Bambu Lab began as a completely closed 3D printing system, where the printer, software, and materials all functioned well but were exclusively from the company itself. This approach mirrored Formlabs, which integrates and tests everything to perform optimally together. While this limits choice over materials and reduces options and flexibility, it ensures that prints consistently work. Over time, Formlabs has become somewhat more open, now allowing the use of third-party materials. Similarly, another proponent of closed systems, Stratasys, has introduced two open materials vat polymerization options with Origin and NEO, while also opening FDM to external vendors.

If we truly wish to embrace low-cost parts and manufacturing to expand our market, open materials are the way forward. Bambu is open and offers plenty of settings for third-party materials. Its standard settings are surprisingly good, and you can add custom ones as well. While the 3D printer is designed to be push-button easy, there are many settings and adjustments available. It’s not as open as the Prusa, but it’s not completely closed either. The software experience, however, remains closed. You can switch to alternative firmware, but doing so forfeits support. The company made this decision after the X1 Plus team developed alternative firmware for Bambu Lab printers, which I found to be a remarkably pragmatic move.

This could still pose a risk for Bambu, as a future issue with external firmware might lead to headlines like “Bambu Lab Printers Easy to Hack,” even though it wouldn’t be the company’s fault. However, this decision allows hobbyists, fab lab owners, educational institutions with their own software, and print farm operators to continue using Bambu Lab printers with either their own software or third-party packages. To me, this is significant because it means that true power users and those pushing the technology forward will adopt Bambu’s products. It also shields the company from being labeled as producing “My First Sony”-type devices that serious 3D printer operators avoid. Throughout this situation, the company engaged with the community, responded quickly, and appeared both open and adept.

That kind of deft approach has been characteristic of Bambu. It proved beneficial during the A1 recall and when the cloud outage led to printers printing physical spam. In my opinion, the company tends to present things in a way that favors them and has been somewhat disingenuous in the past, particularly regarding open-source software and similar issues. However, from a PR standpoint, it engages clearly, which bodes well for them. In previous articles, I’ve expressed concern about the aftermarket and independent vendors in 3D printing. Will they be wiped out by Bambu’s dominance? This question is increasingly relevant as we witness the company sweeping away much of the competition. The desktop market is especially struggling due to Bambu’s rapid rise, and I anticipate more bankruptcies as it continues to displace other firms.

But it’s not just the desktop market feeling the impact—large manufacturers are also suffering as customers turn to Bambu instead of more expensive systems. Stratasys’ disappointing second quarter, in my opinion, was partly due to uncertainty and reduced capital expenditures, but also because Bambu printers are meeting the needs of industrial and enterprise customers at a fraction of the cost. I believe the patent lawsuit against Bambu has more to do with slowing them down than with intellectual property concerns.

I know many individuals and companies using Bambu printers for production and manufacturing, including large companies and those making bound metal parts and ceramics. People are running hundreds of these machines, and their uptime, yield, and overall reliability are impressive. These printers are coming for your business, and you should evaluate them now. Buy one and test it today. It doesn’t matter how high-tech or ITAR-compliant you are; it’s essential to understand the capabilities of these machines. Even if you can’t use them due to defense work, you need to be aware of the capabilities of competitors who will. For many, Bambu won’t just be another 3D printer—it will define 3D printing.

That deftness with PR and concern for the aftermarket came to a head last year when Bambu began collaborating with E3D. E3D’s ObXidian hardened high-flow nozzle became available for Bambu printers, which was a significant advantage for manufacturers and E3D enthusiasts, allowing Bambu users to print faster. At the time, Bambu said, “we understand that the strength of a single company is limited, and partners with innovation and quality products will enhance the ecosystem and fulfill our customers’ various demands, which cannot be addressed by Bambu Lab alone.” This was a notably mature approach. Many companies believe they can do it all, but Bambu’s strategy is clear. By allowing others to use their nozzles on Bambu printers, they ensure that no competitor can outperform them in that area. At best, a competitor could achieve parity, which won’t suffice when Bambu already excels in software and print dampening. This move prevents a hardware-focused but software-weak rival from gaining an edge and keeps Bambu growing.

However, the most critical aspect of this collaboration was how Bambu handled market power. With a large user base and significant traffic to its apps, Bambu could have required that E3D’s extruders be sold exclusively through its store—but it didn’t. The components can still be purchased through E3D, showing that Bambu went out of its way to make E3D comfortable with the partnership. Another advantage for Bambu is that E3D manufactures many nozzles for Bambu’s closest competitors. Any time E3D spends working on Bambu products is time it’s not helping those competitors.

It’s like playing chess against a master—someone exceptionally good, like Magnus Carlsen. If you’re competent, it might take you a while to realize who you’re playing, but you’ll figure it out. However, if you’re bad at chess, you might not even realize it until the game is over, if at all. The current state of the 3D printing industry is full of companies who believe they know what they’re doing—until they’re checkmated.

I’m genuinely pleased for Slice Engineering and their decision to optimize the Mako Hotend for Bambu Lab’s X1 and P1 series machines. I think it’s a smart move for them. I would advise anyone in the 3D printing aftermarket to partner with Bambu and develop products for their systems. As Bambu has stated, they now aim to embrace the aftermarket, which is beneficial for the company as well. If partnering with Bambu isn’t possible, it would still be wise to create products compatible with their system.

Many other firms in 3D printing have attempted to build ecosystems, but Bambu has the momentum and resources to sustain one. Having sold millions of systems in just a few short years, the company now has a massive, generally satisfied, installed base. However, many products could still serve this user base well. Some of the misgivings about Bambu have revolved around their handling of open-source issues, the speed of their rise, the closed nature of their system, and the fact that the company is Chinese. For many, these are significant concerns. But what if the company’s goal is to disrupt the entire 3D printing market? What if they are committed to doing whatever it takes to win? What if they can be excellent, deft, and ruthless at the same time?

Consider the scenario: a group of former DJI employees with near-unlimited funding set out to create the “DJI of 3D printing.” This is literally what’s happening. DJI dominates many markets beyond what we can even fathom, thanks to its excellent software and high-quality products. To me, this is exactly what’s unfolding in the 3D printing space. We have a player in our midst that could consume the entire industry if we let it. And how do we allow that to happen? By being complacent.