As has happened recently with the P2S, do you think there will also be an evolution of the X1C? If you believe so, what features could truly set it apart from the current version? What innovations might they introduce? What new technologies might be used to make the X2C the new flagship? Or will it just be a minor refresh? Let me know please.
Given the current situation, the X1C no longer makes much sense, considering that the P2S is superior and costs less.
BambuLab now has two options: let the X series die out or update it by introducing further innovation.
The X1C and X1E are basically obsolete against the P2S but they are still better for high temp engineering materials like ABS and Nylon and PPS and the X1E is still the only option for ethernet. So if there isn’t an X2C, then Bambu would be giving up on the business/industrial side of the small form factor coreXY market.
I would hope the X2 to be a P2D. Temp limits to the H-series will probably stay in place to protect the H-series. Not sure about cutter/laser accessories though. Either they’ll be reserved for the H series, or, if market research tells them they can benefit from an entry level manufacturing centre, some features may be included.
What may also be an interesting niche is an A2D, although I expect market pressures to be needed for that. Those pressures will come though. Just a question of when.
Besides an X2, I am also rather curious about Qidi. Playing catch-up, they have good offers for high temp filaments. Not as polished as Bambu, but they are much smaller as well. An i-fast successor could see me replacing my Plus 4. Especially if at least one nozzle would go to 400°C. Bambu would probably want to have an X2D in place before that to protect their market share.
Somehow I doubt it will be an X2 in the foreseeable future, now that Bambu launched the H2 and P2 series. When it was launched, the X1 serie was the premium priced printer and from the start it was made for a limited life span in terms of tech support (firmware and software), information that’s readily available on Bambu’s website (for those who know where to look). Now, the H2 serie has become the premium printer. It would be indeed very nice to see an X2 being launched, but I don’t think Bambu has any further development plans for it.
The P2S seems to be an updated X1C for less $. Btw, the X1C is no longer available on the US store. Not just out of stock, it isn’t there anymore.
I just picked up a P2S, we’ll see how it goes. And I am mystified by the price. After the fiasco with the H2D pricing I really thought the P2S was going to be more expensive, and it ends up cheaper than my P1S combo when I bought it.
Anyway, is there any feature the X1C has that the P2S doesn’t? What could there possibly be for an X2C to make it better?
P2S comes close to the 4 year old flagship X1C but it is quite a bit worse and cutting corners in several ways.
Ditching the carbon rails, and making the motion system heavier is cutting corners at the expense of quality and speed and especially quality at speed.
They have to do a lot of input shaping and other software magic to get up to the same speeds, and from what I have seen quality is still worse.
The eddie current flow sensor is far inferior to lidar.
Even under ideal conditions its not really precise and even if it were it would measure flow before the nozzle, but whats on the bed is what counts.
Thats like measuring air speed for your car instead of wheel revolutions.
Makes sense for plane but doesnt really show what the wheels are doing on the street.
Nozzle swaps are more convenient, if you do that a lot, but who does really?
On price the P2S is the clear winner, but for the same price I would still pick the old X1C, its the better machine.
And I would buy a X2C over H2C even if it were the same machine just smaller.
The last thing you want in a 3D printer is big moving masses, bigger gets exponentially worse. But they make it because the loudest people cry for it.
Times are gone where 3D printing was dominated by engineers, programmers, crafty and smart people. Bambu made it really accessible, which has its up and down sides. Money talks, and flexi dragon printers are a loud crowd. Half the people owning a printer probably dont know CAD today, which makes zero sense. Its like Having a car and no drivers license, but using it for listening to music and chilling on nice seats in an air conditioned space.
I would love to see something like a Voron 0 or a delta from Bambu, something really fast and it can be small 150 mm is completely fine for 90% of prints.
Refreshing to see someone call out the shortcuts and compromises in the P2S and not just pushing the “it is better in every way” hype that is everywhere.
The fact that consumer printers are affordable for private users today is also due to the Flexi Dragon enthusiasts whose demand helps turn these printers into affordable mass-market products. I don’t see any downside to that. If Bambulab assumed that many customers were generating real value with their printers, they would probably charge higher prices. Maybe it’s true that 150 mm is enough for 90% of the parts, but I would still like to produce the remaining 10% using FDM.