow plastic one, or any other format, the user can simply place it on a standard spool holder and feed it into the ACE Pro hub. This freedom from modification or re-spooling is a massive advantage for users who have a diverse collection of filament from various brands or who prefer budget-friendly cardboard spools.

The Walled Garden

The final comparison is one of philosophy: the closed ecosystem versus the open platform. Bambu Lab has crafted a "walled garden" where the hardware, software, and cloud application (Bambu Handy) are tightly integrated. This results in an incredibly smooth, cohesive user experience where every component is designed to work together. The downside is a feeling of being locked in and a gentle pressure to use their proprietary filaments to get the full, advertised experience.

Anycubic represents the "open prairie." The user is free to choose. They can use the Anycubic Slicer or another slicer like OrcaSlicer. They can use any filament from any brand. This freedom is empowering for experienced users who want to fine-tune every aspect of their process. The trade-off is a more fragmented experience that may lack the polish of Bambu's all-in-one solution. It requires more effort from the user to achieve perfect integration between all the moving parts.

The Final Verdict

We will not declare a single winner, as the "best" system is entirely dependent on your priorities and printing style. Instead, use this guide to determine which user profile you fit into.

Choose the Bambu Lab AMS Lite if...

You prioritize a seamless, out-of-the-box experience above all else. If you are new to multi-color printing and want the lowest possible barrier to entry, this system is designed for you. You value the convenience of a fully integrated ecosystem where the printer, slicer, app, and even the filament work together effortlessly. You are willing to stick primarily to compatible filament spools to maintain that smooth workflow.

Choose the Anycubic ACE Pro if...

You are a tinkerer who wants maximum control over every setting and component. If you have a large, diverse collection of filament from various brands on different spool types, this system's flexibility is its killer feature. You prioritize filament freedom and an open-source-friendly ecosystem over a perfectly polished, plug-and-play experience, and you don't mind a little extra setup in software to get the results you want.

The Colorful Future

In the end, the battle between the Bambu Lab AMS Lite and the Anycubic ACE Pro is a fantastic development for the 3D printing community. The core trade-off is clear: the AMS Lite sells convenience, while the ACE Pro sells flexibility. Both of these systems are incredible innovations for 2025, bringing a once-niche capability to the masses at an accessible price point. The real winner is the user, who now has powerful and competing choices for creating stunning, complex, multi-color prints. The best system is the one that aligns with your personal printing philosophy.