There’s been a significant update from Bambu Lab regarding their rumored upcoming large-format 3D printer.
The company’s X1 and P1 series of 3D printers have been extraordinarily successful in the market. These machines, offering very high speed printing, material compatibility and near flawless operation have attracted an enormous following worldwide.
Because of the excellent reputation of these products, it’s been long anticipated that Bambu Lab would launch a successor system that could be even better.
The rumors focused largely on an expanded build volume, with some unknown technology advancements. It was expected that the new machine would be released some time this fall.
It now turns out that’s not the case, and the mystery machine will not appear until 2025. Bambu Lab writes:
“We’re excited to share an update on our upcoming high-end 3D printer series. We’ve revised our launch timeline, with the new release date set for early 2025.
This adjustment allows us to integrate several innovative features and ensure the product meets our high standards before release. Quality is our top priority, and we’re not cutting any corners.
This new series is aimed at prosumers demanding top-tier performance and innovation in 3D printing. It’ll sit above our current X1 Series, bringing some exciting new technology to the table.”
This will be disappointing to Bambu Lab fans that had expected a new machine before the end of the year, but on the other hand a delay could be warranted. Many 3D printers have been mistakenly launched before they were truly ready, causing operators much trouble. It seems that Bambu Lab wants to retain their technical reputation by ensuring the machine is completely ready when launched.
It’s not just about the machine, either. Bambu Lab adds:
“The extended timeline isn’t just about perfecting the printer. We’re also focusing on global readiness, ensuring we have sufficient stock, spare parts, and robust logistics in place across all regions. We want you to have a smooth experience from day one, no matter where you are.”
There’s one other factor that may or may not be involved here. Fabbaloo readers may recall that Stratasys launched a patent infringement lawsuit against Bambu Lab and Tiertime in August. The suspicion at the time was that Stratasys anticipated the launch of a new Bambu Lab machine, and that it could overlap in capabilities with some of Stratasys’ products. The theory was that Stratasys hoped to delay Bambu Lab’s release and possibly obtain royalty fees for any infringed methods.
As of this writing, there has been no further word about the lawsuit or behind the scenes negotiations, aside from Stratasys dropping Tiertime from the case.
It could be that part of the delay is the time required for the two parties to come to an out-of-court agreement on the patent infringement allegations. If Bambu Lab had been planning to release a machine in September or October, an August lawsuit would definitely hold up the show, particularly if the machine could be seen as infringing the patents.
Regardless of whether the theory is true, Bambu Lab is delaying the new machine’s release until next year. That’s not very far away, and I am very interested to learn more about this mystery machine and its “innovative features”.
Via Bambu Lab
