Welcome back to the 3D-Fueled Show! This is episode 18.
Quick note before we start: I recorded this one at 7:10 p.m. on Thursday, October 29. Bambu Lab has been dropping news so fast that there will probably be more by the time you read this.
This week is mostly about Bambu's H3C and everything we've learned about it, plus an 8-color Pro PCTG print I just pulled off our H2C and a heads-up about an announcement coming Monday.
The Bambu Lab H3C Is Officially Official
Last week I told you Bambu Lab's H3C was coming. It's now confirmed, and we've had a week and a half of what I'm convinced are intentional leaks. They're doing exactly what they're designed to do: build buzz before the reveal on Tuesday, November 3. (Last week we had November 4. It's the 3rd.)
Here's what we know, or can pretty safely assume:
- It's a tool changer with nine tools. Bambu's own teasers show at least nine nozzles.
- There's a P3C, too. Certification photos show a P3C with seven tool docks. My guess is the H3C lands near the H2C's build volume and the P3C near the P2S, but nothing official has been announced.
- A new AMS-style unit sits on top of the printer. Whether it has to sit there, I don't know yet.
A Tool Rack That Gets Out of the Way
One of the biggest complaints about the Prusa INDX system is that the tool rack sits right in front of the print. It blocks your view, especially during the first few layers when you most want to watch.
Bambu has already teased video of the H3C's rack dropping down and going back up, so it should stay out of the way while you print.
My (Slightly Conspiratorial) Stratasys Theory
Stratasys has patents on that same kind of motion, and Stratasys and Bambu have been fighting in court. Stratasys won a $27.6 million jury verdict against Bambu this year, and Bambu has since won patent office rulings against four Stratasys patents.
Here's my theory, and I want to be clear it's just a theory. I wouldn't be surprised if this all ends with Bambu licensing a big chunk of Stratasys' IP. Bambu has the money and the backing to take that risk. Ask forgiveness rather than permission, win market share, and make it that much harder for anyone else to compete.
I'm kind of glad I don't have inside information, because if I did, I couldn't say any of that out loud.
TPU 75A: Soft Enough to Feel Like a Wet Noodle
Bambu is talking up how well the H3C prints very soft TPU, and they're launching a new TPU 75A alongside it.
For context, most TPU sits around 95A on the Shore A scale, and the lower the number, the softer it is. Bambu's current TPUs are 85A and 90A. 75A is so soft that very few printers can push it through without it buckling. It's like trying to push a wet noodle.
The part that really caught my attention: it's 2.85mm filament, and Bambu lists it as compatible only with the H3C. With so many printers on 1.75mm now, that means at least some tool heads will be built for a different filament diameter.
Mixing Nozzle Sizes in One Print
Bambu also teased a printed watch. The band is flexible TPU (almost certainly that 75A), the main body was printed with a 0.4mm nozzle, and fine details like the numbers on the face were printed with a 0.2mm nozzle.
If you can mix nozzle diameters in a single print, that's a big deal. Very few printers, and even fewer slicers, have cracked it. I'm really curious how Bambu handles the user interface. How do you tell the slicer you want this part at 0.2mm, this part at 0.4mm and this part at 0.8mm?
One thing I'm confident about: we're going to see a lot more people printing TPU. We don't have a TPU in our lineup yet. We have some things in development, but we're not there yet.
8 Colors, 4.5 Days: A Pro PCTG Majora's Mask
I'm a little late to the party on this one, but I just finished a 4.5-day print on our H2C: a Majora's Mask in eight colors of Pro PCTG. I printed it on purpose as a benchmark. When the H3C arrives, I'll run the same print and compare material waste and print time.
All 0.4mm nozzles, 0.2mm layer height, and very little cleanup. (Gluing the two halves together is not my forte, but the print itself looks fantastic.)
That's a testament to the work we put into our filament profiles: a consistent surface, very little buildup on the nozzle (which can be a problem with PCTG), and reliability over four and a half days of printing. Whether you're printing fine detail like this or blowing through filament with a 0.8mm high-flow nozzle, we want our materials to just work on your printer.
Day One: H3C and P3C Profiles
Whenever the H3C and P3C come out, we're buying both on day one and bringing them in-house to build print profiles so they're ready for you. I'm expecting $5,000 to $6,000 in hardware between the two, plus any accessories that make sense, plus the time it takes to develop the profiles.
That's one of the 3D-Fuel differences. When you buy our filament, we want it to just work, and we want Pro PCTG to be the tough material you reach for on your projects.
Big News Monday, November 2
I've already recorded the video. On Monday, November 2, the day before Bambu's reveal, we have an announcement I think a lot of you are going to be really excited about. It's something we've been working toward for a while.
Drop your guesses in the YouTube comments and we'll see who gets it right. There will be a blog post here too, so you won't miss it even if you can't catch the video.
Got a question for next week's episode? Send it our way. You can also listen to this episode on Spotify.
Shop Pro PCTG · Shop All Filament
Happy Printing!
- John
0 comments