I just read an article about a Q&A that BL had on Reddit. Apparently, Bambu indicated that they are working on a multi head printer to compete with the Prusa XL.
For those of us that spent all are saved money on the flagship X1 or X1C, I really hope the Bambu has a way that these machines can be updated with a multi head unit. It has always seemed to me that their machines have the opportunity to be fully upgradable. All kinds of parts are available on their website for repair. So why can’t these machines be upgraded with new technology.
nope. don’t think so. X1 series aren’t designed for multitool heads. Best case scenario, you sell your X1 and put some more money on top (i reckon that will be quite a bit more, considering that Prusa’ XL full with all 5 toolheads goes between 4800 to 5000 one unit)… X1C combo being between 1600 to 1800… do the math.
Retrofitting a printer to include a multi-tool changer without significant structural changes is not possible.
A tool changer needs far more space to simply park the heads when not in use and this must be outside the print surface area and even more for the size of the active tool head to still access the entire print surface whilst not knocking into the at rest tool changers.
The Pursa XL a gives this by moving the parked tool heads further out the back of the printer volume. There isn’t sufficient space inside the P or X series printers to accommodate this.
The benefit of the tool changer is that it remains connected to the filament that runs through it. This requires almost all the parts of a normal print head to be each tool head in the tool changer.
Making the print head smaller still requires parts that can’t easily be removed including: fans, heat sinks, gears, electronics, motors.
There would need to be a design leap to make significant reductions. Anything that could achieve that is still unlikely to then be retrofitted to a design that had no consideration for something it had no idea needed to be considered.
Sir. This is 246 days ago… I don’t see it being feasible as the patent still isn’t approved plus the weight of the tool head would slow the printing speeds causing a completely unnecessary redesign which Bambu labs has no money to spend on completely new R&D.
They’ve built what they have and it’s selling so it’s best for them to utilize it and build off of it. We can expect to see some new parts but mostly retrofit designs.
Mr JonRaymond, I’ve noticed whenever I state an opinion you come to the aggressive response.
First off according to the CEO they spent millions on R&D alone for the X1 which continues to have issues and they continue R&D to slowly behind the scenes improve all aspects of the build process and manufacturing lines. Alternating tooling and dies aren’t cheap and if a company does so it means they’re spending money on something already built and released which is a shadow factory…
Wasting engineering time and money on something 2 years old meanwhile you could be spending the revenue towards advancement.
Secondly, they released a bed slinger after stating “no more bed slingers”. Why? Because it was an easy task for engineering with little R&D. The designs aren’t anything different are they? But look what happens when you rush a product… A1 cost them hundreds of thousands more in R&D generating another shadow factory of wasted reengineering on a single cable… now it’s the only printer that they can’t have a best product badge on and had to eat a lot of costs by giving vouchers out and sending replacements while paying 3rd party vendors back and remarketing a product already released…
I know quite a bit about manufacturing and engineering from within.
People seem to think Bambu Labs is some small start-up, It is not. Estimated sales revenue for 2023 is $210 million. With projections for 2024 of double that.
“EqualOcean has received exclusive information that Bambu Lab, a leading global manufacturer of consumer-grade 3D printers, is expected to generate CNY 1.5 billion in revenue for 2023.”
I am hoping that Bambu Lab new printer that is coming out in Q1 of 2025 is a larger Multiple tool head like the Prusha XL’s 5 tool heads. But allows you you attach multiple AMS systems to each head. Allowing for filament change during prints at any time. Also If they really want to blow other companies away incorporate multiple hotend nozzles printing at the same time. Allowing for faster speeds and ability to finish jobs faster and fuse different filaments easier.
Keep dreaming. Multiple hotheads and multiple nozzles translate into highly complex mechanics and electronics, which would render (if technically possible and available - which currently is not) the cost for such a printer as high (if not higher) that those industrial ones. Add to that the complexity of, and cost for adequate maintenance of such a printer, and you are no longer talking about the average consumer (hobbyists, small businesses, even prosumers), but rather someone with both the technical expertise and the necessary amounts of money to spend for the acquisition, maintenance and running of such a machine.
It’s nice to day-dream, but it’s a proof of wisdom to stay with the foots on the ground, not with the head in the clouds.
