Panda Breath Is an Affordable 3D Printer Chamber Heater Add-On
The new BIQU Panda Breath chamber heater promises stable 3D printing and ModBot put it to the test.
I wouldn’t go so far as to call a chamber heat a requirement for 3D printing, but it is certainly very nice to have. A lot of materials — even common materials like ABS — are very prone to warping during the 3D printing process. That’s why an enclosed printer is generally considered necessary for those. An enclosure alone, however, isn’t a perfect solution. The new BIQU Panda Breath chamber heater promises a real fix and ModBot put it to the test.
Some newer prosumer 3D printers, like the Bambu Lab H2C, have built-in chamber heaters. But the vast majority of printers do not. That’s a shame, because they make a big difference. They dramatically reduce warping and can even increase the strength of parts by improving interlayer adhesion.
Until now, the only real solution was to add a heating element to the chamber and rig up some kind of control for it. But the BIQU Panda Breath is a much more streamlined and purpose-built solution. It also only costs $108.88 at the moment, which means it could easily be more affordable than a DIY setup.
Panda Breath is fully compatible with the Bambu Lab P1S, P1P, and X1C. If you use BIQU’s Panda Shelter enclosure, it is also compatible with the A1. In addition to those, there will be some compatibility with Klipper-based printers.
You can control Panda Breath through a web interface, its onboard buttons, or an upcoming smartphone app. It has a built-in HEPA and activated carbon filter and redundant safety features. The 300W heating element should be capable of bringing chambers up to 60°C, and it even has a filament-drying function.
But does it actually work well?
That’s what ModBot tested in his video. He added Panda Breath to his Bambu Lab P1S. Installation required some printed parts, with files from BIQU. They all fit onto a single build plate. There were some installation quirks, including a cable routing issue that could limit travel, so I recommend watching the video to see if you can live with those.
Overall, however, ModBot says he’s very impressed with the Panda Breath chamber heater. It brings the chamber up to temperature quickly and provides the expected benefits to print jobs.
If you have an enclosed printer without a chamber heater, the BIQU Panda Breath definitely seems worth your consideration.