Some of you may have received an email on Friday titled “[Action Required] Bambu Lab A1 Printer Product Recall Update.” This email sounded like all the previous ones until you reached the end, where the critical information lay.
Indeed, a European standard, the EU EN50678, requires that an “Electrically Skilled Person” conduct a test on the machine before you can plug it back into a power source and switch it on again. This process must be documented “in accordance with the same technical standards.”
Here is the part of the email where this is mentioned:
For European customers, once the “do it yourself part” of the heatbed replacement process (steps 1-4 above) is completed, a test needs to be conducted by an Electrically Skilled Person in terms of the European harmonized standard EN 50678 (General procedure for verifying the effectiveness of the protective measures of electrical equipment after repair) or any applicable local equivalent standard (unless you yourself are qualified as such an Electrically Skilled Person). Before connecting the A1 PRINTER with a power source and switching it on again, the A1 PRINTER should be checked by an Electrically Skilled Person within the meaning of EN 50678, or under any applicable local equivalent standard. Once the test has been completed successfully, the process needs to be documented in accordance with the same technical standards, e.g. by the Electrically Skilled Person using the following form (or any applicable local equivalent): [Click here to download].
If you have any questions or need our assistance with this test issue, please feel free to reply the original registration ticket. If you deem necessary, Bambu Lab will offer you to send in and have the test conducted on your A1 PRINTER by professional personnel and have it sent back to you free of cost. Upon your request, we can assist you in contacting our partnered testing agency to provide the relevant services. Please note that this will require you to re-package the printer after replacing the heatbed, and sending it to the designated agency for testing. Your printer will be sent back to you once the testing is completed. This process is expected to take approximately 2 to 3 weeks.
From the email sent by Bambu Lab
Bambu Lab posted a more in-depth message on Reddit where they explained a bit better what happened.
The problem took them by surprise, and in their hurry to fix it as fast as possible, they didn’t check all the requirements for all the different regions. Based on professional legal opinions and comprehensive evaluations, they must inform European users about the inspection requirements of the machine after repair.
In both their email and their Reddit post, Bambu Lab doesn’t clearly indicate the consequences there would be if you choose to ignore this requirement.
Also, in their email, they state this must be done by an “Electrically Skilled Person,” but in the Reddit post, they mention that you must take 3 key photos to comply with the standard. Here is the part of the post that mentions those pictures:
In short, the EU EN50678 standard aims to ensure that the essential protective measures continue to function after a repair. For the A1 heatbed replacement scheme, the crucial point is to ensure that the heatbed power wires, electrical wire insulation and the yellow-green ground wire, which serve as a protective measure, are correctly reconnected. Therefore, as a corporation, it is our duty to ensure that the relevant procedures are carried out effectively. This is also the rationale behind our request for you to take photographs.
Additionally, we would like to explain that we encourage users to take three key photos during the replacement process, of the aforementioned locations. This will give us an opportunity to assist in confirming the correct procedure for the entire replacement process, thereby avoiding any unforeseen issues or risks in future usage.
If you are unsure what to do, the best is to contact Bambu Lab directly via the ticket you have opened with them. Where they say they will provide specific instructions.
Finally, Bambu Lab states, “All related expenses will be covered by [them], and the promised new heatbed and corresponding discount code will be sent to the customers.”