What's new

Bambu Lab boiz

Not yet, but I’ll bet you a dollar it will be 12 months or less.
That feels more like fear mongering. Don't get me wrong I think it's a dumb idea to shut out third party slicers, but a lot of the other speculation is just silly.
 
I have to agree with @buffi , this all seems a bit blown out of proportion.

They've said before their position is to be like "Apple for 3d printers" - meaning it "Just works" and you don't have to worry about using software from various vendors.

If you want to, then you still can - they will allow you to put a custom firmware on your printer as long as you void your warranty.
 
I want the P version of the H2D. Strip away a bunch of the nice-to-have features, drop the price like $700-1000.

Doubt they'll do it anytime soon but a guy can dream.
 
That laser module will be the ultimate test of how good Bambu's customer support is or isn't. With even light use, the interior of the printer is going to be a dirty mess, with residue and vaporized material getting into places that Bambu doesn't even suggest cleaning. To anyone who is into 3D printing, but not laser cutting, I highly recommend keeping the machines independent of each other if you buy the H2D.

What I think would have been cool is a simultaneous laser + FDM tool head for engraving/marking parts as they are printed.

It's a nice looking printer over all, but, even outside of the laser module, I have a fair bit of criticism. I don't think I'd let it replace my XL5T any time soon (which I also have plenty of criticism for). I find it so strange to advertise it as HT, with an actively heated chamber, only to limit its temp to 350*. Now, what I'd really like is to be able to adapt the dual tool head to my existing X1Cs.

EDIT: their own pictures really say it all, in my opinion
 
Last edited:
Too early to really say, but my initial reaction to just the hardware is that I like the dual nozzle addition, and I think the laser is not very useful.

The dual nozzle combined with filament switching is an interesting middle ground between a multi toolhead printer and a single nozzle filament switcher. Skipping the filament purge process for stuff like support filament is a big reliability bump.

Like @plasticfactory mentioned, a laser will make a mess of the printer very quickly. Furthermore, the cutting bed size is too small, and diode lasers can't cut acrylic. I also probably wouldn't want to use the laser indoors.
 
I also think that the laser doesn't seem super useful for cutting due to the limited space, and as mentioned probably issues with acrylic... but it might be sortof useful for engraving which needs a lot less cleanup, so not completely useless.

The bigger bed and dual nozzles are cool, but I'm happy with my P1S for now.
 
I've never understood the point of these low power lasers. In the arcade space what would you ever use it for? What functional object can you make with one?

A friend of mine bought a $1k Creality 40W laser and I was like, cool, you can make coasters with that thing.
 
Yeah the laser is a hard pass from me. But then again I have a 50w CO2 laser, so kinda easy to say.

But I agree with the limited utility of the diode lasers (cutting clear acrylic is like a laser super power, not being able to do it sucks) and the particles and soot and mess inside your nice 3D printer. Not to mention the smell ...

But whatever, one less expense to think about. The actual printer looks amazing.
 
Not to mention the smell ...

I can't emphasize that issue enough which was why I said I wouldn't use the laser module indoors (or at all in this specific case).

My CO2 laser has a dedicated powered filter, and a external box fan blowing out with my garage fully open when I cut, and some acrylics still make my eyes water if I'm close enough. The fumes off anything that isn't just pure wood when cutting is some nasty stuff.
 
The engraving bit is cool, though I have no use for that personally. Those "open" diode lasers scare me, though:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-sTbr1ZuEU

From what I understand the question is not IF you set fire to your laser, but WHEN, so I've got the fire extinguisher ready, and I've got it on a rolling table in the garage so I can quickly roll it outside.
 
Last edited:
The engraving bit is cool, though I have no use for that personally. Those "open" diode lasers scare me, though:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-sTbr1ZuEU

From what I understand the question is not IF you set fire to your laser, but WHEN, so I've got the fire extinguisher read, and I've got it on a rolling table in the garage so I can quickly roll it outside.
That looks like a really good way to blind yourself
 
I can't emphasize that issue enough which was why I said I wouldn't use the laser module indoors (or at all in this specific case).

My CO2 laser has a dedicated powered filter, and a external box fan blowing out with my garage fully open when I cut, and some acrylics still make my eyes water if I'm close enough. The fumes off anything that isn't just pure wood when cutting is some nasty stuff.
Hmm, that doesn't sound like the greatest setup for your health to be honest.

I can stand next to my CO2 while it cuts acrylic and barely smell anything, and definitely not ever have eye watering.

I use an inline fan and exhaust it outside through 6" ducting. It's really effective. The model is AC Infinity CLOUDLINE PRO S6 if you're interested. I use a smaller version for ventilation for my resin and FDM printers and a paint booth, so if you can't put a 6" duct on your laser I think my smaller one might be 4"


1743457358847.png
 
https://omtechlaser.com/products/80w-filter-fume-extractor-lsp-xf18-us

I use one of these types of fume extractors that I set on the highest fan setting, and my (admittedly cheapo Chineseum) CO2 laser has an exhaust port with fan that I directly connect the extractor to with a TPU gasket that I printed. Maybe replacing the weaker stock exhaust fan with a stronger inline one will help. I'm in the slow process of replacing the crappy M2 nano with a Mini Gerbil V3 board for Lightburn compatibility, so I guess I can throw the airflow upgrade into the pile of things I need to do with my laser.
 
https://omtechlaser.com/products/80w-filter-fume-extractor-lsp-xf18-us

I use one of these types of fume extractors that I set on the highest fan setting, and my (admittedly cheapo Chineseum) CO2 laser has an exhaust port with fan that I directly connect the extractor to with a TPU gasket that I printed. Maybe replacing the weaker stock exhaust fan with a stronger inline one will help. I'm in the slow process of replacing the crappy M2 nano with a Mini Gerbil V3 board for Lightburn compatibility, so I guess I can throw the airflow upgrade into the pile of things I need to do with my laser.
Those stock fans are imo worthless. I ripped mine out day 1, did a similar thing with printing an adapter for my 6" ducting where the fan was, and have that inline fan directly connected instead. Honestly works awesome, that thing moves air, has no problem keeping up with smoke and fumes.

Is your laser an Omtech too? Mine is, the 600x400mm bed version.
 
Mine is also a 600x400mm bed with a 50w laser tube, but it's a no name brand of unknown origin. I can't complain too much since I got it for free from a friend. It's in a messy state since I started tinkering a bit, then basically put my life on hold for nearly ~1.5 years or so for career reasons. I hope to finish up with the life consuming work stuff in the coming months to finally have some time again and hopefully be able to work on more fun projects.

1743487076885.jpeg
 
Just joined the club with a Bambu Lab A1 printer (without AMS), thought dipping my toes in the water first before spending lots more on a P1S/P1C with AMS :P

So probably been asked and answered a 1000 times and everyone has their own preference, but what is you favorite (affordable) PLA?

Have some orders on the way from Amazon with different brands so can test them out myself a bit:
- Sunlu PLA
- eSun PLA Basic
- Microzey PLA PRO (borrowed from a co-worker that uses this brand in his P1S with AMS)

Any other options I should strongly consider?
 
I'm not a fan of eSun PLA. In my experince the filament tends get pretty brittle towards the last 25% of the roll and snap mid print. That usually happens with filament that has taken some moisture, but I live in Southern California, where humidity is pretty low, and this doesn't happen nearly as often with other brands I have used. I use dry box that keeps RH at ~10%, but I've still seen it happen, which makes me throw the roll into my heated driers for hours before it becomes useable (unusual since PLA isn't that hydroscopic). Maybe the packaging is worse, or they tend to send older stock compared to other companies, I'm not sure.

For budget filament, I've had good experiences with Polymaker and VoxelPLA. Polymaker uses cardboard spools, which might not play nice with an AMS unless you print a reinforcing ring. Both filament brands have extra additives in the filament, so they wont print exactly like a more pure PLA. The claim is that they will be easier to print with, however in my experience it does have an effect on the strength characteristics of functional parts. Polymaker in particular seems to be a bit weaker and have a slight matte finish (which does look nicer for presentation prints). VoxelPLA seems a bit tougher in comparison, although both are less stiff than a more pure PLA. Unfortunately there are no established standard for modified filaments (ex: what does PLA+ really mean?) so it's a bit of a guessing game unless a filament is reviewed with robust testing.

Some brands offer substantial discounts if you order in bulk. Eryone and ZYLtech comes to mind, where they sell packs of 10 rolls for $10-13 per roll, but I basically never need to consume 10s of kilos of filament in a super short time, so I've never tried this option.

I'm in the US, so prices might differ significantly depending on location. You might be able to find local suppliers that meet a good price/performance ratio.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top